is he overpreening or plucking (vet appt already made) what should I ask vet (PIC)?

[birdlady91]

His appointment is on Tuesday, please send good thoughts :15:. My GCC Leo is about 2 years old (hatch day around mid Feb 2018). I don't know his sex for sure but just refer to him as a boy. His diet is mostly pellets/seeds with limited fruit (oranges, apples, raspberries, blueberries). I am trying to get him to eat more veggies/fruit but he refuses and I'm scared to let him go hungry. He gets lots of attention and has countless toys in his cage. I am at work from 7-4 on weekdays but he's out of the cage when I am home.

He preens A LOT, even sitting on my shoulder right now he is preening. He is active, eats a lot, poop looks normal. He grinds his beak every night. This is the first time it has gotten this bad. He has always preened a lot but his feathers looked way better even a month ago. He also has lots of pin feathers on his head and body...But I live in Chicago, is it possible for him to molt right now? This recent situation, with the down feathers being exposed, seems to have started around 4-5 days ago. Even when he has molted in the past it doesn't look this rough. Do you have any advice for what I should ask, what tests to get done, what I should specifically ask for etc? Also this is only my third time going to the vet so I am kind of nervous and stressed. I always get scared something will go wrong or there will be an accident of some kind and he'll get hurt. Seeing him squeezed in the towel always scares me. Can someone tell me what I can do to calm not only my bird but myself down, thanks so much.

 

[noodles123]

He needs (bare minimum) 10 hours of solid sleep nightly (on a schedule). 12 being average for most.
Is he getting that with those work hours if he is out when you are home? Sleep regulates hormones, mood and immune health.
You may need to get him up earlier and put him to bed earlier (while using a sleep cage/quiet room) if you aren't....but he definitely needs quite a few hours of interaction etc (without compromising sleep--just like a kid has a bedtime, he needs a set bedtime and wake-up).

He is likely in the midst of puberty/sexual maturity as well, so if you haven't already, remove ANY shadowy spaces from within or around his cage (no huts, tents, piles, drawers, under clothing, blankets, hollows, low shelves etc)--They places stimulate sexual behavior and increase anxiety.

Pet only on the head and neck and try to make sure that he is well-socialized without any sexual petting and WITH lots of interactive activities.

That does look like over-preening...but not plucking.

 

[birdlady91]

He needs (bare minimum) 10 hours of solid sleep nightly (on a schedule). 12 being average for most.
Is he getting that with those work hours if he is out when you are home? Sleep regulates hormones, mood and immune health.
You may need to get him up earlier and put him to bed earlier (while using a sleep cage/quiet room) if you aren't....but he definitely needs quite a few hours of interaction etc (without compromising sleep--just like a kid has a bedtime, he needs a set bedtime and wake-up).

He is likely in the midst of puberty/sexual maturity as well, so if you haven't already, remove ANY shadowy spaces from within or around his cage (no huts, tents, piles, drawers, under clothing, blankets, hollows, low shelves etc)--They places stimulate sexual behavior and increase anxiety.

Pet only on the head and neck and try to make sure that he is well-socialized without any sexual petting and WITH lots of interactive activities.

That does look like over-preening...but not plucking.

Thank you for your answer! I will work to establish a better sleep schedule for him, ie getting up earlier. I do cuddle him a lot, I try not petting his body but he does nestle up next to my head/face, so one of his wings touches my face... is that not ok either? I will stop that too if need be. There are no shadowy places in the cage, I will make sure not to introduce anything of that sort.

Thanks again for your advice!

 

[noodles123]

If he isn't playing with his toys, they don't count, so consider that, as well as cage placement, socialization, sleep, humidity etc. My bird was an over-preener when I adopted her and she is way better now, but she is on a set schedule. Make sure you are not using any chemicals in the home or on your skin (cleaners, strongly-scented perfumes, candles of any kind etc)---this can irritate their lungs and cause a stress response.

How is his diet and cage-size as well?

If you haven't any bird should have a CBC every year (or 5 years minimum) for screening. If he has never had one, he needs one now because that will let you know his blood count etc (even if it won't tell you about certian diseases).

 

[noodles123]

He needs (bare minimum) 10 hours of solid sleep nightly (on a schedule). 12 being average for most.
Is he getting that with those work hours if he is out when you are home? Sleep regulates hormones, mood and immune health.
You may need to get him up earlier and put him to bed earlier (while using a sleep cage/quiet room) if you aren't....but he definitely needs quite a few hours of interaction etc (without compromising sleep--just like a kid has a bedtime, he needs a set bedtime and wake-up).

He is likely in the midst of puberty/sexual maturity as well, so if you haven't already, remove ANY shadowy spaces from within or around his cage (no huts, tents, piles, drawers, under clothing, blankets, hollows, low shelves etc)--They places stimulate sexual behavior and increase anxiety.

Pet only on the head and neck and try to make sure that he is well-socialized without any sexual petting and WITH lots of interactive activities.

That does look like over-preening...but not plucking.

Thank you for your answer! I will work to establish a better sleep schedule for him, ie getting up earlier. I do cuddle him a lot, I try not petting his body but he does nestle up next to my head/face, so one of his wings touches my face... is that not ok either? I will stop that too if need be. There are no shadowy places in the cage, I will make sure not to introduce anything of that sort.

Thanks again for your advice!

Try to keep physical things to a friendly minimum---like, petting on head and neck, but no full-body contact or half body contact lol (you may be able to slide with this a little more once in a while post puberty, but your bird is basically a middle school boy at a dance...so ...LOL)
The biggest thing (in terms of sleep) is trying to get him at least 10 hours every night at roughly the same time. If you are moving around and waking him up, you may need to get him a quieter sleep space and then get him up when you get up so that you can use that as interaction time without running past his bedtime.

 

[birdlady91]

He needs (bare minimum) 10 hours of solid sleep nightly (on a schedule). 12 being average for most.
Is he getting that with those work hours if he is out when you are home? Sleep regulates hormones, mood and immune health.
You may need to get him up earlier and put him to bed earlier (while using a sleep cage/quiet room) if you aren't....but he definitely needs quite a few hours of interaction etc (without compromising sleep--just like a kid has a bedtime, he needs a set bedtime and wake-up).

He is likely in the midst of puberty/sexual maturity as well, so if you haven't already, remove ANY shadowy spaces from within or around his cage (no huts, tents, piles, drawers, under clothing, blankets, hollows, low shelves etc)--They places stimulate sexual behavior and increase anxiety.

Pet only on the head and neck and try to make sure that he is well-socialized without any sexual petting and WITH lots of interactive activities.

That does look like over-preening...but not plucking.

Thank you for your answer! I will work to establish a better sleep schedule for him, ie getting up earlier. I do cuddle him a lot, I try not petting his body but he does nestle up next to my head/face, so one of his wings touches my face... is that not ok either? I will stop that too if need be. There are no shadowy places in the cage, I will make sure not to introduce anything of that sort.

Thanks again for your advice!

Try to keep things pretty cool for now---like, petting on head and neck, but no full-body contact or half body contact lol (you may be able to slide with this a little more once in a while post puberty, but your bird is basically a middle school boy at a dance...so ...LOL)
The biggest thing (in terms of sleep) is trying to get him at least 10 hours every night at roughly the same time. If you are moving around and waking him up, you may need to get him a quieter sleep space and then get him up when you get up so that you can use that as interaction time without running past his bedtime.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it! I will definitely focus on the sleep, I feel so bad that this may be happening bc of that. He does wake up at the TINIEST sound I make at night. I will literally be tip toeing around in the dark looking for something and he will start making angry noises at me under his covered cage for having the audacity to do something without him lol. Luckily I do have a spare room I can put him in, it will feel weird having him sleep in a different room away from me but anything that helps!

 

[noodles123]

Thank you for your answer! I will work to establish a better sleep schedule for him, ie getting up earlier. I do cuddle him a lot, I try not petting his body but he does nestle up next to my head/face, so one of his wings touches my face... is that not ok either? I will stop that too if need be. There are no shadowy places in the cage, I will make sure not to introduce anything of that sort.

Thanks again for your advice!

Try to keep things pretty cool for now---like, petting on head and neck, but no full-body contact or half body contact lol (you may be able to slide with this a little more once in a while post puberty, but your bird is basically a middle school boy at a dance...so ...LOL)
The biggest thing (in terms of sleep) is trying to get him at least 10 hours every night at roughly the same time. If you are moving around and waking him up, you may need to get him a quieter sleep space and then get him up when you get up so that you can use that as interaction time without running past his bedtime.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it! I will definitely focus on the sleep, I feel so bad that this may be happening bc of that. He does wake up at the TINIEST sound I make at night. I will literally be tip toeing around in the dark looking for something and he will start making angry noises at me under his covered cage for having the audacity to do something without him lol. Luckily I do have a spare room I can put him in, it will feel weird having him sleep in a different room away from me but anything that helps!

Some of that is normal (I mean, they do wake up in the wild too) BUT, if you can keep him in a quiet, dark area, that will be much easier than if he is in, say, your living room. Now, does that work for some? YES. But the fact of the matter is that he is showing some anxiety, so I am suggesting this because these are the things to address before resorting to more serious measures (like anxiety meds etc).

My cockatoo (yes... lol) now has her own room and I LOVE IT- I leave it open during the day so she can see me and I wake her up pretty early (because even in her own room, she hears me in the morning). It seems that she sleeps more soundly at night than in the morning, so if I watch TV in a room (other than hers) she tunes it out, but if it's 4am and she has already had a bit of sleep, there is no tuning it out. I can tell she is up in there and so I go get her because she has a pretty steady internal clock and if she is up at 4 she will usually want to go to bed by 5 UNLESS something super fun is going on...Cockatoos can need up to 14 hours, so that is something to keep in mind as you read this, but you get my point.

I have lived with her in a much smaller space and any footstep would cause her to flap in her dark cage (normal, but frightening). In her own room, she doesn't do this nearly as much, which means less risk of broken feathers and better sleep.

During the day though, they need to be wherever the action is.

 

[birdlady91]

Try to keep things pretty cool for now---like, petting on head and neck, but no full-body contact or half body contact lol (you may be able to slide with this a little more once in a while post puberty, but your bird is basically a middle school boy at a dance...so ...LOL)
The biggest thing (in terms of sleep) is trying to get him at least 10 hours every night at roughly the same time. If you are moving around and waking him up, you may need to get him a quieter sleep space and then get him up when you get up so that you can use that as interaction time without running past his bedtime.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it! I will definitely focus on the sleep, I feel so bad that this may be happening bc of that. He does wake up at the TINIEST sound I make at night. I will literally be tip toeing around in the dark looking for something and he will start making angry noises at me under his covered cage for having the audacity to do something without him lol. Luckily I do have a spare room I can put him in, it will feel weird having him sleep in a different room away from me but anything that helps!

Some of that is normal (I mean, they do wake up in the wild too) BUT, if you can keep him in a quiet, dark area, that will be much easier than if he is in, say, your living room. Now, does that work for some? YES. But the fact of the matter is that he is showing some anxiety, so I am suggesting this because these are the things to address before resorting to more serious measures (like anxiety meds etc).

My cockatoo (yes... lol) now has her own room and I LOVE IT- I leave it open during the day so she can see me and I wake her up pretty early (because even in her own room, she hears me in the morning). It seems that she sleeps more soundly at night than in the morning, so if I watch TV in a room (other than hers) she tunes it out, but if it's 4am and she has already had a bit of sleep, there is no tuning it out. I can tell she is up in there and so I go get her because she has a pretty steady internal clock and if she is up at 4 she will usually want to go to bed by 5 UNLESS something super fun is going on...Cockatoos can need up to 14 hours, so that is something to keep in mind as you read this, but you get my point.

I have lived with her in a much smaller space and any footstep would cause her to flap in her dark cage (normal, but frightening). In her own room, she doesn't do this nearly as much, which means less risk of broken feathers and better sleep.

During the day though, they need to be wherever the action is.

I agree, probably much better for everyone for them to sleep separately. I want to provide him with a good, quiet night rest without my presence bugging his sleep now on!

 

[LaManuka]

Overpreening and feather plucking can stem from anything from illness, boredom, dietary deficiencies or sexual frustration, or a combination of several of those factors. I would cut citrus fruit from his diet and try to get him to eat more veg, he definitely won’t starve with what you’re feeding him

Does Leo like to bathe? Green cheeks generally love a bath and often bathe every other day. That can also assist with his feather picking behaviour.

Plucking is an extremely vexing behaviour and you are right to be concerned about it and you’re doing the best thing for him by getting him to a vet. Your certified avian vet will want to see Leo annually for ongoing wellness check. As you probably already know birds are expert at hiding illness so an annual check is the best way to nip potential health issues in the bud.

Good luck at the vet’s!

 

[ParrotGenie]

Overpreening could also be caused by lack of humidity as it is winter over here and without a humidifier humidity level could drop to teens even if heat on a lot as it does drys out the air. This causes dry skin and to itch and cause overpreening issues. Also does he get bath weekly? Yes it about the time they molt as least for most of my birds it is. It could be also cause by a lot of other things people stated above, or a combination of things as well as potential health issues ?

 

[birdlady91]

Overpreening could also be caused by lack of humidity as it is winter over here and without a humidifier humidity level could drop to teens even if heat on a lot as it does drys out the air. This causes dry skin and to itch and cause overpreening issues. Also does he get bath weekly? Yes it about the time they molt as least for most of my birds it is. It could be also cause by a lot of other things people stated above, or a combination of things as well as potential health issues ?

Thanks for your response! Yes he loves baths, he takes one about every other day. Yes, the air in my room is super dry, even for me. I just started using my cool mist humidifier again after seeing his overpreening and other sites saying it could be dry skin...hoping it helps. I'm too scared of warm humidifiers and the potential of teflon.

 

[Scott]

Leo may be overpreening a bit, but not excessively to the point of serious behavioral issue. Not to worry you, but if interested in plucking: http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

Parrots stubbornly cling to dietary biases. Some tips to gradually improve: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

My technique is to prepare two identical bowls of veggies/fruits, aka "chop" and begin to eat yours while presenting the other to Leo. Make "mmmm" sounds and bob your head displaying pleasure. Birds are flock eaters and you are a member! Be persistent even if items consistently tossed overboard. I've had parrots dis foods for decades and one day choose to try and enjoy.

 

[ParrotGenie]

Overpreening could also be caused by lack of humidity as it is winter over here and without a humidifier humidity level could drop to teens even if heat on a lot as it does drys out the air. This causes dry skin and to itch and cause overpreening issues. Also does he get bath weekly? Yes it about the time they molt as least for most of my birds it is. It could be also cause by a lot of other things people stated above, or a combination of things as well as potential health issues ?

Thanks for your response! Yes he loves baths, he takes one about every other day. Yes, the air in my room is super dry, even for me. I just started using my cool mist humidifier again after seeing his overpreening and other sites saying it could be dry skin...hoping it helps. I'm too scared of warm humidifiers and the potential of teflon.

I use a large ESSICK H12 300HB humidifier and works great.

 

[birdlady91]

Leo may be overpreening a bit, but not excessively to the point of serious behavioral issue. Not to worry you, but if interested in plucking: http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

Parrots stubbornly cling to dietary biases. Some tips to gradually improve: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

My technique is to prepare two identical bowls of veggies/fruits, aka "chop" and begin to eat yours while presenting the other to Leo. Make "mmmm" sounds and bob your head displaying pleasure. Birds are flock eaters and you are a member! Be persistent even if items consistently tossed overboard. I've had parrots dis foods for decades and one day choose to try and enjoy.

Thank you! I will keep trying. I love the identical bowl idea he always wants what I eat.

 

[noodles123]

if you do a humidifier make sure you use distilled water (depending on the type you use) or you can end up launching hard-water minerals into the air and it's bad for breathing but also harder on the machine---just read the manual and see what water it requires without assuming tap will be fine.

 

[birdlady91]

if you do a humidifier make sure you use distilled water (depending on the type you use) or you can end up launching hard-water minerals into the air and it's bad for breathing but also harder on the machine---just read the manual and see what water it requires without assuming tap will be fine.

Leo may be overpreening a bit, but not excessively to the point of serious behavioral issue. Not to worry you, but if interested in plucking: http://www.parrotforums.com/behavioral/52217-plucking-search-answers.html

Parrots stubbornly cling to dietary biases. Some tips to gradually improve: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

My technique is to prepare two identical bowls of veggies/fruits, aka "chop" and begin to eat yours while presenting the other to Leo. Make "mmmm" sounds and bob your head displaying pleasure. Birds are flock eaters and you are a member! Be persistent even if items consistently tossed overboard. I've had parrots dis foods for decades and one day choose to try and enjoy.

Just wanted to update everyone - Leo was looked at by an avian vet this morning. the vet said his back feathers look normal and it's not something to worry about (i'm still worried honestly lol). he said that he is molting right now. he also got a blood and poop test. everything came back normal, thank goodness. it was really traumatizing being there, seeing him in the towel and everyone being so rough with him! he made such scared noises I've never even heard before. I have been to this vet before but they were especially rough with him today. I kept reminding myself that these are trained people who know how to hold a bird without hurting it lol!

They trimmed his nails too short and now he has 2 bloody, injured nails (1 from the blood test, one from the incompetent tech who was talking the entire time to his friend instead of looking down at what he was doing). Can he get an infection from a bloody, short nail? I have something new to worry about now ugh. Thank you so much to everyone who answered.

 

[Scott]

Glad you were able to see a vet and hope the advice rendered is accurate. Hard to differentiate "rough" treatment from a firm but safe experience. My CAV actually trims the nails himself with a Dremel tool so they never bleed.

Always the potential for infection with exposed wound, but if he is healthy and in a clean environment the risk is minimal.

 

[birdlady91]

Glad you were able to see a vet and hope the advice rendered is accurate. Hard to differentiate "rough" treatment from a firm but safe experience. My CAV actually trims the nails himself with a Dremel tool so they never bleed.

Always the potential for infection with exposed wound, but if he is healthy and in a clean environment the risk is minimal.

that's awesome of your vet! I cleaned the cage and perches with Nature's Miracle as soon as I got home so his cage looks spotless for now. Luckily I'm home for the holiday break so I will be able to watch him like a hawk in the next 2ish weeks .

 

[LaManuka]

I once had a quaker who had similar looking feathers on his shoulders. I freaked out thinking he was plucking since it’s a fairly common thing in quakers, and my LEGENDARY bird vet took one look and said no, he’s fine, just a bit of barbering, just keep an eye on it but nothing to worry about. Turned out he was storing pellets in his shoulder feathers to snack on later! The vet said he has a client with a macaw who does the same thing, only he stores pellets in the feathers under his wing. Bizarre!!

 

[birdlady91]

I once had a quaker who had similar looking feathers on his shoulders. I freaked out thinking he was plucking since it’s a fairly common thing in quakers, and my LEGENDARY bird vet took one look and said no, he’s fine, just a bit of barbering, just keep an eye on it but nothing to worry about. Turned out he was storing pellets in his shoulder feathers to snack on later! The vet said he has a client with a macaw who does the same thing, only he stores pellets in the feathers under his wing. Bizarre!!

how cute, haha. like a little birdie chipmunk storing his food away.