Salty is in trouble with plucking

[wrench13]

Geri and I are so relieved, we see actual GREEN feathers growing in the former bare spots! Salty

has a good way to go before he regains his full plumage there, but WOW! The one good thing from this is that I fully appreciate what other owners go thru when plucking starts and goes unstopped. For those who have never had this happen, I can tell you that its so distressing and emotionally heartbreaking, both for yourself and for your little one!

 

[onamom]

Geri and I are so relieved, we see actual GREEN feathers growing in the former bare spots! Salty View attachment 80290 has a good way to go before he regains his full plumage there, but WOW! The one good thing from this is that I fully appreciate what other owners go thru when plucking starts and goes unstopped. For those who have never had this happen, I can tell you that its so distressing and emotionally heartbreaking, both for yourself and for your little one!

Yay Salty! It is, it's so hard and such a helpless feeling. So glad he's improving!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I'm so happy for both of you! I can tell you have been tormented by this for months and never expected it to happen to Salty. None of us did. I guess our birds don't take that into consideration when they do things like this.

 

[wrench13]

I am happy to say that Salty has fully regrown the plucked feathers from that damned unrelenting mating season this year. Just 1 or 2 grey feathers peeking out and I fully expect those to be filled in shortly, as he is going through a medium molt right now. Yep, nice green feathers now occupy that half dollar sized bare skin patch on his chest. He'll go to the vet again soon to verify all the issues are finished.

I pray next years mating season is less intense than this years was. Sad thing is we dont know for sure what turned the trick. Just time? Was it the 2 Lupron shots he got? He was supposed to get more then 2 but the feathers started coming back, so I opted to not have those. Was it adjustment in his diet? We just do not know.

 

[rheashard2]

I am happy to say that Salty has fully regrown the plucked feathers from that damned unrelenting mating season this year. Just 1 or 2 grey feathers peeking out and I fully expect those to be filled in shortly, as he is going through a medium molt right now. Yep, nice green feathers now occupy that half dollar sized bare skin patch on his chest. He'll go to the vet again soon to verify all the issues are finished.

I pray next years mating season is less intense than this years was. Sad thing is we dont know for sure what turned the trick. Just time? Was it the 2 Lupron shots he got? He was supposed to get more then 2 but the feathers started coming back, so I opted to not have those. Was it adjustment in his diet? We just do not know.

Nameliss has slowed down a lot. She's now infrequently looking for nesting spots. The wild birds that hang out here are scruffy. This aided in my conclusion that she's going though a moderate molt. This year hormonal issues are the worst since she hit puberty. I am concerned about the coming season.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I am happy to say that Salty has fully regrown the plucked feathers from that damned unrelenting mating season this year. Just 1 or 2 grey feathers peeking out and I fully expect those to be filled in shortly, as he is going through a medium molt right now. Yep, nice green feathers now occupy that half dollar sized bare skin patch on his chest. He'll go to the vet again soon to verify all the issues are finished.

I pray next years mating season is less intense than this years was. Sad thing is we dont know for sure what turned the trick. Just time? Was it the 2 Lupron shots he got? He was supposed to get more then 2 but the feathers started coming back, so I opted to not have those. Was it adjustment in his diet? We just do not know.

I'm so happy for you and Salty that he got through this plucking episode and grew his feathers back. I guess it's hard to know what to do next hormonal season. Very hard to say what worked. I would guess the Lupron helped. I would start the Lupron right before next season starts to try to prevent the hormone surge and hopefully the plucking, too. It seems to me that using Lupron before the problem begins would be better than stopping plucking once it starts. Maybe he'd only need a couple injections all season if you start them early.

 

[Thechoplady]

I so happy to hear that he is doing better! What changes did you make to his diet and was the Lupron expensive?

 

[wrench13]

Since our vet and I determined that the plucking and other behavior was essentially hormone driven, I 100% eliminated fruits and high sugar foods from his diet. Strict enforcement of the 12 hr sleep schedule. All steps normally taken to reduce hormone driven behavior. THe lupron was expensive over $100 a shot. Pricey, for something we cant nail down as the effective tool that allowed him to regrow his feathers. I am uncertain if I will preemptively do that again next year.

 

[LaManuka]

Master @wrench13, I am SO happy to hear you've had success with Salty!! I've had occasion to use Lupron and it was successful, but I agree with you that it shouldn't be an automatic "go to" for next season. But I'm so pleased that it helped you get a good result, along with everything else you did for him, Salty is one lucky boy to have a parront as loving and dedicated to him as you are!!

 

[nkrbkr]

Is today Salty’s birdday?! I’ve been reading through his thread here and there, seeing what you use for tricks/training, & saw his hatch day is 8/15? If so, happy birthday, Salty! Ava’s is 8/10, but we haven’t celebrated just yet. She is now 8 years old.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Since our vet and I determined that the plucking and other behavior was essentially hormone driven, I 100% eliminated fruits and high sugar foods from his diet. Strict enforcement of the 12 hr sleep schedule. All steps normally taken to reduce hormone driven behavior. THe lupron was expensive over $100 a shot. Pricey, for something we cant nail down as the effective tool that allowed him to regrow his feathers. I am uncertain if I will preemptively do that again next year.

Excellent news, though I imagine it's frustrating not knowing if his plucking was hormonal or not. Give him a skritch or six for us readers! LOL!

Charlie's chest feathers seem to have come in again and are staying this time. Huzzah for small mercies.