Worried about feathers....

[JellyBean]

Hi all,

Hoping somebody might have an insight! JellyBean is a GCC, 2 years old. He is very cuddly, tame, spends loads of time with me - rarely in his cage. He is a very good bird altogether.

However, he was my first bird and I think I made a very bad mistake at the beginning - when I put him to bed, I didn't realise for about 2.5 months that he NEEDED 12 hours sleep a night, the consequence is that he pulled out is tummy feathers (just the red ones) and started chewing the ends of the green feathers on his back. When I realised my error, I put him in a separate sleeping cage with a sleeping tent in a quiet part of the house.. All his feathers grew back beautifully. But he STILL chews at his green ones on his wings, so that they are black and frayed at the tips. He never plucks out his feathers. All his blue flight feathers and tail feathers are perfect.

He is just going through a molt and has some beautiful green feathers - but I am afraid he is going to start over preening them again... Anything I can do to stop him?? His diet is Harrisons pellets, veggies and some fruit. I have brought him to the avian vet in case there was an underlying cause, but he seems to be very healthy!

Any advice or suggestions would be really welcome!

 

[LaurenB]

Hi there!

While I haven't experienced exactly what you are, I can share that my (5+ year old) GCC is also currently molting. The feathers on her back specifically are a tad ragged at the edges, and there are some black spots. I attribute this to her feathers needing to be replaced... just like our hair gets split ends when we need a trim I have never noticed my GCC barbering her feathers, so I think it's just normal wear and tear.

Have you actually witnessed your bird chewing on the feathers? Do you have any photos of the feather condition?

 

[JellyBean]

Thanks!! I have attached a photo... no I never see him chewing his feathers, he preens and then runs his beak from the bottom of the feather to the top.. sometimes it seems that when he get to the top of the feather he nibbles at it!!

I just want him back to his green self!!!

 

[Kyoto]

My GCC over-preens Her chest feathers a tiny bit. They look pretty haggard, but the vet wasn't too worried (she's been to the vet three times ). I'd try offering different kinda of foraging toys to keep her busy when you aren't around otherwise maybe take her for a checkup to make sure she's okay.

 

[Frumpydumple]

Definitely an over-preening issue. It seems to be common in Green Cheeks.

Clipped birds tend to chew and over preen more than flighted birds.
Your bird doesn't appear to be clipped.

It's probably just a habit, it doesn't look severe either.

Make sure he gets a good bath regularly.

 

[JellyBean]

Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions... interestingly he was clipped when I first got him, then I gave him another soft clip whilst I was bonding and getting to know him! Now, he fully flighted and flies everywhere!!!

I'll get him more shredding toys! See if that helps... I hope he grows out of it!!!!

I am also starting to take him into the shower everyday - he LOVES it!!!

 

[veimar]

Maybe you could get some "hairy" bird toys for him that he can preen? I have a lot of this for my birds.