Urgent! My Senegal parrots are plucking feathers

[Emily15]

As some may now know, I own two Senegal Parrots named Senegal and Whitney. Whitney has been losing feathers on the back of his head (you can see the skin where the feathers should be covering) , while Senegal has perfect feathers and is in great condition. We were concerned that Whitney's problem was because of malnutrition. We have given both birds more vegetables and vitamins. It took a few weeks, and Whitney's feathers grew back almost completely.

During the last week, Whitney's feathers have gotten even worse than they were before. Today, I saw Senegal plucking out Whitney's feathers!!! Each time a feather was plucked, Whitney would flinch, as if it was a bit painful. Then, Whitney would just wait patiently for Senegal to pluck another feather out. Whitney was letting Senegal do it!!!! That's the fact that bothers me the most.

Does any one have any clue why this is happening and how to stop it. We're going to separate them as soon as possible.

 

[Scott]

Plucking is one of the most frustrating and difficult to manage behaviors. It may be helpful to bring them to an avian vet for examination.

Are your Senegals a pair, and if so does their cage have a nest box? Hormonal activity is one of the possible stimulants, as are an endless array of physiological and psychological issues.

Assuming your birds eat a varied diet of fresh vegetables/fruits and some combination of pellets and/or seed, it is not necessary to provide supplements such as vitamins. Unless advised by a vet, preferably an avian specialist.

A great discussion of plucking here: http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

 

[EllenD]

I was going to ask the same question that Scott already did, which is whether or not your Senegals are a bonded-pair of birds, along with a few other crucial questions...

-How old is each bird?
-How long have you had them?
-Where did you get them, and did they both come from the same breeder/pet shop?
-Are they related/siblings?
-ARE YOU CERTAIN THAT YOU HAVE A MALE AND A FEMALE? The only way to be certain of this in Senegals is by either DNA testing of each bird, or the fact that the pair has laid a FERTILE clutch of eggs before.

What had you been feeding them both BEFORE you "started adding veggies and fruits"? What was their regular, daily diet prior to you changing it, and how long were they both on this diet? What is their regular, daily diet now?

Are either of the birds exhibiting any other unusual behavior, or any signs/symptoms of illness or a congenital health issue, such as lethargy/sleeping a lot, fluffing-up constantly, lack of appetite or thirst, overeating or gorging themselves, vomiting, runny/watery stools, blood in their stools, etc.?

This behavior could be due to any number of issues, and it could be psychological/behavioral, or it could be physical and related to a serious health issue, namely an active infection in the bird who has been plucking itself, either Bacterial or Fungal, usually Fungal if this is the case. If you have had both birds DNA tested and are certain that they are a male and a female, then it's also likely that it's a hormonal behavior on the part of the male plucking the female, however, the fact that the female was plucking herself prior to this happening is indicative of a health issue.

I don't know how your birds interact with each other and whether they are actually a bonded pair, but it's also quite possible that the female? or the bird that was plucking itself to start is feeling dominated by the other bird, or rather has anxiety due to the other bird bullying it. That's why it's important to learn about the history of both birds.

Either way, as already mentioned by Scott, this is going to require that both birds go to a Certified Avian Vet as soon as possible for a complete wellness check-up and more importantly routine blood draws/panels and fecal swabs on each of the. These 2 tests will confirm/rule-out a Fungal Infection, a Bacterial Infection, a Liver issue, a Kidney issue, etc. It's important that you get this done ONLY by a Certified Avian Vet because neither General Vets nor most "Exotics" Vets know anything at all about psychological and/or behavioral issues in parrots, least of all such a complex issue as feather-plucking...And if the one bird was plucking itself months ago, then that means that if it is a health issue, the bird has been suffering from the health issue for quite some time, and it needs to be addressed immediately...

 

[Emily15]

Thank you both for the much-needed info. I'll research and take into account all that you said. I'll try to find an avian vet as soon as possible. My parents are missionaries here in Burkina Faso, a third world country. People catch the birds in the wild and sell them on the side of the road. This makes it hard to know anything about their background. I'll do my best to help my birds, and thanks again for all the information given. It helps me alot!!!