Bald under wings

[EmmaMc]

I have a 9 year old rosella that has pretty big bald patches under both his wings, he's been to the vet for multiple tests including beak and feather disease, mites and liver disease but all came back clear. My vet doesn't seem to think it's caused by plucking because there's no irritation, and he gets fed fruit/veg/beans/nuts daily with seed treats, has anyone had experience with this or know how I can encourage the feathers to regrow?

 

[Noahs_Birds]

If all those feather testings have been carried out, my only guess is it could be a Vitamin A deficiency .
Where are you located and can you share some pictures please

 

[noodles123]

Generally you want to do PCR tests for the big diseases (not feather tests--although they are available)--Just putting it out there..

Could be hormones or stress...
Pet on the head and neck only
12 hours of sleep on a schedule like a toddler
no access to shadowy spaces in or around the cage (boxes, bedding, huts, drawers, clothes etc)

Make sure you teach your bird to play and talk about routines...
I say "going to the store" if I will be gone for 1-3 hours...
"going to work" if it will be 4-8...
When she goes to bed, I say, "night, love you, see you in the morning"
If she stays with my parents (which is VEEEERYYY RARE) and I leave, I say "see you tomorrow!" OR I try to explain that I will be gone-- and genuinely, it seems to help.
Helping my "too" anticipate routine has really made her less anxious--she hardly messes with her feathers these days, but she was a chronic barberer/plucker (not SUPER bad, but bad enough that her chest bled a bit) when I first got her. I also am SUPPPPPER careful about keeping our interactions non-sexual and pet on the head and neck only-- she gets 12 hours sleep nightly and if I touch under a wing etc-- it is for like 2 seconds and for husbandry/care-taking only (not petting)

I use similar vocabulary all the time..If I am going to make a sound that is loud, I say, "gonna make a loud noise!"...If I drop something unexpectedly, I say "BOOM!" in an overly enthusiastic, playful voice. This stuff works for mine...really well...It's like a kid with high anxiety

 

[EmmaMc]

I will try get some pictures later, he is sleeping right now

 

[EmmaMc]

What is PCR tests? He had 3 different blood tests, a poop test and a clipping of his beak was tested, I was under the impression that there weren't any other tests that could be done in relation to feather loss

He's never alone, there's 7 people in my house and there's always people coming and going, he loves the movement and the attention he gets
He sleeps well too, same time every night he tells me he wants to go to bed and he takes a nap around 3pm most days.
I've had him since he was 3 months old but for most of his life he was seed fed with fruit and veg for treats, I swapped it 2 years ago when he had to have surgery for bumble foot and it was the scariest thing to go through. Since then his diet has been great but I worry that the years of seed before that maybe the reason? Would it take that long to regrow feathers?

 

[noodles123]

What is PCR tests? He had 3 different blood tests, a poop test and a clipping of his beak was tested, I was under the impression that there weren't any other tests that could be done in relation to feather loss

He's never alone, there's 7 people in my house and there's always people coming and going, he loves the movement and the attention he gets
He sleeps well too, same time every night he tells me he wants to go to bed and he takes a nap around 3pm most days.
I've had him since he was 3 months old but for most of his life he was seed fed with fruit and veg for treats, I swapped it 2 years ago when he had to have surgery for bumble foot and it was the scariest thing to go through. Since then his diet has been great but I worry that the years of seed before that maybe the reason? Would it take that long to regrow feathers?

It's a special blood test-- as long as they actually drew blood for the tests, it is likely they ran the proper panels.

Sometimes feathers do struggle to grow back if plucked repeatedly.

If he had had these bald spots for ages, it could be that they aren't growing back...do you find feathers that look like wing feathers on the cage bottom?

Seed diets can lead to liver issues, but you had liver panels run, so that is excellent news.

If you are seeing feathers and still doing everything right (which it sounds like you are) it could be almost like an addiction---birds can have real trouble stopping plucking/barbering if they do it long enough.

BEANS can be toxic-- what kind are you giving, are they cooked or canned or sprouted or what? Never give canned or raw beans. Canned= not good because of sodium and preservatives (and some types are unsafe beyond those factors)...Raw contain toxins-Lectins...In fact, even some cooked beans are unsafe due to toxins (kidney beans, for example, should never be given, even cooked). Cooking makes them safe for people, but not birds. I had lectin poisoning once, and it was very unfortunate lol....

 

[EmmaMc]

I don't usually see any feathers in his cage unless it's moult time
I give him cooked organic beans and lentils like black beans, green beans, chickpeas ect, Ive never given him kidney beans.
He doesn't like cuttlefish or those mineral blocks so I wonder if there's a mineral he's not getting from his food?

 

[SailBoat]

Feathers on the underside of the Wing are commonly smaller than Flight Feathers as then tend to provide support, notice of change in air pressure, and provide cover for exposed skin over the muscles.

Hormonal Season across the Northern Hemisphere this year has been extensive and is resulting in several unusual activities in our Parrots. It has also been abnormally hot and earlier than normal. But that does not account for this occurrence over multiple years.

Your stated: "pretty big bald patches under both his wings"... Is there similarities between the wings in location and size or they are totally different? Understanding that molting can produce feather loss in groups /patches (think loss of feathers on the top of the head).

Your not finding groups of feathers is unusual as for there to be Feather loss over the inside of both Wings you should be seeing feathers. The size will be smaller than Primary Flight Feathers, more the size of Body Feathers. Check about and see what you find.

What area of this World do your live and what has the local weather been like over the last few months.

Great advice provided above.

FYI: Are you seeing an Avian Professional? Like a Certified Avian Vet?