Mating Blue & Golds Plucking

[Wyatt&Doc]

Hello…my bonded B&Gs mate regularly and produce eggs. We do not want to breed so we do not encourage nesting. It’s hard to tell their “breeding season” since it seems to happen a lot. They have been a bonded, mating pair for about 12 years.

During the past year or so, the female who has always been dominant in their relationship, started plucking the male’s fine black face feathers and his head feathers so much that his ears are exposed now.

They still groom themselves and each other not aggressively as they always have. They are very attached. They are integrated with the family, meaning they are always out of their cage with us when we are home, which is a lot. We are retired, so we spend lots of time with them. Nothing has changed in their environment or diet, and they mated regularly without plucking until this past year.

What could all of a sudden be causing this plucking behavior? How can I stop the plucking before his feathers are so damaged they don’t grow back?

Any insight is appreciated! Thank you!

 

[GaleriaGila]

MY SYMPATHIES!
I have no expertise, but I do have a lot of appreciation for your love and devotion to your birds! Plucking is a scourge, a huge puzzle, and heartbreak, for bird owners. As a testament to that, you can use this site's excellent search engine to look for threads on the topic.
I hope some members smarter than I will have ideas for you.
No matter what... my humble advice --- remember that you're a hero for loving your birds, plucking or not.
I'm glad you're here!