Advice needed

[Noot]

Hi everyone,
I have a 6 year old male, we recently had to move house which has been very hard for my boy he started to barb his feathers. They grew back but now we are facing a problem, he constantly wanty wings i dont even think he knows why he's doing it either. He's started to barb his feathers again this time it's worse. We've been in our new home for nearly 3 months. He has really good days but today was a really bad day with the wanty wings being done for the entire day. I've tried everything , calming music, more showers, talking and singing to him but he didn't have a bar of it today. He works himself up into such a frenzy it's really sad to see him like this. He was such a sweet boy now it's constant anxiety. I need some advice as to how to help. He's been to the vets He's algood on that. It's just this constant anxiety and wanty wings.
Any advice would be appreciated

 

[Sophieskitchen]

Im sorry your going through this. Im sure its hard to see him like that. Maybe try changing the location of his cage, put new toys in? A car ride or target training to get him to focus on something else. You can make sure he is getting at least 12 hours of uninterupted sleep at night (actually our ekkie needs 14 hours) and reduce the sugar and carbs in his diet.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Ooooooooooooooooh, so sorry. I have zero expertise, but I do bet (and hope) that TIME will be the healer here. Change is so hard for them. I recommend love and patience. You sound like a wonderful parront.

 

[kme3388]

I have a lot of experience with a male Ekkie who feather plucks unfortunately. You have great advice above. Ekkie’s are known feather pluckers. I would recommend a vet visit to start so they can do a process of elimination to make sure that it is truly 100% without a doubt a behavioral issue. For an example if your Ekkie just has dry skin, or a bacterial infection that can be addressed by your vet. The challenging part is if it is behavioral, and if the habit has became habitual it can take moving a mountain to address it if ever. There are so many different reasons why a parrot may feather pluck.

I use a soft collar for Nico especially at night when he’s in his cage alone. I make sure he gets all of the sleep he needs (12-14 hours). His diet has been changed per his vet. I change his environment frequently by changing out toys, moving around perches, and moving around furniture in his room. I have Nico out of his cage a lot. He likes to be on my shoulder or right next to me. He will get loud if left alone for too long, and that’s when I feel like he really starts his feather destructive behavior. I bring Nico on car rides, and he’s gone to pet stores with me. I take him outside a lot. He does great being out & about. He much enjoys it.

I hope something in here helps you! Best of luck to you & your Ekkie

 

[Noot]

Thanks everyone for your kind words, he's been to the vets and he's algood with health. It's definitely from the stress of moving house etc.
I'll try figure out where I can move his cage and I'll take him out for a walk as I don't drive (in his back pack of course).
I totally forgot i did a post on this forum, I got help from a experienced ekkie owner here in New Zealand. It's been very slow progress with him he still "wanty wings" alot and still barbs his feathers but not as much as he did. He's still grey and I just want him back to how he was. It's incredibly stressful. He gets all the sleep he needs 6.45pm to 7ish during the week and I keep him out longer on the weekend so we can hang out more. I've gone back to the start of things when I first got him, taking time and building up that trust again. It's been a very slow process for us.

 

[Sophieskitchen]

I have a lot of experience with a male Ekkie who feather plucks unfortunately. You have great advice above. Ekkie’s are known feather pluckers. I would recommend a vet visit to start so they can do a process of elimination to make sure that it is truly 100% without a doubt a behavioral issue. For an example if your Ekkie just has dry skin, or a bacterial infection that can be addressed by your vet. The challenging part is if it is behavioral, and if the habit has became habitual it can take moving a mountain to address it if ever. There are so many different reasons why a parrot may feather pluck.

I use a soft collar for Nico especially at night when he’s in his cage alone. I make sure he gets all of the sleep he needs (12-14 hours). His diet has been changed per his vet. I change his environment frequently by changing out toys, moving around perches, and moving around furniture in his room. I have Nico out of his cage a lot. He likes to be on my shoulder or right next to me. He will get loud if left alone for too long, and that’s when I feel like he really starts his feather destructive behavior. I bring Nico on car rides, and he’s gone to pet stores with me. I take him outside a lot. He does great being out & about. He much enjoys it.

I hope something in here helps you! Best of luck to you & your Ekkie

Sounds like your doing great with Nico! I have been invited to adopt a plucked 25 year old boy at the end of the month...im wondering, can Nico fly...or does the plucking stop him from taking flight?

 

[kme3388]

Sounds like your doing great with Nico! I have been invited to adopt a plucked 25 year old boy at the end of the month...im wondering, can Nico fly...or does the plucking stop him from taking flight?

He has a broken wing (prior to me adopting him) so he will never be able to fly. He can get severely hurt even trying to glide. It’s like a sack of potatoes hitting the floor. I make sure to give him a bunch of ropes, and other ways of getting around. He really does have great quality of life despite his challenge.

Ive only handled a female once. She honestly appeared like she could do with, or without human interaction. They appear to me to be a lot more independent than my male. If you do adopt a male Ekkie just be prepared that it may take more time than your female. The first few months may seem average but once Nico bonded to me… well that’s when I began to feel like I have a 2 year old attached to my leg. He’s so clingy. My conures are more playful, and are more independent. I’d even word it as they can entertain themselves. Not Nico! He’s a delightful parrot, and he is incredibly sweet to me. I just wanted to let you know how some male Ekkie’s can be.