3 Year Old Conure always scratching his face

[JohnG103]

Hi and thank you for taking the time to read my post. I have a young Jenday Conure who seems to scratch both sides of his face much more than one would expect. His vet believes it is a behavioral habit he has learned when he wants attention. I don't know if this is true since he scratches like that while sitting on my shoulder.
Can anyone offer any suggestions about what might cause this. The vet says Conures don't get mites but checked him anyway.

Thanks

John

 

[LaManuka]

Hello John, welcome to the Forums!

I have not had a similar experience in any of mine, but I wonder what form does the scratching take? Is it a soothing, calm "I'm just so cute I gotta skritch my own self" type scratch, or is it more rapid or frenzied like something is really bothering him and he wants it gone? When was the last time he visited the vet, and was it a specialised avian one? It might even be time to try to seek a second opinion, particularly if the scratching falls into the more "frenzied", irritated category. The following link may help you to find one close to you...

https://www.aav.org/

I hope you are able to get to the bottom of what's happening - oh and we love pictures here by the way

http://www.parrotforums.com/technical-support/6287-how-post-pictures.html

 

[Laurasea]

2 of my sick birds did this who had sinus infection..

First off what does he eat? Low vitamin A us linked with health issues. So if nit feed cooked sweet potatoes, cooking carrots lightly improve vitamin A, cooked butternut squash, feed yellow abd red peppers.

 

[2conures]

I also have a 4 year old Black cap conure that has been itching quite a lot. He has a nare that will occasionally bleed and form a scab. I thought it might be a molting process, he seems normal otherwise. I’ve tried giving him more fresh fruit and a blend of healthy food, but he prefers the dried food, and I limit the nuts and seeds. We are scheduled to see the Vet in a few weeks just to make sure it’s nothing that needs to be treated.

 

[Laurasea]

Keep us updated. Its pretty rare for burds in the states go have mites unless they spend time outside in an aviary, and picked up somethingfrom wild birds.

Can you share a picture?,

Also what are the weight? A kitchen gram scale is an easy way to check weight. Often sick birds will loose weight.

Chronic zinc toxicity can also make them itchy. Sneaky zinc is found in many places, cheap toys , if you made your own cage, in jewelry, they seem to find stuff snd chew it.

Does anyone smoke in the house? Are air fresheners used? What do you use to clean the cage?

 

[WhiteFlight]

Can anyone offer any suggestions about what might cause this.

Hey John, I recommend you keep his nails manicured, well rounded.

My umbrella currently has a sensitive scratch in the fleshy area of her lower beak. She has on occasions damaged blood feathers in her headdress.

I typically keep her nails well groomed.