HELP, Over Preened Feather

[EAI]

Sorry about my grammar, I'm rushing

I've been checking Gizmo's butt area daily every hour to make sure he's not plucking at it. Well tonight I noticed blood on his back and took him to bathroom immediately and tried to wash the area.
One of his growing feathers had a blob of red at the end.
My mom was able to hold him with minimal disagreement and I applied pressure until the blood was gone and pretty much had to "throw" corn starch to his butt and covered the entire region.

He hasnt gone back to the blleding area but is preening his back feathers. Would corn starch be poisonous to them? I was panicking quite a bit and was trying to get it to stop right away.

I'll be calling my avian vet tomorrow to discuss maybe a collar? just for a month while they grow back. Would I have to make one myself? And would that be a bit overboard?

thank you, so sorry about my grammar again

 

[EAI]

Update: He started to bleed again and had to do redo the process. I tried getting some of the blood out of the feather...i feel like it was a bad decision but I'm watching him again to make sure.

 

[weco]

If he's chewed a blood feather and caused it to bleed, the feather should be pulled out. Although many of us tend to unduly worry when a blood feather is broken, leaving the blood feather alone is not a wise move as it will continue to bleed, think that you have cut a vein rather than a capillary, both will eventually stop bleeding, but the vein usually needs a stitch or two to close it because it is a larger blood conduit, while the capillary will generally scab over and stop on its own.....in the case of a broken blood feather, the feather is like a vein and since you can't put a band-aid on it or a stitch in it to close it, it should be removed...his body will replace it in short order.....

 

[EAI]

If he's chewed a blood feather and caused it to bleed, the feather should be pulled out. Although many of us tend to unduly worry when a blood feather is broken, leaving the blood feather alone is not a wise move as it will continue to bleed, think that you have cut a vein rather than a capillary, both will eventually stop bleeding, but the vein usually needs a stitch or two to close it because it is a larger blood conduit, while the capillary will generally scab over and stop on its own.....in the case of a broken blood feather, the feather is like a vein and since you can't put a band-aid on it or a stitch in it to close it, it should be removed...his body will replace it in short order.....

I just pulled it out, I accidentally pulled out another feather at first but he didn't even flinch. The second time, I think I pulled all of it out and tried to apply corn starch again just in case.

 

[weco]

When you pull blood feathers, sometimes you might get a small drop of blood at the follicle, but the follicle is designed like a trap door that closes as soon as the feather shaft is removed...the only time it may not close properly is if the follicle has been damaged and in those cases, a veterinarian may need to cauterize the damaged follicle.....

Congrats on pulling the feather.....a lot of people hesitate or take their bird to the vet even though it is, as you found out, a very easy procedure to preform and also as you found out, doesn't bother the bird.....

As long as you pull a feather shaft straight out, it will all come out, feathers are not like splinters that may not all come out and leave pieces behind...actually I don't think there is any way a feather shaft won't come out all together, because of the way they're designed.....

I would continue to watch him, in case he wants to do this again and I think you might want to call your vet & discuss a collar if he starts it again.....good luck.....

 

[EAI]

Boy was I shaking, I had someone try keep him as vertical as possible and it was really intense for a newbie.

I'll be contacting my vet still to talk about the collar. He has been picking on them before (he had a pretty large scab) but never caused any blood - so I better be safer than sorry now.

Now I'm worried that he's holding a grudge..I'll have to make up for that with hours of scritches.

 

[weco]

Not to worry, they really don't notice a feather being jerked out, as long as you don't start, then get nervous & maybe wiggle the feather when you're pulling it out.....I'm sure he'll readily accept the scritches, but he doesn't even remember you taking the feather.....

Nice job, now when you have to do it again, it will be second nature to you.....

 

[Kiwibird]

Beisdes the blood feather (I'm glad you took care of it. That does happen sometimes) what else would lead you to believe Gizmo is possibly plucking? Keep in mind, it is molting time for most parrots right now, so many of us have an increase in feathers at the bottom of the cage and ratty looking birds. And sometimes when a parrot has a feather it senses is ready to molt out, it may LOOK like they are plucking it, but they are in fact just preening out what their body has already released Does Gizmo have any actual bald patches?

 

[EAI]

Beisdes the blood feather (I'm glad you took care of it. That does happen sometimes) what else would lead you to believe Gizmo is possibly plucking? Keep in mind, it is molting time for most parrots right now, so many of us have an increase in feathers at the bottom of the cage and ratty looking birds. And sometimes when a parrot has a feather it senses is ready to molt out, it may LOOK like they are plucking it, but they are in fact just preening out what their body has already released Does Gizmo have any actual bald patches?

Not really plucking on his chest but he's been repeatedly going at his back feathers and on a few occasions while he's preening he brings out an undeveloped feather.
Other than his feathers are all there, with a few pin feathers here and there along his neck atm.