Meyer's Parrot (Female) Missing feathers

[Suupapups]

So my parrot, Guinavere, has been missing most of her feathers on her legs for about the past few weeks. I was getting her out of her cage just now and noticed that feathers around her anus were missing. I've read that this can be a few things, but she's not sitting at the bottom of her cage, she's still active/playful. She likes to nibble back more than step-up most of the time, though, so I'm just hoping this is her getting ready for her first egg or something like that. She's ~4-5 years old. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, and if it's just a "bring her to the vet" response, please have some greater detail.

 

[SailBoat]

I have never seen a responding Post as part of the Parrot Forums that stated: "bring her to the vet," which did not have additional information supporting that position!

In far too many cases, the Parrot should have been seen by an Avian Vet days prior to the writing of the Thread and by that time, in far to many cases, seeing the Vet is the only response!

Parrots are extremely good at hiding illness and by the time most owners see signs that something maybe wrong, things are seriously wrong! And, once again, seeing the Vet is the only response!

What you are defining could have several different causes, anything from an infestation, to plucking, to poor diet, to stress - and no way is this a complete list! Detailed, close-up photos are helpful. That said, its been days since this was first noticed by you, it will still need to be seen by an AV.

So yes, it's time to take you Meyer's to see her Avian Vet! Depending on where in this huge World you are, you may still have time to get an appointment set-up yet this week or maybe even tomorrow!

 

[GaleriaGila]

I wish you good luck!

 

[plumsmum2005]

I think Sailboat has eloquently perfected this thread but ... just for your information the rear end of a bird is the 'vent'.

You possibly have not included more than you have included and with this fact what else could you say other than please go to see an AV with your bird. I am very happy to hear she is not sitting on the bottom of her cage as that would be please rush to the AV! Make that appointment now though as there is something not right with her please?

 

[Kentuckienne]

Parrots don't pluck their feathers in the wild. They may pluck down feathers for the nest, o but usually this indicates some kind of problem. It could be irritation which could be caused by dry skin, mites, infection, having gotten something irritating on the feathers, systemic toxicity, disease of the follicles or skin....or it could be stress related, a way to let off nervous energy, displaced aggression, any number of things. If it's caused by illness or poisoning, it won't be cured without the vet, and if a bird needs to see a vet for diagnosis or treatment it needs to see the vet soon. Minor problems can become major and even untreatable problems quickly. Feather plucking can become a habit that persists even if the initial trigger is gone, and can become so bad the bird pulls out all the feathers and then starts chewing off its own flesh. Since there are big patches of feathers missing there's no question whether the bird is plucking - you just don't know why. Unfortunately part of owning a bird is the expense of taking them to the vet more than you would take a different pet. Dogs, cats etc have more robust immune systems and can often recover from illness, but birds usually don't.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I once knew somebody who bred canaries. The hens' vent areas became bare around egg-time, I presume for ease of skin-to-shell contact while incubating.

 

[EllenD]

The fact that the bird is plucking at all, in any way and in any area, is a sign that something is wrong, this should be obvious. You said yourself that she has been plucking her legs FOR WEEKS! Now I'm not at all trying to be critical or nasty, but if one of my birds was plucking a particular area bald for up to one week I'd have them to their avian vet yesterday! That's not said as a catch-all or for lack of anything constructive to say to you, that's said BECAUSE NO ONE HERE IS AN AVIAN VET, NEITHER ARE YOU, WE ALL KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR BIRD, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE PHOTOS OF YOUR BIRD SHOWING HER PLUCKING, SO TELLING YOU TO GET HER TO HER AVIAN VET IMMEDIATELY IS THE CORRECT AND RESPONSIBLE ANSWER FOR US TO GIVE TO YOU!

That being said, I can tell you that the fact that your bird has been plucking around her legs and now also around her vent (birds have no anus btw) has nothing to do with her possibly laying an egg for the first time, not at all. It has to do with #1 her being irritated or in pain in that particular area from either a parasite, rash, infection, follicle problem, injury, etc., or #2 it's plucking caused by a behavioural or psychological problem and this is just the area she has decided to pluck from the stress. I'm going to go with #1, as any time I've seen a bird pluck around their legs, vent, and preen gland it's been a serious infection or skin irritation, and I've seen this more than a few times. KEEP IN MIND THAT BIRDS PLUCK OUT FEATHERS BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO GET TO THE PAIN THEY ARE HAVING AND STOP IT.

I would not let this go any longer, my guess is that your poor bird is in a great deal of discomfort at this point, and has been for weeks as you've admitted. Please get her to her avian vet immediately, like tomorrow morning. Whatever is causing her irritation is only going to keep spreading until you have a huge problem, a huge vet bill, or much worse.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

[Kentuckienne]

Just a thought....did you SEE her pluck leg feathers, or did you simply notice that the legs were bare? I ask because I noticed Gus didn't have many feathers on his upper legs, and I saw him pull small down and fluffy yellow feathers from his lower body. I thought he might be plucking so I checked and saw many bare places. But the vet showed me that feathers grow in "tracts" that run in channels along the body. There are these patches of bare skin between areas that are thickly feathered. It's needed so that birds can control their body temperature. Imagine doing heavy aerobics in the tropics in a down coat!

If you can possibly get a good photo of the areas on the leg and vent, another Meyers parrot may be able to examine their own bird and tell you if there are bare spots in those same areas.

It's still a very good idea to have a yearly check-up with a real Avian vet, someone with special certification. It doesn't cost much, if any, more than a regular vet and the money is better spent on the specialist than someone who lacks the skills and training to correctly evaluate the bird's health. If you think your parrot is preparing to lay an egg for the first time it's a good idea to get a checkup. The vet can explain and show what to watch for - for example, egg binding can kill a parrot faster than you'd think. While you are there the vet will check for any infections, and you can ask then to inspect and comment on the feather issue. These yearly visits are just a part of owning a bird, and are much cheaper than a trip to the emergency vet!