Autumn needs a cone. :[

[xNess]

After so many attempts at trying to make her stop chewing her tail feathers, we ran out of things to do. She has progressed to her body, and she's only 10 months, so we sought out a woman who is notorious in my area for her skills with birds of all sizes.
She was just as surprised as we were, and she suggested a cone.
We tried spray, changing her water, baths, diet, everything.

So now, I need help on what size to buy for a cone.

The woman suggested we put the cone on the opposite way, as to cover her body so she wouldn't be able to chew.

She said she is such a sweet bird and probably developed the habit because of her prior situation of living at the pet shop her whole life.

I was looking at this: Saf-T Shield Bird Collar | Parrot Collar - BirdSupplies.com

Can I please have opinions on what cone to buy? What sizes? I know she will be very stressed and we have to watch her so she doesn't fall. We are all prepared for the next few months to break her habit.

We're just scared as we don't want her to progress to plucking or anything like that.

Thank you, guys, for all the advice when I came on here!

EDIT: Should we keep the cone on at all times? She said to SOAK her down once a week, let her preen and when she dries, put it back on. Otherwise, she did not mention whether or not to give Autumn a "break" from it. I don't even know if that's good because she might go right back to doing it while taking the "break" and all the progress that was made will be gone. Do I leave it on her at night? (I would think yes, considering at night she will probably do it too.)
My fiance doesn't want the cone on all the time, but she's rapidly getting worse and we need to break this habit ASAP.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

I myself would want something softer. Look for the sock like ones

 

[labell]

I would not be putting any cone on her until she is fully looked over and tests done by an avian vet. 10 months old is very young and living part of her young life in a pet store wouldn't have caused this in most cases imo.

She could have a swollen or impacted preen gland, an infection of some sort. I would be ruling out all the possibilities before taking the advise of a woman who doesn't know the bird and is not a vet. Covering the birds body...that is the equivalent of a straight jacket, how does she think the bird will emotionally handle that 24hrs a day! A bird that is chewing should get frequent baths with just plain water. A once a week soak is not enough but even all my advise is useless until a vet clears her on all the many health related issues that could be causing this.

 

[xNess]

I would not be putting any cone on her until she is fully looked over and tests done by an avian vet. 10 months old is very young and living part of her young life in a pet store wouldn't have caused this in most cases imo.

She could have a swollen or impacted preen gland, an infection of some sort. I would be ruling out all the possibilities before taking the advise of a woman who doesn't know the bird and is not a vet. Covering the birds body...that is the equivalent of a straight jacket, how does she think the bird will emotionally handle that 24hrs a day! A bird that is chewing should get frequent baths with just plain water. A once a week soak is not enough but even all my advise is useless until a vet clears her on all the many health related issues that could be causing this.

We did take her to the vet. He cleared her. He said she was extremely healthy and has no idea why she's doing this. That's why, as a last resort, we went to the lady because I cannot stress enough that we have tried (everything).

 

[labell]

The vet was an avian vet? Was her preen gland inspected? I would also then begin looking at environment. Is she getting enough rest 10 to 12 hrs of dark good sleep? Is she near a window where something could be stressing her out? How much out of cage time does she get per day? What diet is she on, some birds can have issues with certain pellets. Is she getting lots of fresh foods? Have you tried bathing her every day for a few weeks. Organic cold pressed (not refined) coconut oil added to her fresh foods can do wonders and has many health benefits.

 

[labell]

I would also be interested in what her blood panel looked like assuming he did one. This could be helpful in determining if there is a vitamin or mineral deficiency. What tests were run?

 

[Allee]

You received some excellent advice from labell. Ten months is very young for any bird to start plucking, instead of thinking of it as, breaking a habit ASAP, I would suggest looking for an underlying health issue. Until a vet has ruled out any and all physiological possibilities it's dangerous to assume it's behavioral.

A lot of the topical sprays sold as plucking remedies can actually worsen the skin condition, some birds have dramatic reactions. As labell said, frequent baths in plain water is usually the best choice. In most cases, cones and vests are used in only the most extreme cases of mutilation when infection is a real possibility or the bird's life is at risk. Sometimes a vet will recommend a cone temporarily if an infection is present and being treated. Even in extreme cases the bird's mental state should be considered. I would think wearing a vest or a cone would feel similar to being swallowed by an anaconda, especially for a small bird.

I know you are concerned and only want what's best for your little one, I commend you for that, but please consider other things before you go with the harsher treatments. You may find something helpful in the following link.

http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

Best of luck to you. I hope you are able to resolve this very soon. Please keep us updated.

 

[xNess]

Yes, it was inspected and yes, he was an avian vet. She's getting at least 11 hours of sleep in a very dark room. She isn't near a window out all. She is out of her cage at least 7 hours a day as I am a stay at home step mom. She is on Zupreem pellets. She gets fruits and veggies every single day, different kinds, rotating them, to make sure she gets all of her nutrients. She does get bathed every single day.

According to the vet, every single one. :/ That's why she was cleared.
The only thing he said was she is smaller than most cinnamon green cheek conures.


I don't even know what to do anymore. It has been a few months now and I am very discouraged.

EDIT; I do appreciate you asking questions. I really appreciate the advice as well. I'm just so nerve-wrecked at this point.