New Member with Feather Plucking Question

[jaycag]

Hi Folks,

I have a 10 month old Congo "Marty" who started plucking away about three weeks ago.

 

He seems happy, eating well, normal looking poop.

 

Nothing at all has changed in his environment. Same feed, cage, attention etc

 

I tried Mixing Aloe Vera in a spray bottle as directed in some forums last couple of weeks, but it hasn't helped.

 

As I said, he's not mopey or acting differently, just suddenly becoming a bald bird. I have a vet appointment in a few days but was hoping to get some advise from fellow Grey owners.

 

PS I'm a novice

 

I'm going to attach a few "before and after" pictures... any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

Jay and Marty

Edited November 2, 2011 by jaycag

[thenabrd]

my conure athena is an on again, off again plucker. our grey, kallie has an area on her neck she plucks. the vet appt is important to rule out any physical issues. i've tried meds for athena in the past, they have limited success. whatever you do, don't show how alarmed you are about this. try you're best to "ignore" it around your bird. athena takes off all her beautiful green feathers on her chest and runs around in her grey down. i'll ask her if she's ever going to put her "shirt" back on (green feathers) or that, isn't it cold just wearing your "underwear" (grey down). i ask kallie if she'll put her "turtleneck" back on. i'm not sure they understand me or not, but i try to make it happy when i address their various stages of "undress" and i compliment them when they are "fully dressed" by telling them how wonderful and beautiful they look. i know its a silly way to handle this, but it helps me keep the stress, worry and upset out of my voice.

 

also, i make sure there are lots of shredding things for them. paper and phone books are wonderful for this.

 

good luck at the vet.

[Dave007]

I would suggest hard items such as wood ( hard wood if possible). Put a heavy duty cow bell hanging in the cage. They let their frustrations and energy on those bells. They're well known for their wood chewing talent and hours of chewing keeps the bird's mind occupied. You may have a situation where the surrounding air has gotten dry. Make sure his area is a bit humid and also not too hot---69 to 71 degrees is warm enough. Bathing/spraying---make sure you use cool water and bathe more often. At least 2 x a week. If you're using aloe spray, make sure you don't dilute it. When your bird is soaked from the skin outward, let him drip dry. No towels, no hair dryers. The longer they stay wet, the better it is.