Welcome back Bekki and gorgeous Ruby! I've been wondering how things were going, so thank you so much for the update. I'm happy to see that you have your avian vet fully involved in helping to figure things out. That's wonderful! Overall, sounds like great progress with Ruby.
I don't have experience with Macs, but I do with pluckers. It's so complicated since there are so many possible causes. I hope your vet can help you with it. Always best to check the health/dietary/nutritional side, as that's typically something that can be changed and helped. If that's ruled out through exam and testing, then we consider the behavioral/mental/emotional aspects, which is a different can of worms.
My first ekkie had been subject to horrible conditions most of his life, and was plucked bald on his neck, back, tail, and under his wings. He managed to leave grey fluff on his chest, and all his flight feathers. After more than a decade of it, the habit didn't change no matter what I did. He was otherwise a happy boy and extremely bonded to me very quickly. My "heart bird," you know? Beautiful little soul and I didn't worry about the feathers. He was still perfect.
A different experience, I was recently given a CAG. He's somewhere between 30-50 years old, and has plucked his chest bare, under his wings, and had no tail feathers for as long as the family could remember. They loved him, but didn't have much knowledge of his needs. He was cage bound in a very small cage with remnants of a few old toys, and fed nothing but seed mix from Walmart and peanuts for the last 15 years. Fast forward a few months, and he's come soooooo far. Much healthier diet which he accepted almost immediately, bigger cage with new things to chew constantly, and lots of social interaction outside the cage every day. I still find some feathers that he's probably pulled, but I can't be sure, but he's leaving more of them alone every day. Currently, his chest is mostly covered again, and I praise him for it and pray every day that he'll let them stay.
So, the point is, there's hope, so don't give up. It's something new for Ruby, so I hope you can figure it out before it becomes an ingrained habit. Much more likely to stop it before that happens.
As for the attacking people issue, it sounds kind of like a "big bird" version of cage protective, (HER house) or protecting you and your family. (Her flock) I do have a friend with a scarlet that's the same way. She freely admits that the bird is a far better watch dog than any of her dogs. As long as people come in WITH her and she says they're okay, the bird is fine. However, anyone walking in unannounced or uninvited will be viciously attacked.
Anyway, thank you again for the update, and I look forward to hearing what your vet says!
I don't have experience with Macs, but I do with pluckers. It's so complicated since there are so many possible causes. I hope your vet can help you with it. Always best to check the health/dietary/nutritional side, as that's typically something that can be changed and helped. If that's ruled out through exam and testing, then we consider the behavioral/mental/emotional aspects, which is a different can of worms.
My first ekkie had been subject to horrible conditions most of his life, and was plucked bald on his neck, back, tail, and under his wings. He managed to leave grey fluff on his chest, and all his flight feathers. After more than a decade of it, the habit didn't change no matter what I did. He was otherwise a happy boy and extremely bonded to me very quickly. My "heart bird," you know? Beautiful little soul and I didn't worry about the feathers. He was still perfect.
A different experience, I was recently given a CAG. He's somewhere between 30-50 years old, and has plucked his chest bare, under his wings, and had no tail feathers for as long as the family could remember. They loved him, but didn't have much knowledge of his needs. He was cage bound in a very small cage with remnants of a few old toys, and fed nothing but seed mix from Walmart and peanuts for the last 15 years. Fast forward a few months, and he's come soooooo far. Much healthier diet which he accepted almost immediately, bigger cage with new things to chew constantly, and lots of social interaction outside the cage every day. I still find some feathers that he's probably pulled, but I can't be sure, but he's leaving more of them alone every day. Currently, his chest is mostly covered again, and I praise him for it and pray every day that he'll let them stay.
So, the point is, there's hope, so don't give up. It's something new for Ruby, so I hope you can figure it out before it becomes an ingrained habit. Much more likely to stop it before that happens.
As for the attacking people issue, it sounds kind of like a "big bird" version of cage protective, (HER house) or protecting you and your family. (Her flock) I do have a friend with a scarlet that's the same way. She freely admits that the bird is a far better watch dog than any of her dogs. As long as people come in WITH her and she says they're okay, the bird is fine. However, anyone walking in unannounced or uninvited will be viciously attacked.
Anyway, thank you again for the update, and I look forward to hearing what your vet says!
