Jottlebot
Member
- Aug 29, 2012
- 507
- 14
- Parrots
-
Orange-winged Amazon - RIP Charlie,
Spock - Common Mynah,
McCoy - Alexandrine
I can't actually believe this is happening. I feel terrible and so worried. He did it once 2 Sundays ago and again yesterday and a small amount today. I spoke to a vet who asked about diet and pooh and honestly he seems perfectly fine apart from the plucking. We decided not to stress him with a visit unless there was a need to e.g. if it happened again. Well, it happened again.
We're going to a vet on Tuesday. We have to wait until then because I want to see the best specialist I can and that is their next appointment. I don't want to stress him with more than one visit so I've asked to see the most qualified avian vet there. He still seems well in every other way.
He seems to be biting the tops off the feathers he's plucking and then pulling them out so I find the tops of feathers and then V shaped feathers with the tops missing. He's focused on his abdomen between his legs and one wing so far. Only small feathers and down, no bald patches yet, but it's not moulting. He still has V shaped feathers in the areas that he's bitten the tops off but not pulled out.
He is hormonal and has been "feeding" various toys for quite a few weeks now and trying to get close to my face very recently, which is new, he isn't at all cuddly. I think he is starting to moult too because I've found 4 larger feathers that appear to be normally moulted (with the little dents in the end and no damage to the shafts).
He is on Harrison's, has fresh chop (but is it enough/too much?) too and nuts (am I feeding too many, should I use something else, should he have some in his usual diet!?) for training treats. We let him out every day (for too long, not long enough, at the wrong time, is he not stimulated enough or is it too much!?) and he has an outside aviary he goes in when it's warm enough. He's even had a bit of winter sun this year (was it too cold for him, should I have let him out more!?). The room he is in is warm, but it has a log burner and the air is dry (does it fluctuate too much or get too warm, is it too dry?). I'm misting him every day at the moment (but does this encourage him to preen and then pluck!?). He has lots of toys that I change pretty much every 10 days to 2 weeks and recycle the bits of destroyed ones for foot toys or new toys to chew up. He is being put to bed at 9.30 and woken up at about 10. 30 to 11.30 in the morning... I'm doing everything I can that I think is right and there are still just soooooo many questions.
There are so many environmental things we've thought it could be. There are just so many "could it be..." things.
I hope there is nothing wrong with him physically, but then is it worse that it's a sign of him being so unhappy with his environment that he's harming himself!? The thought of that just absolutely breaks my heart.
I feel like a failure and worse I feel that all of a sudden my healthy, robust little man's life is so fragile I dread uncovering the cage every morning. The thought of being without him is like someone turned the light off in my life. I barely know what to do with myself.
We're going to a vet on Tuesday. We have to wait until then because I want to see the best specialist I can and that is their next appointment. I don't want to stress him with more than one visit so I've asked to see the most qualified avian vet there. He still seems well in every other way.
He seems to be biting the tops off the feathers he's plucking and then pulling them out so I find the tops of feathers and then V shaped feathers with the tops missing. He's focused on his abdomen between his legs and one wing so far. Only small feathers and down, no bald patches yet, but it's not moulting. He still has V shaped feathers in the areas that he's bitten the tops off but not pulled out.
He is hormonal and has been "feeding" various toys for quite a few weeks now and trying to get close to my face very recently, which is new, he isn't at all cuddly. I think he is starting to moult too because I've found 4 larger feathers that appear to be normally moulted (with the little dents in the end and no damage to the shafts).
He is on Harrison's, has fresh chop (but is it enough/too much?) too and nuts (am I feeding too many, should I use something else, should he have some in his usual diet!?) for training treats. We let him out every day (for too long, not long enough, at the wrong time, is he not stimulated enough or is it too much!?) and he has an outside aviary he goes in when it's warm enough. He's even had a bit of winter sun this year (was it too cold for him, should I have let him out more!?). The room he is in is warm, but it has a log burner and the air is dry (does it fluctuate too much or get too warm, is it too dry?). I'm misting him every day at the moment (but does this encourage him to preen and then pluck!?). He has lots of toys that I change pretty much every 10 days to 2 weeks and recycle the bits of destroyed ones for foot toys or new toys to chew up. He is being put to bed at 9.30 and woken up at about 10. 30 to 11.30 in the morning... I'm doing everything I can that I think is right and there are still just soooooo many questions.
There are so many environmental things we've thought it could be. There are just so many "could it be..." things.
I hope there is nothing wrong with him physically, but then is it worse that it's a sign of him being so unhappy with his environment that he's harming himself!? The thought of that just absolutely breaks my heart.
I feel like a failure and worse I feel that all of a sudden my healthy, robust little man's life is so fragile I dread uncovering the cage every morning. The thought of being without him is like someone turned the light off in my life. I barely know what to do with myself.