balding spots

[jpm252cc]

hello we have a 3 year old crimson bellie conure she has a couple bald spots on her chest one is a smaller one up top and bigger one towards the bottom of her chest. we have an appt next thurs for her. we have not really seen her picking feathers, she seems active i know birds tend to hide if they're sick shes eating ok her weight has been the same for quite a while. she does seen nervous/anxious. im trying to send a picture but just cant figure out how to.

 

[noodles123]

If she has had blood work done and health checks out, I'd say that this looks like it is over-preening/plucking (possibly motivated by hormones and anxiety). Pet on the head and neck only, get your parrot 10 hours of sleep on a set schedule for the rest of her life, make sure she has no access to huts/tents/shadowy places (even a box with an open top is shadowy for them-- so are blankets and often couches etc), and avoid egg-shaped toys...Warm squishy foods can also be a trigger.


When was the last time she was at the vet and did they test for yeast/fungal stuff on the skin?
What tests did they run?


How often is she out each day and how is her diet? Sleep etc? How big is her cage? Any routine changes?


When you do go to the vet, I'd ask for blood work, a gram stain, and possible swabs of skin-- xrays are another helpful tool (but they can be stressful for some birds).


If all of that checks out, I'd bank on anxiety--- probably in-part, related to hormonal triggers (based on the sites of the patches)--that having been said-- those same sites can get attention in a bird with illness, so just make sure you rule that out.


Is the skin under the feathers raw or irritated and or bleeding at all /scabbed?



If your bird is suffering internally-- like a kidney infection or something, or due to inflamed organs, they will also sometimes pluck at affected areas, which is why a solid vet visit (more than just a physical exam) is important. PDD can sometimes be caught by an x-ray, which is cheaper than the blood panel in most cases.


Have you noticed any behavior changes or changes to poop? What about straining when pooping?

 

[jpm252cc]

noodles 123 thank you so much for youre very helpful reply

 

[Laurasea]

Beautiful conure. The belly picking makes me think health issues, that and conures rarely pluck from behavior issues alone.

Does she eat lots of veggies, leafy greens, and some fruits?

Has anything changed in the home.

Its hard to say this and hard to believe, but occasionally someone in the house even a spouse can be tormenting the bird. Its happened enough its worth a mention

 

[jpm252cc]

we have been slacking on her vegatables. no one neglects the birds its just me and my wife and 2 other conures. they each have their own cage but she wants to be with the other conure so we put her in his cage sometimes.

 

[noodles123]

we have been slacking on her vegatables. no one neglects the birds its just me and my wife and 2 other conures. they each have their own cage but she wants to be with the other conure so we put her in his cage sometimes.

That could also point to hormones-- you your bird is in the cage with another bird with an unknown sex?

 

[jpm252cc]

The other bird is a male blackcapped conure. They have seperate cages but we do put her in there with him because she always wants to be with him.

 

[noodles123]

they can still mate...may even be able to reproduce...Just be careful doing that...His presence alone could cause that reaction, but the plucking near where an egg would makes me wonder...again...check health first...but 2 birds don't have to be the exact same to mate and have babies..cockatoos and cockatiels can procreate....


Be careful about letting your bird do things just because he/she likes it. Bird LIKE all sorts of things that are very bad for them/dangerous.

 

[jpm252cc]

ok thank you for the information.

 

[BriGuy]

I hope all is well. What did the vet end up concluding?