Plucking - some advice?

[meau94]

So my 2 year old Alexandrine started plucking for the first time ever today, and I've been worried out of my mind. For starters, he is eating a healthy pellet diet that my vet reccomended. Also, during the day sometimes it's rather quiet at home, but as soon as I get home from work (at about 4pm) I spend about 3-4 hours with him, but my worry is that during the day maybe he is possibly bored? Every week I usually replace all the toys in his cage with new toys, but he usually goes through them very fast (like within 2 days), so I was thinking of getting him a much bigger cage to have room for more toys, and maybe placing a small radio in the room for during the day so then there's more sound/activity for while I'm gone. Also, from where I live (South Africa), it's winter now and it's very dry here, so could it also be a possibility that he might have skin irritations? I also plan to take him to the vet tomorrow to hear what they have to say as well, but other advice would be great as well.

Thanks.

 

[Allee]

I'm sorry your Alex is having feather problems. You've taken a huge step in the right direction by making an appointment for him. Hopefully this is a rare occurrence and not the start of a plucking problem. I think a larger cage with plenty of toys is a great idea. Leaving a radio on while you are away is another good idea. Dry air is a possible cause for the sudden feather picking, frequent baths are always helpful for any kind of skin irritations. Adding fresh vegetables and fruit to your bird's pellet diet may make a positive difference.

Please let us know what you learn at the vet clinic. Best of luck.

 

[meau94]

So my vet clinic says it's not a health issue, and that it is caused by boredom. Apparently he was actually chewing the feathers more than actually plucking them. Turns out that I overreacted when I saw some of the feathers that had come off due to it. My vet recommended that I look at some special kinds of parrot that I'll be able to purchase online, and gave me several other tips I could use to keep him busy and entertained. I'll take all the advice from here as well since I want the best for my baby. Thank you so much!!!

 

[EAI]

Well good to know that this issue could be issuer to cure than other cases. I would definitely agree to your idea of a bigger cage and possibly tougher toys? Meaning lot's of foraging and huge toys he can rip apart. Like Allee said, I also agree and think that adding in a small radio would be great, some people here like to use that method too or leaving the TV on.

Best of luck, keep us posted if anything has changed !