I'm new to this forum although my mom has had penelope her 9 yr old cockatoo for 5 years now. Can anyone tell me what to do about her picking. She picks to the point that she will bleed. The vet has put her on Prozac and they have tried everything from changing food to keeping her from getting board.
New member
- Thread starter Jenn2006
- Start date
- Aug 29, 2018
- 30,420
- 47,237
- Parrots
- Fang ({ab}normal grey cockatiel), Jem (cinnamon cockatiel), Lovejoy(varied lorikeet), Peach (princess parrot)
Welcome to the forums, @Jenn2006, but I'm sorry to hear about Penelope's situation. I've never had a plucker myself, but I do know that feather plucking can be a very complex problem that can have both physical and psychological origins. Evidently your mom has already consulted a vet which is excellent, hopefully the vet is an avian specialist but even so, sometimes it's a long term condition. While I can't personally offer you any solutions, perhaps the following articles may help you gain a little insight as to why it happens in the first place ...
Unraveling the Truth of Feather Plucking
Greetings, friends! Here at Garuda Aviary, we rescue parrots from adverse, even desperate conditions. So unsurprisingly, we see a lot of parrots exhibiting plumage destructive behavior, also known …
garudaaviary.org
Hopefully someone with a bit more personal experience with plucking/mutilation will weigh in with some advice for you soon. I'm so glad you’re here!
