Itchy skin?

[happycat]

Kirby has obviously had itchy skin lately. It started a few months ago when he scratched a little more than often and got a little bald in the head. I asked my breeder and she said that Kakarikis just have heavy molts. But he has never stopped scratching and lately it has gotten worse. He is way over preening and scratching his head a lot. He isn't plucking but he has bald spots in some spots, especially his ears (you can see them pretty well) I also noticed a little one under his wings. I'm pretty sure you can see the white tips of new feathers but I think they can't grow in properly due to his scratching.

So I am guessing he just has itchy skin. Is there something I can spray on him or give him to stop his itchiness?

 

[Selestine]

How often does he get a bath? That really helps their skin. I believe that some people use aloe juice as well. Here's an article from Land of Vos about aloe for birds.

 

[henpecked]

Have you checked for mites ??

 

[happycat]

Have you checked for mites ??

I figured I would have seen them at night before if he had them. I was planning on doing the white sheet thing but I don't have any white sheets. I wonder if you can use other things?

 

[Selestine]

JerseyWendy posted in this thread about mites.

You can also get rid of mites by giving the baby baths under some warm water, and then gently pat him dry using white paper towels. The mites will show up on the paper towels. Bath until no more mites are visible.

 

[Allee]

After you've done the paper towel mite test, if Kirby doesn't have mites, but still has itchy skin, I would try more frequent warm water baths. If that isn't enough, 100% aloe juice mixed one part juice and four parts water in a mist bottle is good for itchy or irritated skin and it's harmless to birds. An Av Vet suggested it for one of my birds. I would use it no more than once or twice a week, and use plain warm water the rest of the time. I hope Kirby feels better soon.

 

[henpecked]

You can check for mites with the sticky side of scotch tape. Touch it somewhere he doesn't have feathers, like his leg. You might need a magnifying glass to check for small bugs caught on the tape.

 

[happycat]

I just thought of another thing it could be. I used to have a bowl he would bath in but got rid of it a while ago. Now the only thing he likes to bath in is his drinking bowl. When he wants a bath I fill it up with fresh water and he bathes in it. I watched him take a bath a few minutes ago and the problem is that its not wide enough for him to duck his head in so his head and back doesn't get wet! I'm going to get him a better bathing bowl today and see if that helps. (hopefully it does because he was preening all of yesterday and right now!)

 

[henpecked]

have you tried using a spray bottle or mister? Spray up into the air and let it "rain" down on him. Don't spray directly at him. You could also try a shallow pan or larger bowl in the bottom of his cage. Can you take him into the shower with you?

 

[happycat]

For now, how do I get him to stop? I don't want him to ruin his pretty feathers and he has been preening for 40 minutes.\

Well, I found this huge, awesome bowl to use but of course he went into brat mode and did NOT allow himself to touch that bowl. Haha, he can be so picky!

 

[henpecked]

Is he preening or does he scratch with his feet also? Does he have toys ? Is he bored,alone, stressed ?

 

[happycat]

Is he preening or does he scratch with his feet also? Does he have toys ? Is he bored,alone, stressed ?

Both. He has been preening a whole lot and has been scratching. (the scratching may or may not be paired with preening)

He may be bored, but I don't know why he would be any more bored than before. I've been making him more toys and leaving the TV on for him lately. He is alone (see recent post about getting another bird) and I don't think he is stressed. I don't know what could possibly be stressing him out since his room is pretty calm.

He has some toys but not too many, only because when I buy him toys he either is scared of them or completely uninterested. I haven't seen a toy yet that he actually likes. (I've tried everything from fancy hanging toys to water bottle caps)

 

[happycat]

I've noticed wrinkled looking skin on the bald spots around his eyes for the past couple of days. Looked it up and its dehydration? That doesn't make too much sense to me seeing as he drenches his food in water all the time. Got him to drink some droplets anyway.
(or maybe it could be him scratching that made the area rough? Hmm...)