Itchy skin, feather biter

[Conurebreeder]

I've been working with a feather biter. He seems to have itchy skin, constantly preening and rubbing his head along with biting all of his feathers off. He's 28 so it's already a habit that may never stop.
He's converted to pellets, refuses to play, and prefers a metal dog kennel that he's lived in for a while now.
I'm thinking about getting him a lamp, some avix products, and will be trying everything possible to help him.
Does anybody have any tips?

 

[LoryLover]

My last lory exhibited feather plucking and itchy skin symptoms. The vet did not know what was wrong. Sadly my lory died a month later. I had a necropsy done and it turned out he died of liver failure. A sign of liver failure is itchy skin. I hope this isn't the problem with your birdie, but maybe the vet can test him for liver problems.

 

[LoveMyParrots]

Yeah, like what LoryLover said, take your bird to the vet for a check up.

Parrots picks their feathers for a lot of reasons, if the bird is bored, they will pick their feather. So make sure your parrot have lots of toys to play with.

Have you tried bathing your parrot? My vet recommend me to spray my parrots with a spray bottle, 5 times in the summer, and 3 times in the winter in a warm room.

Is your parrot tamed? If it is, check your parrot's feather to see if there is anything on it's skin.

And remember to worm your parrot. It might be the reason that your parrot is picking its feathers.

Will you be able to take a picture of your parrot?

 

[Oedipussrex]

How long have you had him?
I agree that a vet checkup and possibly some tests are needed.
In my opinion (just because i went through a couple of annoying vets with pickle who were quite condescending and didn't help at all) - While advice on the care of your animal from your vet is great, it is their main job to take care of the physical health of your animals, yes there are mental health products out there and they can help if it comes to that. But as we cant talk to them we will never have animal psychologists, There are behaviour experts out there and i actually intend on becoming one, BUT nobody knows your pet better than you.
While many picking and plucking problems are indeed caused by mental issues such as stress, boredom, habit, etc. Do NOT let your vet fore-go tests for plausible physical causes just because they think that a mental issue is more likely (unless you agree with them and they bring up something that you might not have considered in the environment). Do not allow them to eliminate or ignore any possibilities until a test has proven that it is not the case.


you mentioned trying some products... You could try aloe vera first. you can easily buy extracts and dilute them and mist him lightly every now and then to see if that helps the itching. And if you have a plant you just break a leaf and stir a tablespoon or so of the goo inside, into a couple of cups of boiled water to see if that will help the itchiness. it would be cheaper to try than some of the other products that claim to do exactly the same thing anyway...

 

[Conurebreeder]

I've worked on him for a year, doing nails etc.
he was completely tested for diseases and is fine. I might think about worming him. He's been in my home for two days. His owner is leaving for the military. He's selective about people and I'm still earning his trust. He hates other birds and has a bad habit of running around on the ground.
I'm going to have more tests done, try aloe Vera spray, avix products, and a lamp.
According to his previous vet, he has oily feathers and dry skin.
His last owner fed him seeds and human food.
His cage is a wire kennel sized for a lab puppy with one perch. He "doesn't" play with toys.
The owner said she bought him a huge cage and it made him pluck more.. She doesn't line his cage with paper or he shreds it.. So I've lined it with paper so he has something to do. I'm going to get him a big amazon sized cage and make him the perfect amazon cage full of things to shred and play with.
I think his plucking is neurotic behavior learned by being itchy and bored.

 

[BillsBirds]

What an adorable little angel! Thanks for not giving up on him. I'd welcome that little ragamuffin into my flock in a second. You got all good advice. Try to keep him distracted (with toys, shredding, attention, baths, etc,), and make him know he's loved. I've seen worse looking birds come around. Takes a lot of work, time & attention. Good luck!

 

[Conurebreeder]

I stopped by the local small pet store and bought a $14.00 spray. It's for molting ease. It has aloe, zero alcohol, organic all natural non gmo, shark liver oil, and preen oil. He really enjoyed it! I'm alternating between the spray, homemade aloe spray, and warm water.

Question: the pet shop owner knows a lot about birds and breeds them. He mentioned that the bird could be sexually frustrated and acting out due to hormones, which he says turned into a habit. Has anyone heard of such a thing?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Amazons are among the least likely to pluck. They are ususally quite resilient to stress as well.

You've received some outstanding advice as to what you could try for his feather conditions.

You also stated he does not play with his toys. Have you tried a simple cowbell? Or a foraging cage stuffed with some paper he could shred?
Large Hexagonal Wrought Iron Toy Feeder/Forager - FORAGING TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

What about other things he might enjoy "shredding"?
Super Bird Creations Firecracker Sr *NEW* - FORAGING TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

Then there is THIS thing that can be stuffed with treats of fun things:
JW Pet Hol-ee Roller for Birds - FORAGING TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

How long did the previous owner care for him? It sounds like he lived in pretty harsh, if not even neglected, conditions. A dog cage with a perch?

Do you know with certainty that he is a boy??

 

[LoryLover]

When my Chattering Lory was recovering from being egg bound, she stopped playing with her toys and began plucking feathers from her left shoulder. She was also suffering from incontinence from the egg bound trauma. I remember being concerned that she was feather plucking and that she might do that forever now. However, as the months went by and she recovered her health, she stopped plucking her shoulder feathers and began playing with her toys again. That was 6 years ago. To look at her now, you'd never know she ever had that happen. But I learned something from that situation - that if the bird is unwell in any way, plucking and a change in behavior will most likely happen. Anyone who knows lories, knows that one of their traits is being super playful... so for her not to play, meant something was wrong. I'm so, so happy that I had a great, understanding vet to help us all get through that rough 2 years.

 

[SandyBee]

I would also try to add some red palm oil to diet, might help with itching and feather health. Also helps with VIT A and antioxidants. Only a small part of the over all solution.

 

[Conurebreeder]

Kind of bad news about Gort.. his owner got evicted and moved in with me.. she now has access to him until she leaves for the military..
she no longer allows me to spray him with preen oils, no longer allows him to have toys, no shreddables, and if I dont change his food, water, and lining then it doesnt get done.
she let me supplement a noncollodial silver, and i need to buy lamps and red palm oil.. hopefully when we get situated better (i just moved as well) then we can have a bird room..