Plucking - Skin issue or behavior?

[waal]

Hi guys,

I have a Quaker who has recently started plucking himself bare. We saw the vet who did some tests and provided an anti fungal cream. We are now 3 days into treatment with the plucking getting worse.

Could this be a case of a skin issue or might it be a case of behavior? We have another Quaker who mildly plucks but looks completely different

 

[GaleriaGila]

Waal, my friend I am sorry. Plucking is probably THE biggest mystery in "parronting", in my opinion. Credible sources will identify emotions as causes... toxins... chance habits... or a little of everything.
I'd suggest using the search engine here to explore, and maybe try a few things.
The generally good news is that most plucking is harmless, unless it starts to result in skin lesions, and most doesn't.
My Rb was beautifully-feathered for most of his 40 years, but started a little neck plucking a couple of years ago.
I know you'll get lots of support and love here!

 

[GoldenDaysAz]

Hi there! Don’t give up. It is indeed one of those mysteries but it can be solved with observation and patience. I have adopted most of my birds over my lifetime and have encountered this issue a few times. Does your bird get daily showers? If not, start there. Or, is the air dry where you are? if so, try a humidifier. Does the cage get routinely cleaned? Birds get stressed out in poopy cages. Any changes to diet or social interaction? Has there been any significant changes to the birds environment? I had a bird start plucking after a new object was introduced to his cage. He didn’t know how to express the stress, other than pluck and it was fast and furious. I have found feather plucking to be a form of frustrated communication. Try to figure out what has changed and go back to what worked before the plucking. Once you get it figured out, the product called “feather fast” by Morning Bird will promote feather growth. One of my adoptions was a Caique who came out of a home who had too many social changes for him and had significantly plugged himself. With a lot of love and patience and “feather fast” he was in beautiful condition again. I wish you the very best and look forward to your birds progress in recovery. Lou