Dorian's vet trip update....

[Kevin]

The vet checked him all over for mites and any type of insect infestation. He came out clean.... He asked if there had been any changes in his environment, which made me realize that in April I had moved his cage upstairs during the daytime while I'm at work, as it had gotten warmer outside. The basement has a separate furnace that I keep at 70. I turn the heat down to 62 upstairs when I leave for work. He felt that this may have been what started the plucking. He recommended spraying him with water mixed with Listerine. He felt that the bitter taste of the mouth wash would deter him from plucking and also since it is an antiseptic it would heal any inflamed skin irritations. He is checking him for other deficiencies via blood work, but felt that it is most likely caused by stress, and that the listerine spray should do the trick. He felt that once they start plucking it becomes more of habit than caused by a disorder in most cases, however, he wants to rule out any other possibilities. If there is no disorder caused by a deficiency of some sort, he suggested trying him on an anti anxiety medication if the spray of listerine has no effect on his plucking. So, we shall see.... He checked out well in all other areas... weight, lungs, and heart rate. I will keep you posted on his progress and if anyone has ever tried the listerine mixed with water, I'd be interested in learning about your findings. Thanks to all!!!

 

Kevin

[Cheshire Cat]

All the very, very best Kevin. I'm going through the same with my bird as she's plucking. I haven't heard of spraying with Listerine before. Interesting!

 

I'm thinking of both you and Dorian.

[Jayd]

I'm sorry, I personally wouldn't do it, it has a lot of Alcohol in it, This is only my opinion! http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189967-100-natural-aloe-vera-juice

[chelseaB]

I personally would not spray with Listerine mixture either. Seems it would be very drying & maybe even burn the skin. I would really do more research on that. The aloe spray would seem to be a much more soothing treatment.

Best wishes for speedy healing Dorian!

[Jayd]

QUOTE: The basement has a separate furnace that I keep at 70. I turn the heat down to 62 upstairs when I leave for work. UNQUOTE: A little info, the ideal temp for a Grey is 72-74 degrees with humidity...Many years ago, we would feed bird's that plucked small seeds to keep them busy.... Times have changed....

[Kevin]

I will have to look into it. I have not done it yet and I will look into it. I will spray him today with the aloe vera liquid. It just seems to stimulate him to start pulling at feathers. I'm going to watch him closely and see if he is just preening or actually pulling them out. Thank you for all your thoughts and interest. Hopefully, he will start to let his new feathers grow. He has some coming in on his chest and has not as of yet, plucked them.

[danmcq]

I'm with Jay and others on this. The listerine sounds like a very bad idea. It will dry out the skin even more, cause a burning sensation etc. I do not think you can get a better moisturizer and skin healer than Aloe. Drying out the skin more than what a grey has already is a very bad idea.

 

The temperature of 62 is way too low for any parrot. WE keep our home heated to 73 in the winter and no cooler than 76 in the summer. We have noticed our grey actually shivers and the feet are cold at 74. Both our parrots seem to like us keeping the family room at 80 during the summer, which we do. Parrots are all from equatorial regions which equals no winter basically and warm to hot temperatures.

 

It's good to hear that all seems well from a vets view, other than waiting for the lab work to come back. Please keep this updated as you have information or time.

[Kevin]

I think what I wrote may have been confusing.... I do not keep Dorian at 62. In the winter when I turn the heat down in the house when I leave for work I put Dorian in the basement which has a separate furnace that I keep at 70 degrees, however, the actual temp. is 73 in the basement. In April when it's warm out and the house stays at 72 or above is when I bring Dorian upstairs and keep him there. He always sleeps in his sleeping cage in the basement at night. In the winter he has his large cage placed in the basement where he spends the day until I get home from work. Hopefully, this makes better sense now. When I get home from work I set the upstairs thermostate at 72. You may wonder why I have two furnaces... the reason is I raise Red Factor Canaries, Spanish Timbrado canaries and Gouldian Finches. I raise them in my basement and have to keep them at a warm temperature for their well being. Hence, I needed to have a separate furnace for them.

Today I used the Aloe Vera juice and watched him closely. He preened, and DID NOT pull out any feathers. I am going to continue with the Aloe Vera juice and scrap the Listerine idea. How often should I spray him? I was doing him once a week, but am thinking that is not frequent enough. Perhaps I should be doing it on a daily basis. I noticed when he dried that he had a lot of fluffy down on his back and big black quills emerging. On his chest were also some large black quills.. By the end of the day they had turned into (grey) feathers. There were about 4 new ones. Hopefully, they will stay on him and more will come. Thanks again for all your advice and I hope the confusion over the temperature has been clarified. I will keep you posted on his progress.