A plucking macaw?

[Morgan]

As I mentioned in my introductory post, my husband and I have gotten a blue and gold macaw named Morgan. Her previous owner said that she's a "plucker". When she gets bored, she plucks her feathers out, and the poor things is nearly naked except for her helmet, her really long tail feathers and her long wing feathers.

Any suggestions in how to keep her happily distracted from taking all her feathers out of herself?

 

[Auggie's Dad]

There are basically two causes of plucking, which I suspect you know but I like to start from the beginning just in case: boredom or a medical problem (mites, etc).

Most often is is boredom but it is worth ruling out anything medical before worrying to much about distracting her - though all such 'distractions' are good things to do anyway.

Have you had her to a vet yet? Thats always an important first step with a new bird even if they are perfectly healthy. The vet can be sure it is just a behavioral issue leading to the plucking as well as giving a general check up.

There are lotions (aloe based) which can help sooth the skin which will help weaken the plucking cycle (boredom -> plucking -> bare irritated skin -> more plucking).

But if it is purely a behavioral issue then the main thing is to enrich her environment to give her lots of things to do.

A good sized cage, plenty of interaction and out of cage time yet also a good nights sleep undisturbed every night. Lots of toys to shred and destroy ... so far this is all most likely obvious. One not so obvious idea I've heard is to get them to forage for their food by setting up little hidden stashes of food on a plant or around a room. Its a bit of work but plenty of ideas on this line can be found by googling "parrot foraging".

Also a high quality diet is important in such recovery. If you have any questions about diet we could discuss that in depth but the basics are a quality pelleted food (we could debate brand names all day, but most are good as long as they are pelleted not seed), supplemented with fresh fruits and veggies and a continuously available CLEAN water.

 

[Morgan]

Thanks for the reply AD. She has been to the same vet for the best part of at least 7 years, and the plucking has been attributed to boredom. I'd love for her to have more out of cage time.

Right now, its a matter of trust for her. I tried getting her to do the up command yesterday, and thank god I was wearing my weight lifting gloves, because she would have taken a good chunk out of my hand, after I ignored all her signals, repeatedly.

We've all been hand feeding her, as well as having her parrot food the previous owner gave to us, clean water. I'm hoping it won't be too much longer before she learns to trust us.

On my part, I've been learning her signals. This morning I asked her to do up, she backed away, and when I put my hand closer she nipped me gently to say, "No, I don't trust you, go away". Just now, when I tried it and she backed away, I backed away as well.

Thankfully she trusts us enough to take food out of our hand....peanuts, fruit, parrot food. Would a raw corn cob be good for her? I've been wondering about that. Her previous owner said she'll eat anything, just don't give her alcohol. Anything I should know in particular about giving her human food?

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Just dropping in quick, hopefully I can post more later; but on the food question:

MOST food that is good for humans are good for parrots, but there are a few important exceptions which include (but not necessarily limited to): Onions, Chocolate, Caffeine, Avocado (or Guacamole or anything containing those). There are a few others that others may chime in with - these foods have chemicals which are fine for us but highly toxic for parrots.

There are other foods such as asparagus which some people warn of - asparagus for one is not dangerous or toxic but some birds do not digest it well so it will upset their stomach.

Also beware of some fruit seeds or pits - apple seeds for one if broken open before eating (which a parrot would do, a human would not) are dangerous for birds and people.

But for the most part fresh fruits and veggies that would be good for us would be good for them.

Corncob I'm not so sure but I'd err on the side of caution and avoid it. Corn cob bedding has been criticized for its tendency to harbor harmful fungi, and if eaten it (allegedly) will expand and cause problems for the bird. You could double check that with your vet though next time you talk to them. Sometimes such warnings are overstated, but I have not looked into the facts concerning corncob, so I'd avoid it.

 

[Morgan]

Day 3: Morgan's good about taking food from our hands. She's very gentle. She started waving to us, which is, hopefully, a sign that she's starting to trust us more. However, any attempt by me, or any of us to do "Step up" with her results in a quick nip. I've been trying about 3 times a day, and get nipped everytime.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

I forgot to return to this one.

In working on the step up command have you used anything other than your hand/fingers? I perch or stick can be useful as if she bites that there is nothing to worry about, you can ignore the biting of the perch and just reward her if/when she steps up.

Do be sure to reward her. There are many forms of rewards, food is certainly not the only one - but it is easy and strait forward so I recommend it in the beginning. It takes some degree of skill to effectively reward a bird with praise or petting - but food is simple.

You can also use a treat as a lure: hold the treat in front and above her so she has to step up on the perch to get it, then praise as she takes the treat.

You could also use your arm rather than your hand - many birds see to (rightfully) distrust fingers. They are unpredictable and flail about wildly - forearms are much more stable especially from there perspective.

Also, while a bit to the arm will certainly still hurt it wont likely be as bad as one to the hand or finger.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Also if/when she does step up reward her then put her right back where she was (at least most of the time). Too often birds learn HOW we use the step up command: when they are having fun tearing apart our furniture, or when we are going to put them back in their cage, when we are going to leave, etc. Think of the consequences from their perspective - if every time they step up they are being taken away from something fun its no wonder that they don't like it.

Have her step up, reward her, then put her back where she was.

 

[Morgan]

I'm going to get a dowel or something similar tomorrow to work on stepup. Today my husband was trying it with a broomstick and she was just nudging it away with her beak and biting it. We've got the cage door open now, so if she wants to have some out time, she can have it on her own terms.
Her previous owner warned us about rewarding her with food, saying that it will just make her bite us. So...I guess no food rewards. I've been telling her what a pretty bird she is when she does something good, but I'm not quite sure how much she just wants words.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Her previous owner warned us about rewarding her with food, saying that it will just make her bite us.

Strange. Are you still in contact with them so you can find out what that means?

 

[TexDot33]

don't fool around with "aloe based" products ... just get pure 100% aloe and rub it into the skin, does wonders for skin irritations ... also, when the feathers start to grow back in DAILY baths will help with irritations ...

TOYS TOYS TOYS TOYS - foraging, preening, puzzles ... give her stuff to do don't think of this beautiful creature as a bird, think of it as a 3 year-old with a box of crayons and a white bedroom wall ... you better keep her really entertained to keep disasters from happening ...

Food not as a reward, I have never heard of such a thing ... slivered almonds (and other nuts) should make her sing opera if you ask her too ...

Maybe she was biting the previous owner because she was being starved and the food was all that she was getting and she was attacking the hand because she was HUNGRY ... but that's just a jaded opinion from someone who thinks that a lot of people don't know how to handle macaws and shouldn't be allowed to keep them.

 

[Morgan]

A three year old...with a box of crayons...and a white wall?! Oh dear god! I've got a three year old.... that's a scary idea!
We did give her a bit of out of cage time today. We just opened up her cage door and she came out for a few minutes at a time, then eventually would go back in herself.
I did also try her with step up today, and while she didn't inch away from me, I kep my hand about 6 minches away to see if she would come to me to step up. When I got my hand a little closer, she lunged at it.
Maybe that's a step in the right direction, at least, she's not moving away, right?

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Its a step ... in a direction. Time will tell if its the right one.

Keep track of how you approach her when asking her to step up - is the hand/perch at her eye level, above, below, etc.

Generally it's best to start the perch/hand in front (of course) and a bit below them if possible though they should be able to clearly see you coming. It it is at beak level or above not only is it more likely to be seen as a threat but it is also easier to bite.

 

[Morgan]

I usually approach her from the side, since she perches at the side of her cage, I put my hand about six inches away, allowing for her to move away if she feels like I'm invading her space. And the hand is at her foot level.
Last night when I got home, my husband was eating peanuts, and she looked over at him and said "Hello". So I got a peanut from him and gave it to her. She adores peanuts.
This morning I opened her cage, and asked her to come out for a peanut (Holding it outside the cage on the door frame), and she did! We were within inches of one another! That was so exciting. Then I asked her to go to cage for a piece of my waffle (of course, holding it near her favorite perch) and she went back in.
I haven't done step up with her this morning yet. I'll tell you, her beak intimidates me now.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

her beak intimidates me now.

It should! She's a macaw. Even little Auggie's beak intimidates me to a degree - if he really wanted to do damage he could turn my hand into ground beef pretty quickly.

But once you understand their individual signals and behavior there is very little to be afraid of per se, but we bird owners should never get to complacent. I went through a really bad period of getting bit by Auggie - the solution was only partly training him, a lot though was me learning to react appropriately to the warning signs; now the last real bite is a fading memory (knock on wood).

It sounds like the warning about food from the previous owner was most likely bogus - perhaps they were otherwise foolish: if you stick food through the cage every day then one day you stick your finger through the cage.... well it shouldn't take to much thought to figure out what will happen there.

Overall this sounds like great news - you can find a few good rewards that will motivate her and I suspect training will go well. Be wary though of peanuts; they were not on my previously mentioned list of no-no foods but they can be problematic. They have nothing toxic per se, and the peanut itself is actually a great and healthy treat; however peanuts tend to foster fungi which is allegedly dangerous for birds. As always I'm a bit skeptical - there are differences between birds and people which make one of the other more susceptible to particular pathogens, but I know of no such difference which would account for a higher susceptibility of parrots to aspergillus. No one claims peanuts are dangerous for humans (aside from a recent recall for other reasons).

One page recommends if you give peanuts you should use "human grade" peanuts (Aspergillus Peanuts and Parrots). Again I'm skeptical, but after being advised by my own vet who is pretty down to earth I have stopped using peanuts for Auggie.

 

[Morgan]

Well, my husband got a wooden perch for a medium sized bird....too small for her I know, but we tried step up with her with it. She just ended up biting it and pushing it away. Actually took out a good hunk of the wood at one point. When I continued to try, she ignored the wood, and pecked my hand. As if to say, "I keep saying no, why won't you listen to me?"
I did get her a toy for a large bird today, something with these bright wood pieces and ropes. She's supposed to be able to hang on it, and helps withplay and preening, and beak play. I think next week I'll get her a foraging toy.

 

[Morgan]

Today she's doing well, she's taking less time to come out of her cage on her own. Earlier this morning, she was perched on the door and flapping her wings.

I wonder how long it will take her to recognise the new toy and play with it. How long will her feathers take to grow in?

 

[Auggie's Dad]

How long will her feathers take to grow in?

That can really vary depending on a number of variables. The biggest one being whether or not she continues to pluck - if she has quit plucking completely then it still depends when in her molting cycles she last plucked. Once new feathers "sprout" for lack of a better terms they grow in fairly quickly, but it may be a bit before they start to grow. Given all the unknowns I'd guestimate between a couple weeks and a couple months. If the feathers do start coming in you will see the little pin feathers growing... then she will REALLY be touchy. Make sure she gets regular baths or spritzes of water and try to avoid touching the pin feathers much.

 

[Desmo's mom]

Hi! I just watched a great video called "Captive Foraging" that my aviary vet rented out. It was very informative and I plan on making some foraging devices that were described in the video for my African Gray that used to pluck his chest and back feathers. But once I got more activities for him to play with while my husband and I were at work all day, he looks MUCH better. In the video they used a very "plucked" macaw as a role model (although there's a picture of an African Gray on the cover) and how she really had to work to get her food from all sorts of foraging tools. After awhile, you could clearly see her feathers beginning to grow back. In the video they showed simple foraging tools you can make by taking your birds favorite non perishable treat like an almond, for example, and crumpling it up in a piece of paper (coffee filters work great!). Make sure your bird sees you with the treat so he/she will know what to do. Then he/she has to work at getting it and keeps him/her occupied. Make several of these and place them strategically throughout the cage. It may take awhile, but worth the effort in the long run for the overall health of your parrot. This is just one suggestion that I hope works for your bird.
Good luck!

 

[Morgan]

Wow, Desmo's mom...I'm going to do that right now!! I've got a ton of coffe filters.

Editted later....is she supposed to eat the coffee filter too?! I hope she doesn't get sick!

 

[L Greer]

Did you actually ever see the previous owner handle her? The fact that she isn't stepping on a stick would make me think that she was not handled. I had a bird that was given to me ( they initally wanted to sell me the bird ) and the owners told me that they handled him ALL THE TIME. So... when I went to go get the bird I saw that his nails were like daggers. Seeing that I felt they maybe were not telling me the whole story. I asked them if they could take the bird out for me and they replied with "oh he's not in a good mood today". The truth was they never handled the bird and it has never been picked up. Just food for thought. Some pet sites also have sections on shredding type toys. My congo's like the Jungle talk candy cane and the jungle talk preening toy. Good luck.