katie_fleming
Active member
Hi all, it's been a long time since I've been on here. I mostly use Facebook parrot groups now for faster replies but I was hoping to maybe get some other insight here!
For the past 2 years, if not longer Jasper has been plucking his down feathers. At that time I brought him to the vet and did blood work and everything was normal except for low calcium.
For the past year or more he's been plucking blood feathers. I've been at my wits end trying to figure out why and how to help him.
He had more blood work done and again just low calcium which I continue to supplement him for. He mostly plucks blood feathers during the night so I tried covering his cage for about a month to see if maybe something was spooking him. That didn't work. I also moved him into my bedroom to sleep in his little cage in case it was separation anxiety and that did nothing.
I also tried moving him into my bedroom for a few hours of extra sleep before I would bring him back to his big cage because I'm in a small apartment he doesn't have his own room. That didn't work for plucking.
I also tried increasing the number of showers a week. He hates being misted did so I tried 2 showers a week with maybe one mist if he'll let me otherwise he flies out of the shower.
I have increased his coconut oil and I give him red Palm oil 2 or 3 times a week. I also have worked with someone in a different group to change his diet for the past 4 months and really have have a basic diet to try and see if any foods are causing problems. No change in plucking.
I give him chamomile tea before bed every night too.
I just started hemp seed oil this week his vet had suggested hemp oil but when I called to find out the dosage and which one they never called me back. I really do not like his vet they've never been helpful and laughed last time saying "he's an Eclectus, if only he could tell you what's wrong".
I also just spent $80 on a collar for him that I just got yesterday so I will begin attempting to train him to put it on but given that he's refused his harness the entire year and in the summer when it was finally warm enough to go outside I have 0 hopes.
I'm really at a loss for what else I can try. He does pluck during the day sometimes (down mostly) but again it's mostly during the night.
In the past 4 months he's plucked over 200 blood feathers alone. I've kept a diary of his weight, what he's eating, and how many feathers I wake up to find at the bottom of this cage each morning.
He still loves to do training, he's happy, he talks all the time, he flies, he's extremely hormonal so maybe that has something to do with it, otherwise he seems completely normal other than the fact he's plucking nonstop.
I'm posting this here in hopes that someone might have a suggestion that worked for them or maybe yeah any advice. Thank you so much, I feel like I'm completely failing him.
As for where he plucks the feathers, it's all over his body.
For the past 2 years, if not longer Jasper has been plucking his down feathers. At that time I brought him to the vet and did blood work and everything was normal except for low calcium.
For the past year or more he's been plucking blood feathers. I've been at my wits end trying to figure out why and how to help him.
He had more blood work done and again just low calcium which I continue to supplement him for. He mostly plucks blood feathers during the night so I tried covering his cage for about a month to see if maybe something was spooking him. That didn't work. I also moved him into my bedroom to sleep in his little cage in case it was separation anxiety and that did nothing.
I also tried moving him into my bedroom for a few hours of extra sleep before I would bring him back to his big cage because I'm in a small apartment he doesn't have his own room. That didn't work for plucking.
I also tried increasing the number of showers a week. He hates being misted did so I tried 2 showers a week with maybe one mist if he'll let me otherwise he flies out of the shower.
I have increased his coconut oil and I give him red Palm oil 2 or 3 times a week. I also have worked with someone in a different group to change his diet for the past 4 months and really have have a basic diet to try and see if any foods are causing problems. No change in plucking.
I give him chamomile tea before bed every night too.
I just started hemp seed oil this week his vet had suggested hemp oil but when I called to find out the dosage and which one they never called me back. I really do not like his vet they've never been helpful and laughed last time saying "he's an Eclectus, if only he could tell you what's wrong".
I also just spent $80 on a collar for him that I just got yesterday so I will begin attempting to train him to put it on but given that he's refused his harness the entire year and in the summer when it was finally warm enough to go outside I have 0 hopes.
I'm really at a loss for what else I can try. He does pluck during the day sometimes (down mostly) but again it's mostly during the night.
In the past 4 months he's plucked over 200 blood feathers alone. I've kept a diary of his weight, what he's eating, and how many feathers I wake up to find at the bottom of this cage each morning.
He still loves to do training, he's happy, he talks all the time, he flies, he's extremely hormonal so maybe that has something to do with it, otherwise he seems completely normal other than the fact he's plucking nonstop.
I'm posting this here in hopes that someone might have a suggestion that worked for them or maybe yeah any advice. Thank you so much, I feel like I'm completely failing him.
As for where he plucks the feathers, it's all over his body.
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I am so frustrated with everything not working. I'm honestly in the position of thinking I picked the wrong "pet" (baby). With the low calcium issues that tormented him for years before I could find a vet that knew what the issue was, now this. I'm just always in fear for him and never knowing how to help. It's hard to enjoy him when every day it feels like he's got problems.
