What is this??

[elliebirdyx]

Hi all, my beautiful baby Yoshi has been over preening and plucking, when I noticed THIS. It's like a very dusty white feather stump or something on his back?? Can anybody identify this?

 

[LaManuka]

Hi all, my beautiful baby Yoshi has been over preening and plucking, when I noticed THIS. It's like a very dusty white feather stump or something on his back?? Can anybody identify this?

That looks like a preen gland. It exudes and oily wax that birds distribute through their feathers to assist with feather health. Has Yoshi had a vet check to assess what the cause of his plucking may be? Sadly there are LOTS of causes of over-preening and/or plucking, so a wellness check might help, though sometimes sadly plucking can be a very difficult issue to solve. Has Yoshi had a health check in the last 12 months or so?

 

[elliebirdyx]

That looks like a preen gland. It exudes and oily wax that birds distribute through their feathers to assist with feather health. Has Yoshi had a vet check to assess what the cause of his plucking may be? Sadly there are LOTS of causes of over-preening and/or plucking, so a wellness check might help, though sometimes sadly plucking can be a very difficult issue to solve. Has Yoshi had a health check in the last 12 months or so?

Hi again!

I thought that may have been it after reading an article, so phewf, I feel better. Thank you!
As for his plucking, the vet did all sorts of tests and everything came back negative, so his conclusion was opportunistic bacteria. We're on day 6 of a 10 day antibiotic course and he's plucking more, so I'm thinking it may be stress/low humidity causing dry skin. Any recommendations for a humidifier that's safe for the baby?

 

[SailBoat]

Start with increasing to more showers per week first and buying at Temperature /Humidity reading devise you can move around your home /apartment.

I target 45 to 55% relative humidity in our home and we use a devise mounted on our furnace to up the humidity in our whole home.

I believe in cool water (no heat) adjustable fan lift type humidifier. That has a control that shows the current humidity and what you set the unit too. Understand that when you add humidity to your home or room, it is not even unless you use your forced air heating system to distributing it.

What species of Parrot do you have??

 

[LaManuka]

Hi again!

I thought that may have been it after reading an article, so phewf, I feel better. Thank you!
As for his plucking, the vet did all sorts of tests and everything came back negative, so his conclusion was opportunistic bacteria. We're on day 6 of a 10 day antibiotic course and he's plucking more, so I'm thinking it may be stress/low humidity causing dry skin. Any recommendations for a humidifier that's safe for the baby?

Thank you @SailBoat for the info regarding humidfiers, certainly here in sub-tropical Queensland I have no use for one!

@elliebirdyx, I'm so sorry that the plucking seems to have gotten worse after the vet visit - I presume the vet will be wanting to see Yoshi again soon to re-assess his condition during and/or after that course of antibiotics? @SailBoat's recommendation for more showers hopefully will help, but it is often SO hard to pinpoint the root cause of plucking, as there can be any number of reasons for it to have started. Even tiny things like a very minor change to their environment, something new in their line of sight that they deem "scary", a small change in daily routine or annual hormonal fluctuations, any of these plus any number of other factors that may be combining with that bacterial infection can start even the best cared for birds plucking, and Yoshi certainly sounds like he is VERY well cared for. Personally I have never had a plucker so I am not the best person to advise you in terms of how you may deal with it. I can only imagine how stressful and heartbreaking it must be for you to witness Yoshi behaving in this way, so I'm hoping someone with more experience may pick up on your post and be able to help you further.

 

[elliebirdyx]

Start with increasing to more showers per week first and buying at Temperature /Humidity reading devise you can move around your home /apartment.

I target 45 to 55% relative humidity in our home and we use a devise mounted on our furnace to up the humidity in our whole home.

I believe in cool water (no heat) adjustable fan lift type humidifier. That has a control that shows the current humidity and what you set the unit too. Understand that when you add humidity to your home or room, it is not even unless you use your forced air heating system to distributing it.

What species of Parrot do you have??

Thank you so much for the info! I've been fearful of bringing him in the shower with me because I've read where heavy metals are harmful to birds, and I use a shower filter that utilizes some of those metals to filter the water. Would you know if this is true? I use this one in particular: https://www.amazon.com/AquaBliss-Ou...?keywords=shower+filter&qid=1704865093&sr=8-6

 

[elliebirdyx]

Thank you @SailBoat for the info regarding humidfiers, certainly here in sub-tropical Queensland I have no use for one!

@elliebirdyx, I'm so sorry that the plucking seems to have gotten worse after the vet visit - I presume the vet will be wanting to see Yoshi again soon to re-assess his condition during and/or after that course of antibiotics? @SailBoat's recommendation for more showers hopefully will help, but it is often SO hard to pinpoint the root cause of plucking, as there can be any number of reasons for it to have started. Even tiny things like a very minor change to their environment, something new in their line of sight that they deem "scary", a small change in daily routine or annual hormonal fluctuations, any of these plus any number of other factors that may be combining with that bacterial infection can start even the best cared for birds plucking, and Yoshi certainly sounds like he is VERY well cared for. Personally I have never had a plucker so I am not the best person to advise you in terms of how you may deal with it. I can only imagine how stressful and heartbreaking it must be for you to witness Yoshi behaving in this way, so I'm hoping someone with more experience may pick up on your post and be able to help you further.

I appreciate the empathy and info here as well!! Thank you! Aw you're absolutely so sweet with the reassurance of him being treated well. I definitely felt like an awful mom and shed some tears, so this is a relief to hear. When I adopted him he was plucking due to a bacterial infection he contracted in petsmart, so I guess we'll see how he responds to the antibiotics in these next few days. Again, thank you so very much <3

 

[SailBoat]

Did your Vet tell you the name of the bacterial?
Understand that not all bacterial have this response. But catching any bacterial early is a great thing!

 

[SailBoat]

Thank you so much for the info! I've been fearful of bringing him in the shower with me because I've read where heavy metals are harmful to birds, and I use a shower filter that utilizes some of those metals to filter the water. Would you know if this is true? I use this one in particular: https://www.amazon.com/AquaBliss-Ou...?keywords=shower+filter&qid=1704865093&sr=8-6

Water can carry a wide variation in metal. But are commonly in very tiny volumes. The most concerning is Lead as it is common in many pipes and fittings, plus is as commonly in soil layers.

If you are on a town /city water system they can provide you a chart that lists the contents of the water they are suppling. If you are on a private well, you're providing your County Health Department a sample in a container provided by them, will supply a like chart of your water. The cost is reasonable.

With what little information provided, I doubt that this filter will remove minerals (metals) from your water, nor will it add or enrich your water to a measurable level you will notice. Target a great Parrot toy will help far more!

 

[elliebirdyx]

Water can carry a wide variation in metal. But are commonly in very tiny volumes. The most concerning is Lead as it is common in many pipes and fittings, plus is as commonly in soil layers.

If you are on a town /city water system they can provide you a chart that lists the contents of the water they are suppling. If you are on a private well, you're providing your County Health Department a sample in a container provided by them, will supply a like chart of your water. The cost is reasonable.

With what little information provided, I doubt that this filter will remove minerals (metals) from your water, nor will it add or enrich your water to a measurable level you will notice. Target a great Parrot toy will help far more!

So, the vet didn't detect any bacteria on the blood or poop tests. He was just worried about opportunistic bacteria, so provided an antibiotic based solely on that!

As for water supply, I have well water, and use the aqua bliss water filter to help my own hair lol. I'm thinking of getting a birdy water fountain and putting bottled/distilled water in to let him bathe safely?

Do you have a brand of humidifier you use? Thanks again for all of the help!

 

[SailBoat]

So, the vet didn't detect any bacteria on the blood or poop tests. He was just worried about opportunistic bacteria, so provided an antibiotic based solely on that!

As for water supply, I have well water, and use the aqua bliss water filter to help my own hair lol. I'm thinking of getting a birdy water fountain and putting bottled/distilled water in to let him bathe safely?

Do you have a brand of humidifier you use? Thanks again for all of the help!

Please do not use distilled (dead) water for birds as it has zero value. Bottled water is 'standard well water' from an area where soft water is common.

 

[elliebirdyx]

Please do not use distilled (dead) water for birds as it has zero value. Bottled water is 'standard well water' from an area where soft water is common.

Thanks for the info!!