help, the dreaded plucking again

[bruce]

well my grey is one year old now, but still on sunflower seed,
and he has plucked all his feathers on his back, and looks like
a chicken ready for the oven, i was told to give him fruit and veg,
but he will not eat them,
we dont have any vets where i live,

so the questions are,
should i starve him until he eats fruit and veg,
should i mix olive oil with his food,
should i give him a warm shower every day, its 16c here,
should i make a collar for his neck so he cant reach to pluck,

he seems to tremble also (might be itching)

thanks in advance.

 

[MonicaMc]

Is there any parrot seed blends or pellets where you live? If not, can you get some shipped in?

Did you ever contact an a vet? If not, that's your best bet to start. Young parrots *should not* be plucking at a young age, as it's usually a sign of something medically wrong. I saw that another member provided you some links to contact a vet at.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

My safe bird store might be able to ship some pellets to you if your out of the country. African grays can become phobic and be afraid of new things. Here's two good pellets link link When you feed him fruits and veggies he might not understand what they are, try eating some in front of him, but don't let him have anything you bit into, we have dangerous gram negative bacteria in our mouth.

What country do you live in? If you in a country where people study wild birds or there are wild life/bird rescues they may be able to do a exam on your African gray. Itching is often a sign of liver problems.

What is his set up like and the location of his cage in the house?

 

[bruce]

thanks for both reply's and the links for the food,
im ordering now,
so i live on an island in greece and there is no vet for birds near me,
i keep him in a large cage outside the garden, and then back inside
the living room in the afternoon where i can talk to him, and there's a tv,
and radio which he loves very much, and then cover his cage with a cloth
at bedtime, so he seems happy enough.

when i cover his cage at bedtime all the plucking stops untill morning.

thanks again, and welcome any comments however small.

i just now phoned to the city vet and he said it sounds like stress.

 

[MonicaMc]

A shot in the dark, but what about contacting local zoos with birds?

I'm coming across Spata Zoo... and possible one vet?

54633 IORDANIDIS, PRODROMOS I., DVM Thessaloniki


Here are some others....

Tails from Greece Rescue

Vets & Veterinary Clinics | Greek Yellow Pages



Start calling around and see if any treat birds!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Sometimes birds don't know that fresh veggies are food, eating a salad in front of them can sometimes help to teach them it's food.

No one ever answered you main questions, sorry about that

so the questions are,
should i starve him until he eats fruit and veg,
Never starve your bird. It is ok to give them fresh foods in the morning mixed with pellets, then replace them with seeds in the afternoon until you can get him off seeds
should i mix olive oil with his food,
I wouldn't, mixing with water or organic sugar free juice is better.
should i give him a warm shower every day, its 16c here,
Warm showers can help to sooth there skin, use a mister. You can also mix in some pure aloe verde. Beware of bird bath sprays, if they say to avoid food and water don't use them. Here's a good product that's supposed to help sooth skin.
should i make a collar for his neck so he cant reach to pluck,
If I had a bird that was plucking that bad I would make a Elizabeth color. Most are only for short term use. I've seen some great long use designs that use fleece so the bird has something to preen. I can't seem to find the image that showed the best example. Here's a similar example but the collar isn't stiff so the bird might still reach around it..
image source

Still keep an eye out for any vets that may be available, you may have to travel far to get to one. Also, if there are any avian vets in your part of Greece call them, ask if they can refer you to anyone closer or to ask what they think might be causing your bird to pluck. I always try to get as many opinions as I can if I think something is wrong with my galah Rosie.

 

[bruce]

A shot in the dark, but what about contacting local zoos with birds?

I'm coming across Spata Zoo... and possible one vet?

54633 IORDANIDIS, PRODROMOS I., DVM Thessaloniki


Here are some others....

Tails from Greece Rescue

Vets & Veterinary Clinics | Greek Yellow Pages



Start calling around and see if any treat birds!

i know,,, thanks for taking time to research you are amazing.

i already phoned, i have to take a ferry boat to get there,
ill keep posting on progress. thanks.

 

[bruce]

Sometimes birds don't know that fresh veggies are food, eating a salad in front of them can sometimes help to teach them it's food.

No one ever answered you main questions, sorry about that

so the questions are,
should i starve him until he eats fruit and veg,
Never starve your bird. It is ok to give them fresh foods in the morning mixed with pellets, then replace them with seeds in the afternoon until you can get him off seeds
should i mix olive oil with his food,
I wouldn't, mixing with water or organic sugar free juice is better.
should i give him a warm shower every day, its 16c here,
Warm showers can help to sooth there skin, use a mister. You can also mix in some pure aloe verde. Beware of bird bath sprays, if they say to avoid food and water don't use them. Here's a good product that's supposed to help sooth skin.
should i make a collar for his neck so he cant reach to pluck,
If I had a bird that was plucking that bad I would make a Elizabeth color. Most are only for short term use. I've seen some great long use designs that use fleece so the bird has something to preen. I can't seem to find the image that showed the best example. Here's a similar example but the collar isn't stiff so the bird might still reach around it.
Still keep an eye out for any vets that may be available, you may have to travel quite far to get to one.
image source

thanks for your reply, love that photo.