Need help with my Sun Conure

Zeeve

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May 27, 2014
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Hey guys. I live in Singapore and i own a sun conure. My parrot has a plucking problem and just today i discovered that it has a bit of dried blood in one of the feather shafts. I took some pictures of it. I have brought it to a vet before but the vet dint seemed very helpful. He merely took my parrot and examined its wings and feathers for a bit and placed it back. I dont really think he is a good vet. I am thinking of bringing my parrot to another vet. Can anyone advise me on what to do next because this is the first time there is dried blood in a feather shaft. Any recommendations for avian vets in Singapore would be good too. Thanks
 

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He probably destroyed a blood feather that was growing in.

Can you find an avian vet that is willing to do blood work and skin scrapings?
 
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He probably destroyed a blood feather that was growing in.

Can you find an avian vet that is willing to do blood work and skin scrapings?

I am not sure. We dont really have many avian vets in Singapore. I took a long time look for a reliable one but he wasnt that good. Any suggestions? Would anything happen if I dont bring it to a vet?
 
The important question is why is he plucking? How long has he been plucking for?
 
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The important question is why is he plucking? How long has he been plucking for?

For quite a while. But she doesnt really pull out feathers now. She just pick at herself sometimes. The previous vet said she was molting though. How long do parrots molt for? It has been for sometime and i always see this dandruff like particles on my shoulder when she stands on my shoulder so i know she is molting. The previous vet i brought her to also told me it might be nutrient deficiency cause I have been feeding her seeds for 8 years. ( got her when she was 3 months old). i dint realise a seed diet wasnt enough nutrients. Anyway i switched her to pellet food and mix in some seeds. Now she just pick through her food when i mix seed and pellets together. I managed to solve this by adding pellets first and watching her eat them or at least chew them up before giving her more seeds. Vet told me she had no ticks or whatever little bugs that infect parrots when he examined her feathers so i dont think she has an infestation. Currently my guess is either malnutrition or stress. Her pal died about 1 year ago, but she has been losing feathers way before that. Feather loss is lesser now but the bald spots doesnt grow new feathers. Vet says the feathers wont come back.

I play with her for about 2 hours daily at night. Sometimes more when i am free in the afternoon so i dont think its boredom. She doesnt have much toys though. Just some toilet rolls that she likes chewing up and a wooden chewy toy that i got online. Any ideas for new toys? I am very interested in her health.
 
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Here's one avian vet, although I don't know how good they are or how close you are to them.


Li C. Hsu - Association of Avian Veterinarians



And that *IS NOT* molting. Molting birds should not have bare spots like that.


Here's a couple of links that may help.

Feather-Picking in Parrots
FEATHER DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR



If the feather follicles have been damaged too greatly, the feathers may never grow back. I had a cherry headed conure like that. Except for one spot, he could not grow feathers on his stomach. He also had a bald spot on the back of his head where the follicles were too damage to grow feathers there.


NoelsStomach.jpg


e290592f.jpg
 
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Here's one avian vet, although I don't know how good they are or how close you are to them.


Li C. Hsu - Association of Avian Veterinarians



And that *IS NOT* molting. Molting birds should not have bare spots like that.


Here's a couple of links that may help.

Feather-Picking in Parrots
FEATHER DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR



If the feather follicles have been damaged too greatly, the feathers may never grow back. I had a cherry headed conure like that. Except for one spot, he could not grow feathers on his stomach. He also had a bald spot on the back of his head where the follicles were too damage to grow feathers there.


NoelsStomach.jpg


e290592f.jpg

that was the one i went to previously. what about those white little dandruff falling off her? that is molting right? i know the bald spots arent a result of molting :orange:
 
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hey guys. it seems like she removed it all by herself cause i dont see it on her anymore.
 
If all the time that your bird has out is about 2 hours a day and has such a limited toy selection then boredom could be a factor in her plucking. I don't know how handy you are but if you could get some dried palm fronds, you could tear them into strips about 1/2" wide and tie some dried fruit in them and attach them to her cage bars for a foraging toy of sorts. You could also use them for veggies or any other food. That might help with the boredom aspect and possibly nutritional issues too.
Not saying it will solve this problem, just that it could help.
 
The white fluffy feathers are down feathers. Since you have a plucker, it could be plucking or molting or both.
 

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