Plucking cockatoo...

Moonlight

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Hello!

I'm thinking about adopting a cockatoo who has been rescued by a petshop owner in my town and I'd like to hear from members who know well those birds...

Here's her story...

I've been told that she has lived her first 8 years with a couple who broke up and rehomed her with a single man who put her in a cage outside with 2 furets (yeah... Awfull! I know...)

It seems that she had developped a very bad plucking problem over there (poor little thing! She looks like a little chicken right now but I find her very pretty anyway!)

The feathers have not grown back for the last 6 months she has been in the petshop...

Otherwise, the staff thinks she is healthy... She has a big appetite and eats a lot of veggies and fruits and her pellets and little seeds and nutsm as well... She's pretty active and shredding everything she can... She's good to escape her cage too! Lol! They had to put a lock cause she was escaping and opening bags of cats and dogs food... Lol!

She also talks clearly and makes all kinds of funny moves hanging up side down from the top of her cage and swirling...

The cutest thing is that she reaches for my fingers out of the cage and gently grabs them everytime I go see her... She literally melts my heart!

But I'm worriing about her feathers! Right now, she has all of her head feathers an tail feathers and the top of her wings feathers but she only have a scarce white duvet almost everywhere else (she still has a few bald spots though). I also noticed that she seems to shiver from time to times... Is it possible that she's could because of her lack of feathers?

I would like to help her so much! Do you think that with love and good care she could grow back all her feathers?

Kind regards,

Audray
 
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There's a possibility she could, just depending on if she damaged the feather follicle to the point of no return. But I would have her tested for PBFD just to be on the safe side and have her tested to see if she have any other health issues to cause she to pluckm. Rule everything else out first then proceed from there. Good luck! ;)
 
If the follicles are damaged too badly, she may never be able to grow new feathers. Some people put "sock buddies" or little bird sweaters on them to help keep them warm- it'd be something you would have to work with her on; slowly introduce it to her.

She sounds like a complete sweetheart!!! And mischievious!! Lol

I also vote for a well bird vet visit with a certified avian vet to rule out any illnesses or other issues, and then go from there with her.
 
First, thank you for considering adopting an older cockatoo with plucking issues. She sounds wonderful. Cockatoos are one of the species more prone to plucking. Read everything you can find about plucking, there are so many causes. My U2 doesn't pluck but one of my re-homed Quakers was a real serious plucker when we adopted her. She has grown back all her feathers, covered her bare spots, and seldom plucks or over preens. I would suggest a thorough exam by an avian vet to rule out medical causes for her plucking. With a healthy diet, a large cage with plenty of toys and a lot of foraging diversions there is a good chance her plucking will slow down if it doesn't completely stop. And of course locks on the doors, my U2 can open every door on his cage if the extra locks aren't on. He's working on the new ones. Plucking is difficult to undo but with a lot of TLC their lives can be dramatically improved. I hope that helps. Good luck to both of you.
 
I thank you all for your answers! :)

I will try to have her checked by the vet before buying her...

I guess what I'm worried about if that if she never grows back the feathers on her body, she will end up catching cold during winter or sunburns during summer... She will need some sort of protection for sure!

Maybe thats why she's shivering... Maybe she's cold in that petshop... She must be having horrible nights over there :(

How do your cockatoos sleep?

Do they tuck their heads in their back feathers? Cause she can't do this now... Do you provide them with some sort of tent or shelter?
 
Have you had large birds before? While it's great that you want to help her, cockatoos are not easy birds, and not beginner birds. Make sure you know what you are getting into!
 
I never had large bird but thats what I have always wanted... I had an adorable pacific parrotlet to start and she died at 8 years old unfortunatly :(

I've been reading about big parrots a lot and I'm ready to commitT :)
 
It sounds like you've fallen hard for this sweet girl, but like Sonja said, know what you're getting into. A long term plucker and a cockatoo would be a lot for even an experienced parrot owner. Cockatoos are emotional and needy. Have you been around one enough to know how loud they can be? My U2 lost his first two homes because of his screaming. Check the cost of food, toys, and vet care too. It adds up fast. Have you ever been bit by a large parrot? Cockatoos have three pronged beaks and can deliver a bite nasty enough to cause nerve damage. They're destructive and can rival teenagers when it comes to messing up there personal space. That said, I'm nuts about my too and would like to have another one.
 
Since you don't know much about birds and now your trying to take on one of the more emotionally challenged birds. Please do visit this site---->All About Cockatoos - MyToos.com
 
Hi there!

Please do not worry... I have allready read all the infos on your site in other sites as well... So I'm getting a good idea on how difficult and demanding these birds can be as well as their nice side... :)

The bird I'm thinking of buying is a 9 years old female medium sulfur crested eleonora from what I can tell... She has dark maroon eyes, very light blue eye ring, faded very light yellow patches near her ears and light yellow under her tail and wings...

Now that I have learn all this about the parrots, I would not order a newborn cause I wouldn't want to encourage the captivity of these birds but right now, the situation is that there is that poor little thing that I'm certain would be a hundred times happier in our family instead of in this petshop.

Me and my husband are pet lovers and we have 2 dogs and a cat. We also had a celestial parrotlet for 8 years... We have a 16 years old son that is never at home as well... Lol. I work 75 percent of the time at home and my husband (he sleeps with earplugs) works on shifts so there is pretty much always someone at home...

We also live by a lake and have no close neibourghs... We rarely travel and pass most of our time outside so she would go out a lot...

I still haven't made my mind and I will keep thinking until I'm a 100% sure! I just want to make sure I will be able to take the best care of her I can especially since she might need special cares and attention with regards to her condition:)...

Thanks a lot for your advices!
 
I am so happy to read your last post! I know you'll make the right decision. Best of luck!
 
So do you think that she's shivering because she's cold at the petshop?

Maybe it's also anxiety cause I see her little heart pounding through her skin...

Not all the time but from time to time...
 
I'm sure she does feel the cold more because of her lack of feathers but the shivering could also be anxiety. You said her second owner put her outside near two ferrets? That could have caused the plucking to begin with. It isn't easy for a cockatoo to adjust to new situations. The sweaters that Getwozzy mentioned in an earlier post might be a really good idea for your friend. I know a cockatoo that has worn them for years. Her follicles were damaged so she's missing a lot of feathers that will never grow back. She wears t-shirts in the summer.
 
My wife, and I were given a Goffin Cockatoo plucker last year. Her owner stopped spending time with her, and kept her and a Greater Sulfur Crested in the same cage. It has been hard we have our good days, and bad days. We also have our good, and bad weeks. She started growing a whole bunch of feathers in then started plucking a lot more. So we are doing more to help her. On top of Cockatoos being demanding birds having a plucker adds more to the pot. Sounds like a sweet bird. Just make sure you can handle a special needs bird especially a Cockatoo.
 
How do your cockatoos sleep at night?

Do they sleep like smaller species on one foot with their head tucked in their back feathers?

Do they like to have a hut or something like that to sleep?
 
My cockatoo sleeps with his head under his wing sometimes but most often he stands on one foot with the other foot curled against his breast.

They make snuggle huts for large birds but I don't personally know anyone who uses them for their larger birds. I'm guessing a cockatoo would have any kind of happy hut chewed to confetti in record time. Someone may come along and tell you they use them, I'm not sure. I cover the dome part of my birds cage with a quilt at night when it's cold to hold in some heat. He loves it, he's like a little kid with a tent. He lets me know about it when I don't cover him soon enough.
 
Lol! That's very cute!

I would probably need to find a way that she likes to keep her warm at night...
 

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