15 yr old sun conure now plucking!?

[EllieW]

I've had Zowie since she was about 8 months old.... she is now 15 yrs old. This winter she started to get very demanding - screaming for attention even when she is out of the cage!

I also noticed she was going down to the cage floor and tearing up papers. I wasn't sure if she was nesting. When she was about 2 she had an egg... though there was no nesting behavior at that time and wanted nothing to do with the egg!

This year - all she wanted was to be on me... which is not always possible! I tried new toys ... but she has never been big on toys. Still screaming and demanding me! There is another adult in the house ... but it is me she wants!

There are times during the day if she is very demanding I will cover her with a white sheet for about 20 minutes. (Yes I know this is not recommended ... but I was about to lose my mind! - Conures screaming is not a very pleasant sound!)

I cover her at night ... and we have a sweet ritual when we do so ... The other morning I took her cover off and half her chest feathers were missing! I took her out - examined her ... and I see nothing wrong.

I was hoping when the spring arrived her (more daylight) she would stop being so demanding and while it has gotten a bit better ... she is still screaming at times during the day.

This morning when I uncovered her the other side of her chest is now also bald! I don't know of any avian vets close to us - there used to be one about 1 hr away - but the avian vet is no longer with them. And she seems very healthy ... just very demanding!

I really don't know what to do ... and I really wish she would go back to be a bit less demanding! Any advice??

Thanks,
Ellie

 

[ann]

You could create a schedule and stick to it like glue,but keep in mind if you change this new routine after sticking to it for a while things could get worse. Start by taking her out and feeding her in the morning, then put her back in her cage for a while. A little later let her out again for however long she has been in there. Then put her back in, and let her out a half an hour before you put her to bed. This is just an example, feel free to change the routine to fit your lifestyle. Also train her another way to get your attention like give her a bell and every time she rings it give her attention so when she wants you to give her attention she will ring the bell instead of screaming, completely ignore her when she screams. Another way to keep them quiet is give her a nice bath and a big hard to eat treat, by the time she's done preening and figuring out how to eat the treat ( maybe a puzzle treat) she will most likely be quiet. She could also be screaming because of pent up energy, try singing and dancing and running around the room with her. Have her step up and gently hold her toes in place, and raise your hand up and jog around the room yelling and getting exited,
it sounds crazy but I hear birds love it ( I read it in bird talk). They also have some sprays you can use to reduce plucking. It could also be skin related so a vet check wouldn't hurt if you can reach your avian vet. Watch her and see if they fall out or if she's plucking them, and go from there, you could even call your vet for an opinion without making an opointment. Good luck hope i helped !

 

[Pedro]

Ellie, IMO if your sun has been reasonably good for all these years & this behaviour is totally out of character I would get her to see a Vet ASAP. Plucking & screaming all of a sudden could mean a health problem. Your bird could be in pain which can result in plucking.

What is her diet, does she get a balanced diet of fresh fruits & Veg, sprouts.???

 

[EllieW]

Pedro & Ann .... Thanks so much for your reply...

I have seen Zowie very demanding before - 9 years ago my life partner suddenly passed over. Needless to say - I was in total shock! Zowie was close to Gale ... though I was always #1.

My stress level was high ... and this is when Zowie started to be very demanding -- screaming -- Ann she had a bell that I had to take out of the cage - because she would continually slam it against the bars! I really thought I was going to lose my mind!

It was a very difficult time for us ... as I felt she was reacting to my stress levels ... but I truly was not in the best frame of mind to help her! There was a point I was thinking of finding her a new home ... as I didn't feel equipped to handle this... But we got through it. I would walk out of the room when she started that demanding scream....and eventually she and I calmed down.

Walking into another room is not working this time! Though ... I have to say she has not been having as many of these demanding episodes as she was a few months ago.

This winter there was no drama in our lives ... though I had been going through some stress that is business related. But I promise you I've had this type of stress levels before. And the last few weeks ... I have been AOK!

She has been tearing/shredding paper towels ... she has always liked to go under paper towels on the bottom of her cage... but this shredding is new - which is why I was thinking "nesting"?

She eats fruits, vegetables, she loves the ends of my toast among other food I eat and she is on a Zupreem pellet diet since I have had her.

As for plucking - when she was about 3 yrs old - I came home one night and she had a small cut on her chest (I have no idea how this happened) she was not bleeding ... I called a parrot friend and we determined she was ok for the night. The next day I got up to take her to the avian vet (who is now gone) and she had plucked out all her chest feathers. The vet said she did that because she was bruised ... they gave her an antibiotic ... And she healed and let the feathers grow back.

When I saw her chest the other morning ... I immediately checked to see if she was hurt. She is acting normal otherwise ... until she starts demanding my attention! She like to get in my shirt and hold on and look out ... if I let her I swear she would live there!

I was hoping this was a one time thing ... but this morning she plucked the other side of her chest!

I was less stressed ... but now seeing her - I'm feeling kinda stressed again! Not sure what to do for her....

I know .... I've been wordy here ... I don't have any "parrot" friends .... so it is so good to come here and talk to others that understand!

Big Thanks!

 

[Mozzie]

It sounds like hormones although it is kinda strange you haven't seen that much of this behavior before. It would be best to have a vet make sure everything is ok with her. Is she getting plenty of sleep? Mine sleeps 12 hours at night. Is anything different at all? Is she getting the same amount of attention? Anything at all can upset them, so you have to think of all possibilities.

 

[EllieW]

Hi Mozzie ... Thanks for your reply .... I do think there was some hormones involved - I can't say I've never seen this ... just not to this degree! And she seems to react to me - my stress levels ...

While she is calmer then she had been ... my stress levels are AOK now ... and she seems to have gotten stuck a bit in this mode.

 

[Mozzie]

Hopefully Zowie will get through this stage soon. Good luck. It sounds like she is doing a little better though. They do definitely sense our moods and if we are stressed. So now that things are calming down for you, hopefully she will calm down too!