Nightmare.

[Jingles]

My worst... Well one of my worst nightmares have come true.

 

Jasper is plucking. I thought it was molting. It's not. I mentioned what i have been seeing to a guy who really knows birds. He said ... That sounds more like chewing or plucking.

 

I am so upset. I had thought that it just looked not quite like a molt. His legs have bare spots on them with now a bunch of pin feathers coming in. (except for a few spots) Same with a quarter size spot under both wings... One has pin feathers coming in, the other doesn't. Although I think he is going through a molt... He has lost a bunch of down feathers. And some non blood feathers as well.

 

I have had a humidifier on him for a few weeks now bc I knew he needed the extra moisture ... So got that... Got some different spray stuff with aloe and other oils in it... Will up the baths, changed out toys... Moved his cage into a room that will have almost complete darkness for sleeping and will move his cage out to living room during the day. (he was in our room)

 

So today was... Ok. Did all this last night, the second we got home... And I found one chewed off feather this morning and while he was out in the living room. I glance over and he's intently chewing on a feather. I get up and say here Jasper let's go over here. Went back and looked in his cage and there were 3 chewed off blood feathers.

 

I am so upset. I need to read everything else on plucking... Any help anyone can give will be very much appreciated.

 

Pretty sure he has moved to his chest. No bare spots yet, but one area looks thin...

[Malikah]

I think you should take him to the vet just to rule out any health issues as being contributing factors. I wish I would have done that a little earlier than I did.

[judygram]

Yes a vet visit is in order to rule any physical reason but do not get upset in front of Jasper for it will only make it worse. Just don't freak out that he is plucking as there are many reasons and will take time, if there is a physical reason then the vet can help and if its not then it may be something you will have to live with, after all he is the same bird with or without feathers.

[pearllyn]

Sorry to hear your bird is plucking - it's very stressful for all concerned. There may be a light at the end of the tunnel though. Alfie started to chew her feathers when she was just under a year old. Numerous vet trips and tests were undertaken and the short version is, the food that came with her from the breeder had a mite infestation. She was treated accordingly, her feathers all grew back in, and she hasn't chewed again. She is just over 3yo now. Stay positive! x

[thenabrd]

i don't know if this will help you or not, but it's what i had to do to be able to handle the plucking problem.

 

i was heartbroken when my peach front conure started plucking some years ago. i took her to the vet and everything checked out just fine. she's gone back and forth, plucking then growing then plucking again. i've tried lots of things, more baths, different food, medication, etc. but she plucks for whatever reason is floating around in her little head. i had to just start looking at it a different way to stop stressing over it, especially in front of her. she only plucks her green feathers and leaves all the grey down. so now i have a conure that just loves running around in her underwear, lol! sometimes i'll ask her if she's ever going to put her clothes back on again or if she's just going to stay in her underwear the rest of her life!

 

our grey, kallie, has a spot under one side of her neck that she plucks when she's stressed. we were told she's done this on and off over her short 2 1/2 years. her vet check was fine, and since we've had her, it seems to be starting to grow back in. (knock on wood) i'm hoping she'll be able to stop or if she continues just stay in the area she's at right now. i guess if she continues no matter what we try, i'll have 2 birds running around in their underwear.

 

the gal that helped with the rehoming of kallie, said one of the reasons she thought we'd be a good match for kallie is the way i looked at and handled our conure's plucking. she said she knew i wouldn't stress kallie out more by stressing out over the plucking. i hope this helps.

[Jingles]

Thanks guys.. Will do a check up...

 

So...yesterday, I found 4 total feathers...today, i woke him up after he had 14 hours of good sleep (is that to much?) and looked in his cage and there was one feather.... and then my daughter and i had to leave from 10-2 and when we got back, i took him out of his cage and put him on his play stand and went and looked and there was only 1 feather.... hopefully a good thing! I know it will take time, but i'm hoping that more sleep, more out time and more baths...more of everything will help!

 

Stay positive... i love this guy so much he could be in his underwear and i'd still love him...

 

pearllyn - mites? ick! thank goodness you found that out!

thenabrd - thanks it does help

Malikah - what did you find out at the vet?

Judy - thanks

[Jayd]

If I may, use cool water for bathing, a little less often, Dave 007 knows of a product that works real good on most birds, you might want to PM him. The Vet call is Grey't,[Judy] process of elimination before trying to many over the counter products...

[Jingles]

Thanks Jay and yes, you may anytime!

 

Yea, I'll ask dave... I remember reading...i think from you or dave that they like the cool water... when I gave him a bath yesterday, he got extremely soaked...(YEA!) and actually sort of not, spread his wings, but didn't keep them all tight and closed to his body. and, he walked around in the tub! which he hasn't done that, as much as he did last night. so yea!!! So, I got a pretty good look and the spots under his wings doesn't seem as big as I originally thought! And, he has got pin feathers coming in...everywhere. Afterward, he looked very angry, but had his wings a little spread out (kwim?) like he enjoyed it. But, boy I kept getting dirty looks.

 

One more question...

 

I still think he's going through a molt too...just because i have found non blood feathers and the down feathers everywhere... right? And all the pin feathers coming in...(to me, it's crazy for him to have that many pin feathers coming in!)