SarahsFlock

We are also going to have fumigation with Vikane. I'd appreciate if you could clarify how long it was after fumigation before you brought your Grey inside. Did you stay away an entire week? We were told we can re-enter on day #4 (if test shows no more than 1ppm). We don't have whole house fans, but can open windows to ventilate. All I've read seems to indicate the Vikane will disappear quickly -- but I don't want to put our Grey at risk.

Thanks. We were coached to not react to her feather biting, so we usually try to distract her from afar, and if that doesn't work we leave the room. We do have a full-spectrum light right alongside her cage. Are there any guidelines you know of about how far away from the parrot it needs to be? I guess I'll search around for that info... she frequently sits near it.

Thanks so much for the encouragement and the foraging ideas. For the last few days we have been adding all sorts of foraging opportunities to Sarah's cage. Her food bowls are covered and her treats and toys are hidden. She will pull up a shoelace to get to a peanut, scratch through a box of shredded newspaper to find a favorite toy, open a covered plastic container to get food and rip off coffee filter packets to see what's inside. When she uncovers a food item, she often leaves it and moves on to another package--as if the process of uncovering things is more important to her then the food itself. We figure every minute she's engaged in foraging is one less minute that she's biting her feathers. We are also following vet's instructions with daily Benadryl in her water, and drops of Red Palm Oil (which she eats from the dropper), and the drop of Rescue Remedy (in the afternoon when she feather picks the most). So-- we remain hopeful. Thanks again. Oh-- we didn't buy that DVD yet, sort of wondering if it could possibly have more info than we've already found, with your help.

Our vet visit was this morning, so here's an update: The vet examined Sarah and observed her for awhile while she was biting away at her feathers. She felt certain that the problem is behavioral vs. medical. Diet- she told us to drop all sunflower seeds. A little corn on the cob was ok, occassional peanut ok, but encourage pellet vs. seed. So-- no real changes there. Environment - She wants us to create more of an environment for foraging. To hide her food, etc. She mentioned a DVD called Captive Foraging DVD... $25+s/h, so if any of you have knowledge of it we'd like to hear what you think. Or-- if you have any special foraging toy designs to share that would be great too. She liked that we have packed her cage with Eucalyptus, and shred toys. She was fine with us taking her on walks. Supplements/Herbal - The vet recommended Red Palm Oil, so we bought some from her (next time we'll buy it online). She also recommended we get some Rescue Remedy (Bach) and drop it in Sarah's food or have it on our hands when we handle Sarah. Medication - The vet instructed us to give her Children's Benadryl in her water every day. So, we've added some today. Her other suggestion was that if/when her trimmed feathers grow back in, that we not trim them again. (She trimmed them last visit, but our bird is obviously not happy about that). She mentioned that an outside aviary where she could fly would be nice... but we don't really have a yard to put one in. Oh, also that we could give her a box with Care Fresh, or hay or straw in it, for her to dig/kick around. So--these instructions will be followed for a month or so, and then we'll check back in with the vet. If things have not improved, the vet mentioned the possibility of prescribing Haldal, after full blood tests. We don't like the sound of that... but will try to stay positive. Thanks, and please share any foraging toy ideas or info about that Captive Foraging CD or alternative.

Thanks to each of you for your welcome and advice. Just a quick summary and update: Sarah bites her feathers whether in or out of her cage (36" cage with seemingly lots of room). The feather biting has not slowed down even though our routine is totally back to normal the last 2 weeks. We continue to do daily showers and spray with 100% Aloe juice, but if anything she preens harder and bites more feathers after the bath and spray (is this normal?). The only personality change we've noticed, other than feather biting, is that she seems friendlier and more trusting as time goes by. She plays with her toys and loves pruning the fresh Eucalyptus branch in her cage. She truly seems to enjoy joining our walks (in her acrylic backpack) rather than being home while we are gone. We stopped giving her peanuts and corn for this week...but have no idea how long it would take to notice a difference if it was a factor (any hints?). We have scheduled an appointment with our Avian Vet for Thursday. We don't expect her to find anything...but as has been pointed out, it is a recommended step in trying to solve this. I'll try to post an update after the vet results. Thanks again. Post edited by: SarahsFlock, at: 2009/01/20 00:48<br><br>Post edited by: SarahsFlock, at: 2009/01/20 00:51

Thanks for your reply. Let me see if I can fill in a few blanks. First-- we haven't used Benadryl, it was just one of many suggestions made. We have been using the 100% Aloe and a little Chamomille tea. There were several likely stressors during the holiday. Here are a few: We had houseguests for about 11 days, including kids (but they stayed away from Sarah). On one of our overnight trips, Sarah spent the night in the house of elderly folks who kept the heat up. And, Sarah's main human was involved in a project that did cut into his one-on-one time with her (I tried to fill in but I don't think it satisfied her). To answer your questions: We did not have decoration in or near her main space, and only minimal stuff anywhere. We don't burn candles, and don't have any new pots/pans. Nothing new in the house. She is biting the feathers, not pulling them out. She does it wherever she is (not just in her cage). She was a bit vigorous with preening from the time we got her about 4 months ago, but now she bites the feathers more than preens them. Her diet is a combination of Zupreem pellets and fresh foods (a mix from the breeder and some added broccoli or other veggies). We give her a couple of peanuts and a walnut daily and a little popped corn. I made her toys to shred (cotton) and she has wood toys and plastic toys -- and she plays well. She really seems to enjoy the walks, she is inside of an acrylic cage, not outside, but she looks around at the scenery... and she willingly steps into the cage to go with us. She seems to be getting worse, the more we try to figure this out. We found an avian vet, highly thought of, and that is where we had her initial exam. Since we (& the breeder) seem to think this is psychological vs. physical, we were trying to isolate the cause at home. But-- we will discuss the investment in another visit. Thank you for caring enough to respond!

Hi, Just found your forum and have checked out a few sections and found it helpful. Thanks. We need help! We have a 7 mo. old Congo African Grey female, Sarah. She's pretty sweet, very brave, plays well with toys, etc. Since the holidays, she has gone from normal preening to more aggressive feather biting. She's already cleared a patch on her breast, and messed up shoulder and tail feathers. We know it's urgent to try and figure this out before it's habit for life. She had a vet check in Nov. and vet said she was healthy. We consulted with her breeder, who is very experienced and helpful. She checked her out and said she looked healthy. She suggested distracting her with noise/action when she bites feathers. Also, adding a branch of Eucalyptus for her to prune, more shred toys, and a daily bath (vs. 1-2 per week). She also suggested chamomille tea or even a tiny bit of Children's benadryl to calm her down if it seemed she was hyper. She said for us to give her more time -- we already have her out with us most of the day -- so we now take her with us on our walks. Nothing is helping! On your forum, we read about spraying the bird with 100% aloe vera juice. So yesterday we bought some and started that too. If it's going to help, would it start helping right away? So far, nothing helps... actually after shower and spray she preens more and vigorously. We've had birds/parrots previously but this is our first Grey. This problem is very frustrating to deal with because she's such a pretty bird and we can see where this is headed. Please... if you have a method that might work or if you can refer us to a good book/website, etc., it would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Sarah's flock<br><br>Post edited by: SarahsFlock, at: 2009/01/18 22:00