B & G Macaw plucking his feathers

[Bubbabird]

Hello,
My Blue and Gold Macaw "Bentley" has been plucking his feathers in the same exact spot. He only picks in a certain area but keeps them picked out all the time. He is now 7 years old, could this be hormonal? I read that Red Palm Oil added to their diet is useful, I just ordered some to try. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dee

 

[chris-md]

Have you taken Bentley to a certified avian vet to have him checked out? My first though is that if it’s only in one spot, it’s quite possible something in that spot is irritating him. Plucking isn’t usually so concentrated.

Red palm oil I promise won’t fix this, but it’s always a nice additive for their diet.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Yes agreed!

Meanwhile, for some reading, here is a thread we usually offer.

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

Good for you, for reaching out!

 

[itzjbean]

Thanks for reaching out.

Plucking can be caused by several things so be sure to give that link posted by Gail a read. Stress, neglect, poor nutrition, etc. can all make a bird pluck. Stress can be caused by changes in atmosphere or routine, new companions, time out of the cage/personal attention lessened or changed, or just plain boredom.

Has anything changed lately in your routine, schedules, people living with you, etc.?

How often do you rotate toys for your macaw, and give him things to chew? (like wood, nuts)

How much out of cage time does he get daily?

 

[EllenD]

The first thing you should always do when a parrot starts plucking or barbering it's feathers, or starts any other type of self-mutilation/destructive behavior is to get them to a Certified Avian Vet only, no Exotic's Vets at all, as you need only an Avian specialist to handle this, and preferably one that has a lot of experience in testing, diagnosing, and treating parrots who pluck, both physically and behaviorally. Red-Palm Oil is not going to do anything at all to stop or even help his plucking-issue, as Owlet already stated, but it can't hurt his overall-diet as a supplement.

A captive/pet Macaw who suddenly starts plucking at only 7 years-old is a great worry, especially if he's not been re-homed or gone through some great environmental, home, or ownership/people change, or some other change that occurred right before/around the time that they started plucking. Otherwise, at only 7 years old, it's likely a physical health issue that is causing it, especially if it's only targeted to one specific area!

***Exactly where is the "one spot" on his body that he's been plucking? This may be a huge indicator to what the cause might be.

Has he been at all sick recently, or before the plucking started? Any health or physical problems/illnesses/injuries recently? Any changes in his diet?

***Has he been DNA-tested to ensure that he is actually a male, and not a female that could be having some type of reproductive-system issue? This is also the reason I asked exactly where the "one spot" that he's plucking is located on his body, as if he's not been DNA tested, at only 7 years old this could very-well be hormone-related, but that doesn't mean it's not something you must worry about and get him help for, especially if he's actually a female.

That all being said, since it's only one location on his body he's plucking, combined with his young age, it's extremely likely that this is being caused not by a behavioral or psychological issue at all, but rather by a physical problem, and this is why it's imperative that you get him to a Certified Avian Vet with experience in plucking ASAP to rule-out a serious physical illness, injury, parasite, etc. If he's never had baseline blood-work done before to compare new blood-work to, then this is exactly the time to get not only a complete, routine blood-panel done to assess his liver function, kidney function, metabolic functions, and especially to rule-out infection, anemia, bleeding, etc., but to also have an experienced CAV run the specific blood-tests that need to be run whenever such a young parrot starts suddenly plucking. This is why it's so important to only take him to a CAV, as they know what to look for...And you want to do this ASAP, because if this is being caused by physical illness/injury/disease-process/parasite, it obviously needs to be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible, before it gets much, much worse, but also because if it's not and it's actually a behavioral/psychological/environmental cause, the plucking and self-mutilation tends to only get worse and worse. Right now it's only in one spot, so now is the time to figure it out...

 

[ChristaNL]

as someone who has a major plucker/barberer: wishing you a lot of luck in figuring this one out.

One spot could have just been something as silly as a mosquito-bite that just kept being annoying and irritated, but it can also indicate something wrong internally (referred pain) so the place she is biting might be an important clue.

Mine will not let a painfull spot be- she wants to bite it till it lets go/ stops.
(not sure if it is typical macaw or just typical Sunny)
Never usefull when something needs healing.

Start at the CAV !
(always a good idea / yes it's expensive, but peace of mind is priceless) - and knowing if your bird is a he or a she helps (and is actually one of the fastest tests they can do) in narrowing down the possibilities.

 

[Bubbabird]

Thanks for your replies.
There has been a couple of relatives that have been staying with us. He spends about 8 hours a day with us and out of his cage. I first thought maybe he needed more baths. I was giving him 3 baths a week and recently began giving him about 5 and sometimes 6 per week. I do think that has helped. There is white fuzz growing in that area now so I am hoping if the plucking will stop the feathers will grow back. The area of plucking is below his chest by his right leg.
As far as his diet goes, he loves pistachios, peanuts, walnuts and banana chips for snacks. He normally eats cinnamon toast crunch and almond milk for breakfast and parrot seed mixture is always available for him.
One problem I am having is finding an avian vet here in Arkansas as I live in a rural area. Most of them only trim nails and clip wings etc.but doesn't handle any health issues.
One other thing, when he was very small before I purchased him he got his claw hung up in a stereo case and lost one of his toes. The bird farm took him to a vet and they put him on antibiotics which turned the tips of his feathers black (they advised was normal). I am wondering if there could be a connection to that injury?

One other question, I have recently went thru an extremely stressful time with a couple of family members and drug abuse. I know animals can sense when we are stressed out and very sad. Could he have been reacting to my stress?
Thanks again. The advice and suggestions have been very helpful.

 

[itzjbean]

As far as his diet goes, he loves pistachios, peanuts, walnuts and banana chips for snacks. He normally eats cinnamon toast crunch and almond milk for breakfast and parrot seed mixture is always available for him.

One other question, I have recently went thru an extremely stressful time with a couple of family members and drug abuse. I know animals can sense when we are stressed out and very sad. Could he have been reacting to my stress?

Thanks again. The advice and suggestions have been very helpful.

Oh my.... The cinnamon toast crunch and milk needs to STOP. Neither are good or beneficial to your macaw in any way -- the cinnamon toast crunch is LOADED with sugar as is the soy milk. Along with the peanuts and seed mix.... your macaw needs a diet change NOW.

As for the stress you've gone through with family members and drug abuse, YES he can absolutely pick up on that and that likely could be a contributing factor in his plucking as well.

PLEASE don't feed any more cinnamon toast crunch and milk! Macaws thrive on a diet that includes fresh fruit and veggies daily, along with nuts and pellets. Seeds should only be served occasionally....most seed mixes are like McDonalds for birds!

 

[Bubbabird]

https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5911+5917+23423&pcatid=23423 This is the seed mixture that I make available during the day. Should I stop using this one? I never thought about almond (not soy) milk being bad for him? Thank you

 

[ChrisYNA]

Someone here has a link to search for vets in your area, so I'm sure they'll post it.

Take your bird to an AVIAN vet and take it from there. A yearly blood (CBC) and poop (gram stain) tests are a must to look for need of a change in diet or parasites, for instance.

I hope majority of the food your bird eats is healthy bird food. Peanuts and other stuff are OK for snacks only. Mine eats scrambled eggs / omelettes, mashed potatoes, pancakes, swiss cheese, even fried crepes - but - on occasion only, as most of her food is quality bird food. I like chocolate cake, but I won't eat it daily or even weekly. Same should apply.

I hope your bird doesn't drink milk daily. Many vets recommend a bit of hard cheese now and then (mine gets 1/4 slice per week), but if that milk thing is daily, it's probably not good.

I say that because it seems you're treating your bird with much love, so that's awesome, but maybe the diet is the issue.

Also, it could be you are showering him too much, causing itchy dry skin. I am lucky if I get mine to bathe once every couple weeks. Sometimes she won't wash for a month and I have to force her.

 

[ChrisYNA]

https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5911+5917+23423&pcatid=23423 This is the seed mixture that I make available during the day. Should I stop using this one? I never thought about almond (not soy) milk being bad for him? Thank you

Birds are lactose-intolerant. A little bit usually won't hurt, but if it's fed too often, it is not good. I hope your almond milk is lactose-free, but look for digestive issues, either diarrhea or constipation.

 

[ChristaNL]

Almond milk is a blend of finely ground (and sometimes dried) almonds and water.
It's one of those confusing names vegetarians came up with to make it sound better than it is
Not milk at all - purely plantbased, therefore lactose-free, one of the reasons it so populair lately.

(yup, can't stand the stuf - it probably shows)

It's one of the goitrogenic foods that can play havoc with a thyroid gland ...
not universaly benificial whatever the hype says.
Not suitable for babies/ small children and usually taken with way to much sugar because it is boringly bland.


====


but plze: kick the peanuts, I've described them in another post as "fast-food-with-fungus" and with the aspergilosis being a no-fun option especially if you are without a CAV in your area (which is not your fault, things happen... we learn to adapt).
Sexing your bird can be done by mail btw- al you need are a few small feathers (don't start plucking him/her now...there is plenty of time to do that later )



Oh yes...birds pick up on everything- so taking care of yourself is a huge part of taking care of your parrot!
(there is also a lovely thread about that too, but let's get you down to "feed as healthy as possible" first, right?
You can read for months here / I am still at the the tip of the iceberg myself)

 

[ChrisYNA]

Almond milk is a blend of finely ground (and sometimes dried) almonds and water.
It's one of those confusing names vegetarians came up with to make it sound better than it is
Not milk at all - purely plantbased.

(yup, can't stand the stuf - it probably shows)

It's one of the goitrogenic foods that can play havoc with a thyroid gland ...
not universaly benificial whatever the hype says.
Not suitable for babies/ small children and usually taken with way to much sugar because it is boringly bland.

Christa, can you find that link to vet search for Bubba. I have a feeling the bird has never seen an avian vet before...

I forget who posts that link on here.

 

[ChristaNL]

He Chris- would if I could, but I don't have those.
For the usefull-link-collection ... try Gila?


But if there is no CAV around lets focus on prevention first and foremost.


Someone will have it.
(it's half to midnight here, my brain is asleep)

 

[noodles123]

1st, get blood drawn to make sure his general health is okay. Mine was preening more when she was sick (hidden liver condition not caused by me, FYI)


2nd, try to figure out whether it is due to boredom, the textural sensation or something else. My "too" loves these little plastic c-links and she twiddles them around instead of over-preening 50% of the time. She doesn't like preening toys, but that is a thought as well. Consider cage position as well and make sure nothing new is making him feel extra anxious or neglected...even lighting can impact this, as can hormones (as you mentioned in your post)


3rd, consider his diet and possible supplements like Nekton-S. Just don't overdo it because they can be toxic.


4th, get a humidity gauge to make sure his skin isn't getting too dry and eliminate foods with preservatives etc, as those can cause itching and plucking.



5th, you could try spraying the area with water---not as a punishment, but to see if that changes the sensation enough to decrease it. My cockatoo doesn't seem to enjoy over-preening her feathers when they are wet.

 

[ChrisYNA]

I think this is the link Gila posts to people:

https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

Bubba - set the Degree option to Avian.

If you can't locate anything with that, I just googled "avian vet arkansas" and got a number of results, including..

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/recommendedvets.htm#arkansas

Arkansas Avian Vets

https://www.veterinarians.com/services/bird/ar/

North Hills Animal Hospital - Veterinarian in Sherwood, AR

I would stress the importance of a regular visit with a bird specialist and doing the blood/poop tests, regardless.

If you must drive 5 hours to see a specialist once or twice a year, sorry, but that's what you should do.

 

[MonicaMc]

Two links... first includes board certified avian vets... which it appears as if Arkansas is like Nevada.... we don't have any!

https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/

https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

I don't know what part of Arkansas you're in, but here's a couple of vets. There's also some in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Missouri that might also be close?

Marilynn Baeyens
Baeyens Hauk Veterinary Group
8620 Highway 107
Sherwood, Arkansas 72120-2902
837-7106

Lindsey W. Erby
Wedington Animal Hospital
4363 W Wedington Dr
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72704-5806
479-444-6600