Collaring Parrots?!?!

[kme3388]

Hi everyone, I wanted to gather thoughts on collaring parrots who feather pluck. Has anyone done this? Were the results good? Is this harmful?

With us making changes to our house to get ready to sell Nico has started self mutilating again. He is a very sensitive boy.

 

[Laurasea]

I haven't
But with self mutilation, I had a foster put on mood alter meds. I can't remember which ones now. But it really helped him.

 

[Deleted member 42416]

Collaring usually recommended (along with haldol and/or benzodiazepine) to stop skin picking/severe mutilation. My experience with quaker parrots long ago was that collaring alone did not work. It can be difficult to get on without causing more emotional trauma and they can still pluck and pick around it or find other new areas that they can still access.

Based on the pic, skin picking has started which can lead to infection or more severe mutilation. They get a dopamine and endorphin rush after the initial pain. Over time, they build a tolerance and need more severe injury to get the same effect. Maybe discuss with avian vet about them placing a collar (usually just for a few days to break the cycle) ALONG WITH the haldol/benzodiazepine combination (which is continued long term). Both meds are sedating only for a short time, BUT the haldol specifically stops the dopamine reward and is a great long term solution…in cockatoos. Other parrot species may have different responses to haldol. Some avian vets will try amitriptyline, but the avian vet med texts I’ve read specifically comment that this does not work.

Dr. Jeffery Jenkins is a published avian vet expert on feather mutilation and he is still in practice! It would not hurt to call his office to see if they have medical recommendations for your eclectus that you could pass along to your local vet. I’ve attached his website info.

Rico, our rescue LSCC has mostly reversed feather plucking on haldol. He’s dosed twice a day and is only mildly sedated for an hour after each dose.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Jeffrey R. Jenkins, D.V.M. | Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital

Dr. Jenkins, a husband and father, is internationally recognized for his work in avian medicine and surgery, exotic and laboratory animal medicine and surgery. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on a variety of subjects. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals...

www.drexotic.com

 

[caring]

Hi everyone, I wanted to gather thoughts on collaring parrots who feather pluck. Has anyone done this? Were the results good? Is this harmful?

With us making changes to our house to get ready to sell Nico has started self mutilating again. He is a very sensitive boy.

Hi everyone, I wanted to gather thoughts on collaring parrots who feather pluck. Has anyone done this? Were the results good? Is this harmful?

With us making changes to our house to get ready to sell Nico has started self mutilating again. He is a very sensitive boy.

 

[caring]

My heart goes out to you and Nico. It is amazing how sensitive and perceptive our birds are to their parronts' stresses.
When I rescued my Eclectus (Dillbird), he had been neglected, abused, and was self-mutilating (he too was down to bare raw skin.
My vet said a collar was likely to cause him so much more stress so she prescribe a medication. The Haloperidol had to be compounded by a pharmacist who worked with animal medications. I was very hesitant at first but did what would be best for him.
It was a challenge to get him to take it but it could be mixed in small amounts of a favorite food. The destruction slowed, and eventually stopped.
The med caused him to become "sedated", and he did stop most of his talking...but never forgot to ask for a favorite treat "cookie".
Over time the dose was titrated down and eventually he was off the meds. He became a wonderful flyer and explorer. He was my most loveable and sensitive parrot ever.

 

[caring]

Hi everyone, I wanted to gather thoughts on collaring parrots who feather pluck. Has anyone done this? Were the results good? Is this harmful?

With us making changes to our house to get ready to sell Nico has started self mutilating again. He is a very sensitive boy.

When I rescued my Eclectus (Dillbird) he too was self-mutilating. My vet said collaring would only cause him even more stress. She prescribed a medication that I had to get through a pharmacist that worked with animals. It was Haloperidol. He took it mixed with a small bit of Almond butter or a bit of cracker
It did make him sedated and he stopped talking...only saying a word now and then. Over time the self-mutilating stopped and he was titrated off of the medication.

 

[Scott]

Collaring usually recommended (along with haldol and/or benzodiazepine) to stop skin picking/severe mutilation. My experience with quaker parrots long ago was that collaring alone did not work. It can be difficult to get on without causing more emotional trauma and they can still pluck and pick around it or find other new areas that they can still access.

Based on the pic, skin picking has started which can lead to infection or more severe mutilation. They get a dopamine and endorphin rush after the initial pain. Over time, they build a tolerance and need more severe injury to get the same effect. Maybe discuss with avian vet about them placing a collar (usually just for a few days to break the cycle) ALONG WITH the haldol/benzodiazepine combination (which is continued long term). Both meds are sedating only for a short time, BUT the haldol specifically stops the dopamine reward and is a great long term solution…in cockatoos. Other parrot species may have different responses to haldol. Some avian vets will try amitriptyline, but the avian vet med texts I’ve read specifically comment that this does not work.

Dr. Jeffery Jenkins is a published avian vet expert on feather mutilation and he is still in practice! It would not hurt to call his office to see if they have medical recommendations for your eclectus that you could pass along to your local vet. I’ve attached his website info.

Rico, our rescue LSCC has mostly reversed feather plucking on haldol. He’s dosed twice a day and is only mildly sedated for an hour after each dose.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Jeffrey R. Jenkins, D.V.M. | Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital

Dr. Jenkins, a husband and father, is internationally recognized for his work in avian medicine and surgery, exotic and laboratory animal medicine and surgery. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on a variety of subjects. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals...

www.drexotic.com

I heartily endorse Jeff Jenkins. Well known, respected, and published!! He's a bit too far to be primary CAV but I've seen him on occasion. Genuine, caring, supremely knowledgeable!!

 

[kme3388]

I didn't realize parrots (ekkies) were so sensitive to change. That simply packing stuff away, and taking photos off the wall would trigger feather plucking/self mutilation again. I tried to let him spend some time in his night time room, and in his cage (I leave the door open 24'7 to his cage). I thought that this would make him less stressed. Instead he started banging his beak (very hard) on the door to come out. He doesn't want alone time. Nico will let me do whatever I want to him. I check under his feathers daily, and his tail. I can pull out his wing. I can grab his beak (gently) to give him kisses. He absolutely love this, and looks for it to take place. Nico will not bite me no matter what. My husband on the other hand is struggling significantly. Nico does try to bite him, scare him, and constantly challenges him. My husband can no longer hold Nico.