Need help from those with birds that cannot fly?

[DRB]

Perjo (20mos) has not been able to fly for months now, she barbers or chews her flgiht feathers apparently. She was losing her ability to fly well over the winter, it wasn't something extremely noticeable in just a couple days. I suspected she was chewing her fight feathers, we saw the vet for a regulary check up (at the time she was in the early phases of her second molt) and he said we'd have to wait it out and see what happens after her molt was complete.

Well we went back to the vet around the time of the end of that molt to have some test done to get some base lines on things like heart disease and calcuim and an X-ray. The vet and I confirmed she had some new flight feathers coming in, but it's been two weeks since and I don't see any new growth it looks like she may have chewed those newly growing feathers already.

She is completely flightless, it has gotten to the point of dangerous, she drops like a bowling ball. She's constantly got her beak under her wings picking away if she isn't vocalizing or playing with stuff.

Anyone deal with this on a serious long term scale, if so what were your determinations and what did you do to resolve this?

I use some Aloe Vera spray but she doesn't seem to like it when I'm trying to spray it on her wings (and it is nearly impossible to get under her wings) and there is always the risk of getting some in her eyes or nostrils. Once she's been spradyed she seems OK with the scent the fact I sprayed her. But I don't see her being completely deterred from picking at her wings either.

She's going to get seriously hurt from a harmless fall or even die.

I'm going back to vet in three weeks to see results of adding calcuim supplement to her diet (as she was at a 7.9, which is just slightly low) and also adding antibiotic to her water as her white blood cells were slightly high as well. But the damage is already done, she simply has no flight ability and has lost confidence in her balance. I'm actually afraid to allow her to sit high in her cage of play on it anymore and she loves that.

She's too young to be bored and she has plenty to do and chew even if I am not home, so behavioral doesn't seem like the culprit to me, and she's not bi polar, she's typically nice happy and singing.

I'm feeling like this cannot be resolved, she won't live long if she cannot fly as I cannot keep her safe 24/7.

 

[LordTriggs]

They can get bored at any age haha

did the vet check for an infection or mites? The fact she started chewing before the molt strikes me it could be that or a behavior issue. Also is the vet a Certified Avain Vet? Or are they a cat and dog vet that has been willing to see her? If the latter you need to find a new vet to put it simply.

You say she drops like a bowling ball, is that her attempting to fly on her own? she clearly doesn't like the spray bottle so I would stop that and I would also stop spraying her as she clearly doesn't like it and I wouldn't use Aloe, I'm not sure if it's bad for them or not but it could have added chemicals which may be irritating her. A good way for them to bathe would be to bring her into the bathroom when you have a shower and let her get a good steaming. This should help break down the keratin in the pin feathers softening them and helping to stop the itching, and who knows she may decide to join you!

Also was there any change in the environment? Greys are notoriously neurotic and prone to plucking feathers over the smallest changes, bit hard to think back considering how long it has been. Try distracting her from biting her feathers either through playing, training or showering.

Many birds are flightless and live happy lives, you just need to make allowances for it. Also seeing you say you can't keep her safe 24/7. What do you mean by this? If you're not around she should be in the cage. I'm very unsure what you mean by this and it seems like a worrying thing to say.

 

[Allee]

It hurts my heart to hear Perjo is having feather troubles. She's so young, I hate to use the term plucking, hopefully with the help of a CAV you will be able to find the underlying cause of Perjo's barbering and resolve the issue.

Aloe spray was first recommended to me by my female quaker's vet, it made a positive difference for my Harry, that's not to say she liked it but she learned to accept it, the vigorous chewing lessened dramatically, an added benefit for Harry was the aloe mist visibly soothed the irritated skin, she would wait a few minutes and bathe in plain water which also helped.

You've probably researched extensively already but maybe there is something here you haven't thought of yet.

http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

Best of luck, please keep us updated.

 

[Flboy]

I feel what these fids go through with irritated skin, literally! Because of too many cases of severe sunburn, my skin has developed a sensitivity to naturally occurring bacteria. If I don't use a special soap during time of high perspiration my hair follicles get infected with what feels like fire ant bites! If I scratch them, oh it feels so good, but then I get major sores that get very painful-unless I scratch- more damage! Cure is to go over a week without any stimulation to the affected area! Also very little sleep! Mild sun exposure or a long day of outdoor activity invites a potential reoccurrence!
My reason for digression? It's my way of trying to get into these little guy's heads and get a bit of understanding, or empathy!

 

[texsize]

I wish I had something to add that might help But can't think of anything.
Bella was plucking and I think barbering when I got her. She has calmed down since coming to live with me but she still does pluck some.
I think it's like smoking for humans, we can quit with great difficulty but it's easy to fall back into the habit.

Both my amazons are flightless even though they aren't clipped and they don't pluck.
Pacho is like your Perjo, she hits the ground hard. She knows she can't fly and only tries if she is scared. Bingo flaps around and creates a wind storm but goes down slowly.

Wish I could help. She is young and hopefully will adapt one way or another.

texsize

 

[DRB]

It hurts my heart to hear Perjo is having feather troubles. She's so young, I hate to use the term plucking, hopefully with the help of a CAV you will be able to find the underlying cause of Perjo's barbering and resolve the issue.

Aloe spray was first recommended to me by my female quaker's vet, it made a positive difference for my Harry, that's not to say she liked it but she learned to accept it, the vigorous chewing lessened dramatically, an added benefit for Harry was the aloe mist visibly soothed the irritated skin, she would wait a few minutes and bathe in plain water which also helped.

You've probably researched extensively already but maybe there is something here you haven't thought of yet.

http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

Best of luck, please keep us updated.

My avian vet and I agree she isn't plucking, b/c she would be missing way more feathers and not just flight feathers, and I save many if not most of the feathers and you can see they are chewed off not plucked out. The vet stated there is a discernable difference. She has never had a bare spot on her, just the flight feathers on the under side of her wings are being chewed.

My safety concerns are more than just her being out of the cage, birds play and often play rough in their cage, and sometimes they got spooked and fly to a different part of the cage, or even lose their balance on rare occasion. This is where I fear she will simply crash and get hurt or die. She seems to know she cannot fly now, yet she still plays hard and fast in her cage. Matter of fact today she was on the living room floor and tried to jump and fly, I have never seen her do that ever even when she could fly. So she's aware that something isn't right or that she may or may not be able to fly.

Thing is it is impossible to always be watching her inside or out of the cage, let alone impossible to always be home. So I could have just batherd her or sprayed her and she could be chewing when I am not there.

 

[DRB]

Just found some really good info and possible solutions to try. I had not thought of it being something she IS eating instead of something she ISN'T eating. It's possible she is having a reaction to something I feed her, not that it will be easy to get to the bottom of it. But I can start with her treats, mostly sunflower kernels, cashews, almonds and wheat elbow pasta. She likes the pasta the best, but I give it too her the most sparingly while I give her the sunflower kernels the most. I'm starting with those two and removing them for a while. Will also add bath her much more, 3 times a day instead of one, many believe wet wings are wings that don't get chewed on.