Chewing Holes in my Shirt - Health Problem?

[BoomBoom]

Hello! I'm actually kind of concerned. It started innocently enough. My sun conure burrows inside my shirt, chews here and there. I allowed it because they're just house shirts and he seemed to enjoy it so much. Well in the last week, the few bites turned into hardcore shredding. My shirts have holes the size of my head. I went through 3 shirts just this weekend! I don't mind the shirts getting ruined. They are cheap compared to parrot toys. My concern is for his health.

I've read of birds whose crops get impacted from chewing cotton fabric. He does not purposely swallow it because I see mounds of shredded material on my lap, but could he accidentally ingest the fabrics? Could this be a potential issue with my sun? Do you guys think I'm over-worrying? Should I be concerned?


PS. I started correcting this as of right now. I distract him with a wooden chew toy instead, but he prefers my shirt.

 

[crimson]

Personally I wouldn't let him. I would freak if one of my birds started destroying my clothes or any personal belongings, but that is me.

I guess it is possible over time he could ingest the fabric and could cause problems.

my question would be why is he doing this? Birds shred toys, but why your clothes?
I guess birds do it, but I've never heard of this.

 

[weco]

Hello! I'm actually kind of concerned. It started innocently enough. My sun conure burrows inside my shirt, chews here and there. I allowed it because they're just house shirts and he seemed to enjoy it so much. Well in the last week, the few bites turned into hardcore shredding. My shirts have holes the size of my head. I went through 3 shirts just this weekend! I don't mind the shirts getting ruined. They are cheap compared to parrot toys. My concern is for his health.

I've read of birds whose crops get impacted from chewing cotton fabric. He does not purposely swallow it because I see mounds of shredded material on my lap, but could he accidentally ingest the fabrics? Could this be a potential issue with my sun? Do you guys think I'm over-worrying? Should I be concerned?


PS. I started correcting this as of right now. I distract him with a wooden chew toy instead, but he prefers my shirt.

Boomer, I've had conures of different specie for some 25 years & have gone through 2-3 T-shirts a week, sometimes more, during that period, and while there is always the possibility of a bird becoming impacted while creating their Vera Wang inspired lace masterpieces, I've never had to take mine for a vet visit for impaction.....and truth be told, my parrotlet is the worst of the lot...he can air condition a shirt in a couple of hours...give him an afternoon & your shirt will literally fall off your shoulders.....

I would rather replace shirts than have furniture re-upholstered.....

It's what some conures & most sun conures do for entertainment.....you could always get some balsa wood blocks or balsa planks & make your own blocks.....

 

[henpecked]

I knew this was about a conure when i saw the title.LOL little devils, LOL I know i posted about losing a hen zon to crop impaction from a cotton towel, that was used to cover her cage. Chewing holes in your shirt seems ,to me, to be a different situation. As long as you are aware of the dangers you can be on the lookout for a problem. I think they do it because it just feels good to bite though something. It's fun to them. I have a hen nape who goes for the collars on my t=shirts. If it ever does become an issue,, get the cellulose enzymes from the GNC store and mix with her water.

 

[BoomBoom]

Thank you for the replies! It's good to know I might be over-reacting as usual. What Weco described is pretty much what is happening with my sun conure. He makes fish nets out of my shirts.

Henpecked, thanks for the suggestion. Good to know there is something I could use, if it ever comes to that. I was looking online for cellulose enzymes, but only found ones that come in tablets or capsules. Could you tell me if this is the one you use?

GNC Natural Brand - Super Digestive Enzyme: GNC Natural Brand™ Super Digestive Enzymes - GNC NATURAL BRAND - GNC

 

[henpecked]

The capsules is what we have used in the past, maybe 1/2 per cup of water.

 

[Kalidasa]

I'm glad I read this thread because my conure does that with her rope perch, shreds it, but I see little spit-wads of it on the floor, and see how she just chews it for a while, but you never know, and I'm glad these something that will dissolve cotton if it becomes a problem.

 

[henpecked]

If it becomes a "mass" in their crop. You might need to massage it after a dose. I'd take any adult bird with an impaction to the A Vet ASAP.

 

[BoomBoom]

Thanks, Henpecked! Good to be aware of these things just in case.

One other question... How do I know if he has impaction? What are the warning signs? Loss of appetite?

 

[henpecked]

Loss of weight ! (weigh your bird speech) , Yeah, they don't eat as much and should be drinking lots of water.maybe they can only eat a small amount at a feeding. It's hard to notice in adults that are fully feathered. If you suspect an issue ,see if you can feel a hard mass, usually lower down in the crop. I always worry about buttons. The larger birds love to bite off buttons and don't want to give them up. They'll hide them under their tongue and you don't know where it went.

 

[henpecked]

PS this treatment also works well for birds that might ingest wood toy or perch parts and paper.

 

[Kalidasa]

How long do you do the treatment if it occurs, or is it a one time thing?

 

[henpecked]

I usually do a couple of syringes per day for 4-5 days, depends on what they have eaten. Things like cotton fibers don't break down as quick as paper. I've never had an issue with giving them enzymes.

 

[BoomBoom]

Thanks, Henpecked. Important to know just how long and how much to use (if it ever comes to that). Never a dull moment with these birds. I swear there is always something else to worry about. :20:

I'll start weighing him every day again. But I'm probably just letting my imagination run wild again (like when I had the Giardia scare lol).

 

[Kalidasa]

Thanks, Henpecked. Important to know just how long and how much to use (if it ever comes to that). Never a dull moment with these birds. I swear there is always something else to worry about. :20:

I'll start weighing him every day again. But I'm probably just letting my imagination run wild again (like when I had the Giardia scare lol).

The Giardia scare yes. Lol! The best thing to come out of that is Nika's loves fresh oregano now, and demands it daily.

 

[BoomBoom]

Thanks, Henpecked. Important to know just how long and how much to use (if it ever comes to that). Never a dull moment with these birds. I swear there is always something else to worry about. :20:

I'll start weighing him every day again. But I'm probably just letting my imagination run wild again (like when I had the Giardia scare lol).

The Giardia scare yes. Lol! The best thing to come out of that is Nika's loves fresh oregano now, and demands it daily.

Wow, you are lucky with Nika. Boomer thinks I'm trying to poison him with oregano. LOL!