Feather Plucking and Scratching!!

[Paulita]

Hello everybody,
I’m a new member and you have no idea how happy i am that i found this forum!
My Paula is a Timneh african grey and she’s a year and a half old.
She’s been scratching her head and plucking her chest and neck feather for the past 6 months or so.
I can’t understand what bothers her.

If she’s stuck she plucks her feather all over the place, i’ll understand that soemthing is wrong and go to the rescue, or when she wants out of the cage and she’ll see me busy, so she would do that. Those two situations are understandable to me and i immediately take care of them.
But what i don’t understand, is her doing it when she is out of her cage after she also finished playing and … she could still be plucking her feather.

Sometimes i wonder if something bothers her in her feather, or if she’s stressed, or what?!
Like sometimes i feel like she has this habit of doing it, like when people eat their nails while they are thinking or stressed !!?

Please help, i’ve been to so many doctors and i can’t figure it out, it hurts seeing her doing it

 

[Terry57]

First, welcome! I'm so glad you and Paula have joined us.
Sadly, sometimes there isn't a reason that can be found for plucking. When is the last time you had her checked out by a vet? Her scratching her head sounds like her feathers are bothering her. How do you bathe her? Plain tepid water misted on her may help with that, although I will say that neither of my Greys really enjoy a bath, but they tolerate it.
When we got one of my Greys, his neck was plucked and it was due to a crop infection, but he didn't pluck anywhere but his neck.
When a bird plucks inside and outside the cage it may just be a habit that now comforts them.
I have a special place in my heart for pluckers, and so many of my birds came to me as pluckers. Some still pluck, others don't.

I do hope you can find a reason for what she's doing, but I just wanted to mention that sometimes none can be found.

 

[Laurasea]

Welcome to the forum! Would love to see pictures of your baby.

Plucking is a complex issue with no clear answers. Its always good to rule out health issues. Greys can have low calcium issues and seem to benefit from also getting sunshine. So often its a good idea to check their calcium levels. And establish a base line.

Providing lots of foraging
And extra preen like toys might help a little. But no one really has all the answers or the magic cure.

I rescued a quaker who plucks around her neck. I'd hoped better life and friends of other quakers better diet and health care would resolve it. But but had not and I just accept...

Look forward to reading more of you 2s story