Plucking down feathers only when preened

Kentuckienne

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I tried to find an answer before posting a new thread, but I don't see anything quite like this. Gus the B&G rescue, loves getting his head and neck scratched/preened. He spent many years in solitary and had lots of pin feathers still when he came to us. With tons of preening and a good shower those are fixed and his feathers are starting to look beautiful. He wasn't a plucker - even the first photos from the rescue show him in full feather. But he is doing something puzzling.

When we scratch/preen him, he loves it. Won't let you stop. If you stop, he reaches over and gently takes your finger in his beak and lifts it. But while I'm scratching/petting/preening he will start working on the feathers of his chest, wings, anything he can reach. He has restricted flexibility due to skeletal problems. He doesn't pull out any colored feathers but he pulled out about six down feathers yesterday over the course of two - three hours.

Is this going to progress to plucking? He doesn't do it when he's on his own, only when we pet him. It's not like he's being stressed - he won't let us stop. The only thing I can figure is ... He seems to be trained to poop on the perch because he will get antsy, want to go to perch, then poop and be picked up again. Could the down plucking be a way for him to postpone going to poop because he doesn't want the preening to stop? I'll try putting back on perch mid session to see, and watch to see if the plucking starts after a certain amount of time. If we are doing something to cue this behavior it would be great to figure it out and stop it before this becomes a habit...

:confused:
 

SailBoat

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Well, since you are located in the Middle of Nowhere that may also explain a little of what is going on. As the Seasons change Downy feathers are commonly shed. And since here in North America we are transitioning from Summer into Fall, most Parrots will shed and replace these wonderful little /tiny white feathers that can be a pain to clean up.

The true test as to where this may or is part of plucking is whether those feathers are coming from a single spot /area.
 
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Kentuckienne

Kentuckienne

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Well, since you are located in the Middle of Nowhere that may also explain a little of what is going on. As the Seasons change Downy feathers are commonly shed. And since here in North America we are transitioning from Summer into Fall, most Parrots will shed and replace these wonderful little /tiny white feathers that can be a pain to clean up.

The true test as to where this may or is part of plucking is whether those feathers are coming from a single spot /area.

Middle of nowhere is located in south central Indiana, so that sounds right. Hopeful I will be. Would hate to deprive me, I mean Gus, of marathon preening sessions.
 

SailBoat

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Well, since you are located in the Middle of Nowhere that may also explain a little of what is going on. As the Seasons change Downy feathers are commonly shed. And since here in North America we are transitioning from Summer into Fall, most Parrots will shed and replace these wonderful little /tiny white feathers that can be a pain to clean up.

The true test as to where this may or is part of plucking is whether those feathers are coming from a single spot /area.

Middle of nowhere is located in south central Indiana, so that sounds right. Hopeful I will be. Would hate to deprive me, I mean Gus, of marathon preening sessions.

Well, I had guessed pretty darn close to your area, since you didn't use Great White North. :D

As we transition, here in flyover country :)D), from Summer into Fall, it becomes even more important to bath our Parrots to reduce the effects of dry skin! This is especially true when central heating is turned on!

If you know the area that he had plucked in the past, it is worth having a 'Misting Bottle' on-hand and 'Mist' that area one or more times a day.

If you have never used a 'Misting' bottle, always start by first 'Misting' up into the air above him and watch for his reaction. If he reacts badly to being 'Misted,' you will need to train him to accept being 'Misted' by always starting my 'Misting' up above him. This simulates light rain fall and they can quickly become comfortable with that, which will allow you to 'Mist' other areas. NEVER, Stray or Mist a Parrot directly in the Face!
 
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Kentuckienne

Kentuckienne

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Ollie the Amazon used to love getting sprayed under his wings and liked having water splashed indirectly on him in the shower. Haven't misted Gus yet - need a bigger bottle - but he was in the shower once and loved it. Forget the indirect splash, he likes the water. But the shower is too small for a person and a macaw especially with the wings flipping. I wonder if he would bath in the sink with the hose? Probably I could get a bath at the same time. We usually heat with the wood stove and the air does get dry. I keep a pan of water on the stove, but it's a good idea to keep track of the humidity and get a vaporizer if it's too dry.
 

Kiwibird

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Are the down feathers all coming from one area? Or is he "pulling" them from various parts of his body? It is pretty normal for birds to remove a molted down feather that we may not be able to see is trapped below the colorful feathers. Kiwi does it all the time and certainly isn't a plucker. He goes rooting around and emerges with the pesky picker (we call them pickers:)), more often than not he'll then ball it up in his beak and fling it. Though sometimes it is comically stuck on the tip of the beak making him appear to have a mustache:rolleyes: And while I'm not sure about macaws, this is about the time of year amazons have their big annual molts (seriously, looks like a bird exploded for a few weeks) and I'd imagine being from the same part of the world, macaws would follow a fairly similar schedule.
 
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Kentuckienne

Kentuckienne

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I've been watching him carefully this week when he's on my lap. He requests a scratch, does the eyes-rolled-back-in-head thing, beak falls open, head bent backwards, then he starts in preening his own feathers at the same time. Mostly he's zippering up the barbs, smoothing them between tongue and beak, but now and then he gets hold of a small feather, a down feather or fluffy colored feather, and I can hear a tiny sound and feel a tiny jolt as he takes on off. I looked at the shafts - it's hard to tell, but I think he's biting them off at the base. Is that normal? Is it better than pulling them out? Is it something could progress into a worse problem? He can't reach all his feathers because of the bone deformities - does that cause him to be a little more aggressive with the ones he can reach? He gets them from his chest, the wings, his upper back, sometimes his legs - everywhere he can reach.
 

Anansi

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Biting one off here and there isn't necessarily a problem. Sometimes it's just a situation wherein that particular feather is irritating him somehow. You've said that so far he's only pulled/bitten off 6 down feathers. As was mentioned earlier, it is molting season and he may simply be joining in the preening session.

My advice would be to shower him frequently to help with the molting and soothe his skin, especially since you mentioned heating with a wood stove and the air going dry. And to keep a watchful eye on him for now. I'm not saying that you haven't caught the beginning of a plucking problem. It is possible that you have. But it's also quite possible that you're only witnessing him indulging in a shared preening experience that he's finding rather pleasurable.

If he is plucking, you'll begin to see a thinning in certain areas of his plumage soon enough. I'm hoping with you that this really is not the case, though.
 

jiannotto9492

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As everyone else has been saying is shower your bird. I would also recommend a warm water humidifier as the air in your house is going to get dry now during the winter months.
 

SailBoat

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I've been watching him carefully this week when he's on my lap. He requests a scratch, does the eyes-rolled-back-in-head thing, beak falls open, head bent backwards, then he starts in preening his own feathers at the same time. Mostly he's zippering up the barbs, smoothing them between tongue and beak, but now and then he gets hold of a small feather, a down feather or fluffy colored feather, and I can hear a tiny sound and feel a tiny jolt as he takes on off. I looked at the shafts - it's hard to tell, but I think he's biting them off at the base. Is that normal? Is it better than pulling them out? Is it something could progress into a worse problem? He can't reach all his feathers because of the bone deformities - does that cause him to be a little more aggressive with the ones he can reach? He gets them from his chest, the wings, his upper back, sometimes his legs - everywhere he can reach.

Our DYH Amazon is a Plucker. There is no question that it is disheartening. No it's Heart Breaking! So, I clearly understand the concern /fear that you are feeling.

Although, there is near a mile of difference between barbering (chewing) a feather and plucking a feather. The subject: Parrots that Pluck, covers a very wide cross-section of causes and their resulting effects: feather barbering, feather plucking, and all the way to damage of the underlying skin. As a result, any activity that involves our Parrots 'working' their feathers, whether it be normal care, grooming and removal of older feathers draws our attention and fear. And, that fear never, ever goes away.

With a Rehomed Parrot that had been a Plucker, it is even more concerning. One reason is the possible return /continuation of Plucking and the other is understanding the Parrot's natural need to remove old feathers. A large number of rehomed Parrots have suffered from stress, poor diet and lack of baths. It is therefore, common for these Parrots to have stalled their natural process of re-feathering and they are plagued with older feathers that are in poor condition and no longer respond to normal grooming.

So, is the Parrot Plucking or forcing specific replacements of specific older feathers. Sadly, there is no clear answer, short a specific area becoming thin as to whether this is plucking or forced replacement! It is the painful reality of being owned by a Parrot that had Plucked or may become a Plucker.

Once again, the only things we can do is watch for thinning and pray!

Please know that you are among friends that closely understand your worst fears.
 
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