My Mango has officially started plucking. ..

[Mango121913]

Not sure if this has happened because of all the late night working I have been doing these past weeks. Haven't had a lot of time for play time with him. But ,i always try to spend time with him when I am able. He seems more distant too. Not quite as fun loving these past few days, and doesn't care much for showers either. He has plucked to his down around his neck just in the last few days! I have offered him some nuts in the shell, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. Seems shortly after this he has started to pluck. So obviously I am not giving these to him anymore.
He turns 2 on the 19th. Could it be hormonal too?
Feel as though I have let him down. He may be just pissed at me for being so busy at work too, I just don't know. Can't post a pic for some reason but I will when able.
I know how hard it is to stop this once started, I just thought it wouldn't happen to him because how much I pay attention to him. Maybe since I haven't been able to spend much time with him, he resorted to this. I thought I saw signs a few months back he may be starting to pluck, but then I thought I curbed it. Guess not.
Just feel like I should be able to fix him I guess.

 

[torrap]

So Sorry to hear that.
I am not a big pro but what I could gather over the years are - lots of toys, leaving the radio on when you leave, showers, many foraging things in the cage, etc.
I am sure you probably know about all of that already. Try to spend more time with him, maybe it will go away.

 

[Allee]

I'm sorry your little guy is having plucking issues. There are a lot of possibilities, he could be frustrated that he's been getting less attention, it could be hormones or a number of other things. It's a good time for a thorough exam by an Avian Vet just in case there is some underlying health issue. I hope this is only temporary and not the start of something more serious.

 

[Mango121913]

Thanks, my son has a winter camp starting tonight till Sunday with the boyscouts, and I have to go. So if he's pissed at me, it'll only get worse. He won't even fly to me when I warm his food in the morning like he always does. But, he'll fly right to his bouncey, and walk down it to get to it on the counter and eat.

 

[Mango121913]

I'm going to leave instructions for my wife to take him to the Avian vet 2 hrs from us if things worsen.

 

[chris-md]

Oh I'm sorry to hear this it's a miserable feeling. Just wondering, how often does mango get out of cage? And how long?

 

[katie_fleming]

This may sound really silly, and maybe it doesn't work, but I always tell Jasper how long I'm going to be gone for.

I've made a habit out of it. "I'm going to work now, I'll see you in 9 hours", or "I'm going to the laundry room, I'll be back in 10 minutes", stuff like that. I'm always consistent each time I'm leaving.

No idea if this would help or not (and tbh there's no real way to know if Jasper knows what I'm saying!) but could be added to what everyone said above.

If I've come home from work and need to leave again because I'm going out somewhere for awhile, I give him a new toy, and turn the music on again. (He has 7 hours worth of music each day while I'm at work) And I'll give him some favourite toys - he loves dried grilled corn and he only gets that if I'm leaving somewhere.

 

[Anansi]

I'm so sorry to hear this, Craig.

I'd like to second what Allee, our resident plucking expert, has already said. You should definitely take him to the vet. That would be my recommendation regardless, as diet can conceivably be a factor, but I'm also saying it because you've mentioned a few times in your post how his behavior and enthusiasm have changed over "these past few days."

Any sudden shift in behavior is always a red flag for me, as you have to watch parrots very closely when it comes to possible signs of sickness. You know, since they work so hard to hide weakness.

Mango being distant, less fun loving and enthusiastic, and not flying to you as much, coupled with his plucking, could very well be signs of depression. But the altered behavior could also indicate that he's not feeling well.

Is he flying less in general? How is his appetite? Have you checked for any decrease in his weight?

If at all possible, I honestly wouldn't wait for things to worsen before taking him in. With avian sickness, things can go into a downward spiral very swiftly.

I don't mean to sound alarmist or anything. He might be physically fine. But I do think you should rule out the possibility that he's not as soon as you can.

 

[torrap]

Maybe not this weekend, but in the future maybe consider taking poor thing along with you if you go on a trip. They are much easier to travel with than some people think. Travel cage or a car perch is required, but they just love it. The most important thing is - they feel belonging to the flock and their little mind is occupied!

 

[greytness]

Nuts can contribute to plucking. It's too much protein in their diet. Hopefully cutting them out will help.

 

[Mango121913]

Thank you again everyone. Came home for lunch, he seems much happier. He was alert and ready to come to me as I prepared his lunch. Work has taken a toll on me the past few weeks and maybe him as well. His weight is fine and he is eating very well. I cut all nuts out 2 days ago. Maybe too much protein as mentioned above. He seems to be his old self right now, running around the counter, coming over to see what I am eating and typing.

 

[Mango121913]

Here's a pic of his issue.

 

[Terry57]

My ekkie Ekko is very sensitive to my husband and my stress levels. We have had a couple of major life changes at different times this year, and both times Ekko plucked. He had almost grown his feathers all back out when the second occurrence happened, and plucked them all again. He is finally getting some back now, and we are hoping that it doesn't happen again.
I hope that Mango checks out okay at the vets and that he starts leaving those beautiful feathers alone