Finding Peace with My Feather-Barbering Macaw: Seeking Support and Acceptance

[MacawFan512]

My 2-year-old female Green Wing Macaw began barbering her feathers about 7 months ago. This post isn't about seeking advice on how to stop it—trust me, I've been pulling my own hair out trying to figure that out. Instead, I'm asking for guidance on how to come to terms with this behavior and accept it as part of who she is.

A bit of background: I purchased her from a breeder when she was about 8 months old. When I first picked her up, I noticed her feathers were a bit ragged. The breeder explained that her brother liked to chew on her, and I didn't think much of it at the time, considering her age. After bringing her home, I took her to the vet for a wellness check. The vet noted some 'stress feathers' on her tail and wings but reassured me that they would likely fall out during her next molt. While many did, new ones appeared. Despite this, she was a very happy bird—quiet, playful, and always eager to chew on toys, especially wood and metal ones. I found myself replacing her toys almost daily.

However, around 7 months ago, just before her 2nd birthday, something changed. Although she remained happy, she started becoming fearful of the smallest things—old toys she once loved, her water bowl being changed—and lost interest in chewing her toys. That's when I noticed her preening herself with an unsettling 'crunch' as she bit off bits of her feathers. I immediately took her to the vet, who ran every test possible. Thankfully, she was perfectly healthy. Over the following months and multiple vet visits, we tried everything—adjusting her diet (which was already excellent), changing her environment, providing more foraging toys—but nothing helped. We even tried prescription medication, but after two months with no improvement, we decided to stop. The vet eventually told me that sometimes there's no clear reason why a parrot starts pulling their feathers, and since she’s otherwise healthy and happy, it might just be something she enjoys doing.

Despite everything, she's still a playful and happy Macaw. She loves waking up in the morning, spending time with me, foraging, playing, dancing, and just being her goofy self. I think I mostly just needed to vent, but I'm also trying to accept that she might continue barbering her feathers for the rest of her life. It still breaks my heart to watch her preen and chew on her feathers, but I'm trying to find peace with it.

Is anyone else dealing with a feather mutilator? How do you cope with it and find a way to live with this behavior?

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

Take heart, dear writer. Plucking is the great mysterious equalizer of parrot-keeping. We are your understanding friends here, that I can promise.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Thank you for sharing. We have shared many a heart-ache and a lot of mystification over this. My spouse (above) hit it on the head for once! He and I have little expertise but a lot of CARE. You'll find a systematic exploration of plucking here., hopefully in this thread but also via the search engine. I'm glad you're here. Many an expert has been frustrated. My darling began plucking a little bib for himself a couple of years ago at about age 38 when he began heart medication. It crushed me. None of us are ever safe, I guess.
Stick with us.

 

[texsize]

I can’t offer anything but sympathy and understanding.

Or African Grey was supposedly the same age as your Mac baby when you got her and was a plucker and a barberer.
She is also very fearful so maybe some relationship there.

Just know that having a parrot that plucks or barbers doesn’t make you a bad parront.