plucking

[alfie10]

ive just purchased a african grey of which feather plucked his tail feathers / shoulder blades before i got him,
ive changed his food as the seeds i was given with him was so dusty wilko own also introdused veg and fruit on which it looks like his never had also let him out for several hours per night but is there any thing else i could do or use to help and speed up?

 

[suebee]

there is no magic cure for plucking/feather chewing

some will continue, even when they are completely happy etc

my nut feather chews nov to feb every year, but last year she was not as bare, so that in itself is an improvement

main thing is, plenty of foraging toys, teach him to play with things, lots of shredding things in his cage, but he must know what there for! only give head scratches, anywhere else on the body they can see as sexual, and patience! do not see it as a personal failing should he continue or start again, just adjust tactics for keeping him, entertained/busy

also vet check! to be sure its not mites or any other health issue

 

[Spiritbird]

Get him eating a good quality pellets like Harrisons High Potency. You may want to get avi glow to the diet for feather health. No seeds as a regular diet, only as a treat. They are like feeding a bird french fries every day. Grains such as Quiona, brown rice and many others are good. I am giving you a link to read up on AG birds. They are usually slow to try new foods so let him see you eat them too. Green leafy best is kale for the calcium. They need lots of calcium so do not forget the precursor of the D vitamins which are the orange veggies such as carrots and sweet potatoes. I discovered my grey likes her veggies cooked. Study up on making mashes for them with a mix of grains and veggies. As a starter one must take the bird to an avian vet for a wellness exam and then yearly after that. The only way to tell if there is organ damage from too much seed is blood work. Many times the plucking is from stress so try to keep a calm happy home for him to flourish.

http://www.africangreys.com/

http://www.landofvos.com/articles/kitchen.html#foods

 

[thebirdnerd]

Sometimes changing homes will help with the plucking, but this depends on the original cause of the plucking.. It could stem from medical issues such as skin allergies, to sexual frustration or the bird just needs extra stimulation.. Changing the diet is a good start, and try to give toys that can be easily shredded..Bathing is a must also.. In my experience, a lot of plucking birds are also destructive with their toys..I also purchased my grey very plucked. (she chews her feathers) She is only one so I'm hoping she might stop eventually.. To me though it does't matter as long as she is happy and healthy..She has a wonderful personality and I understand that she might always be like that. Most pluckers will show some feather destructive behavior their whole lives..Hope this helps and good luck with your new addition!

 

[alfie10]

thank you for the reply
my bird has only been with me a week now and today he was on top of his cage in fall song.
there has been a mention of aloe vera is this something i put in the spray?

 

[msminnamouse]

You could also consider putting him on a medication to help decrease his plucking. An anti-depressant that doubles as an anti-anxiety medicine can be very helpful to get him over the hump, and maybe even long term if the plucking is due to depression and/or anxiety and is unable to be controlled through behavior modification and diet alone.

 

[bruce]

just a quick mention, for the record,
my new grey was plucking his feathers most of the time, but when i intoduced him
to his first bath he stopped, now he loves bath day,

 

[greycloud]

I would like to see pics of possible so I can assess where he is plucking and how much.
Aloe liquid mixed with water at 50/50 ration and sprayed1-2 times a day will help some. Offer chamomile tea to help calm.

 

[KBEquine]

Our Grey arrived bare-chested in September & now (May) is feathered. In his case, he'd lost his original companion of 7 or 8 years & I think was stressed. He did not take well to anything new (toys, food) but we put a paperback book (cover removed) on his playtop & he started shredding the pages instead of his chest. So although each bird is different, an occasional spray bath (he still hates them), dark green & orange veggies in his diet, and something else to shed worked for him.

And I might ad we live in an area where the bedrock is limestone, meaning there is a lot of calcium in our water, too.

Good luck. For me the frustration was the early days when I knew we were doing good things for him, and he was still plucking.

Our macaw came with a minor plucking issue, too. For him we are trying Pluck No More, an additive to his water, made by King's cages. But it is too early to tell if it will help him break the habit.

 

[alfie10]

im now using soother which has aloe vera in it ,also added a lot of branches to his cage along with a nightly spray which he hates, and the chewing has slowed down
so ill have to wait the moult to see if they come back but thanks for all the replys

 

[KBEquine]

im now using soother which has aloe vera in it ,also added a lot of branches to his cage along with a nightly spray which he hates, and the chewing has slowed down
so ill have to wait the moult to see if they come back but thanks for all the replys

Sounds like you are on the right track . . . they are such individuals that what works for one, won't necessarily work for another.

For ours, giving him (or her) something else to pluck was key. BUT almost everyone suggested a phone book, which was so big it scared him. We started with thick novels, but once he wasn't afraid . . . he went through one/day. Then we went with a book that was 1/2 the size of a phone book, but about twice as big as a novel. Then moved to the phone book . . .

BUT the "plucking toys" that we bought didn't work & nothing else did, either.

Best of luck - I think you will figure out what will work for YOUR parrot.