The vet can do no more medicaly for Charlie

[Dave007]

You're welcome.

[Xtreme575]

I'm not able to really offer anything more than well wishes. I'm sorry, I've followed Charlie's story with interest since joining this forum as my Paco was chewing his feathers around his crop. After three vet visites, and a lot of money, it stopped (touch wood). I believe it was Dave007 who once wrote about juvenile birds chewing and that they often will just stop, which seems to have happened. Hopefully this new method is going to be the silver bullet to stop Charlie as well... It's such an emotional roller-coaster to go through.

[KimKim]

this is a quote from the website of where I got my new hanging tree: (parrot play world)

"Captive parrots, as opposed to parrots in the wild, have very different needs and requirements. Due to lack of exercise, along with having food available all day long, caged parrots are extremely prone to obesity. These gyms are designed to encourage mental, as well as physical activity, and have been proven to drastically reduce, or entirely eliminate feather plucking in parrots not suffering from any form of physical illness!"

Can this be true about eliminating plucking? It might be worth a shot for those who have pluckers.

[danmcq]

this is a quote from the website of where I got my new hanging tree: (parrot play world)

"Captive parrots, as opposed to parrots in the wild, have very different needs and requirements. Due to lack of exercise, along with having food available all day long, caged parrots are extremely prone to obesity. These gyms are designed to encourage mental, as well as physical activity, and have been proven to drastically reduce, or entirely eliminate feather plucking in parrots not suffering from any form of physical illness!"

Can this be true about eliminating plucking? It might be worth a shot for those who have pluckers.

 

Having plenty of things to do for your Parrot is a must and may or may not help keep a parrot from plucking. However, a chronic plucker like Charlie and as Dave and Jay described, would not stop just because they have something to do. That is a totally false claim in my opinion by that manufacturer. I know for a fact Charlie has had more than an abundance of playful things to keep him busy, yet to no available.

[KimKim]

oh.. I guess I really did not think so either...

[Dave007]

I'd like to add one more thing---a chronic plucker isn't necessarily an unhappy bird. The owner is definitely unhappy and can assume that if a bird does this, it must be unhappy but think about this...look at the millions of other things that type of plucker does. They're very playful, they like being rubbed, they enjoy all of the different foods that are given, they make sure that you give treats, they like being out of the cage, they like to investigate things, they like to be pains in the ass, they like to whistle or jabber away, they like to get aggressive and have mock fights with certain toys, they like to play. Some like to bathe or be misted ( not everyone of them but that also applies to loads of other non plucking greys too), they like to respond to a person in the morning when that person finally wakes up. They're very normal and well rounded birds. The most important thing that they show is that they're content.

Edited September 6, 2010 by Dave007

[Rrrma]

I pull out my own hair and I bite my fingernails, but I don't do it because I am unhappy. It usually starts as a nervous tick, but then I have the hardest time kicking the habit once I start it! I think birds can be the same. Though not always started because of stress, can be a habit that is hard to kick once you start!

[Luvparrots]

My ekkie was a chronic plucker and with Dave007's help, I have been able to turn him around. Sully problems were caused by the situation he was in. He enjoys calm and serenity and no stress and that is what he has now. He is very set in his ways and it has only been recently that he has sat for 30 minutes outside of a cage. This is a very big accomplishment for Sully and I am so proud of him. It has also appeared that he is no longer plucking. I have had him for a year and a half and it has been only in the last six months that he has stopped plucking. I am praying that on his 2nd anniversary I will be proudly showing everyone pictures of a more or less fully feathered male eclectus. Fingers-crossed.

[Janfromboone]

I have always thought of plucking like cigarret smoking. A distructive habit, but one that gives pleasure. Thanks Dave! There is some peace of mind in knowing that a feather plucker is not necessarily unhappy. I felt guilty about Tobie chewing feathers it was my fault. .