Adopted a plucker, suggestions please!

[ludwigsmom]

So, I rescued a congo. Long story short: He's roughly four years old (all original paper work is lost) and we are his FOURTH home. When we took him home he was plucked (everything but his head) He now has just the top of his wing feathers and feathers on his legs. It took about 6 months to get this far. We have full spectrum lighting, big cage lots of toys, play stands, the whole nine yards. I was wondering if anyone had any more suggestions?! I feel so bad for this little guy!

[Life is Greyt]

I don't know anything more than you've already done, but I'm sure other members that have more experience with plucking will have good suggestions. Sounds like you're making slow and steady progress.

[SaladNinja]

One thing you can try is a sweater. They help keep the bird warm when they don't have any feathers on their and can't regulate their body temperature. Birdie sweaters can be a good way to help protect their new feathers and keep them warm. There are a couple sites that sell them, and I've heard a lot of good things! One thing I would recommend though is having an avian vet put it on so your grey doesn't hurt himself or you in the process. Here are a couple places you can check the types they offer:

 

http://www.birdsupplies.com/feather-sweater-timneh-goffin-size/

http://www.thesockbuddy.com/

 

There are also several DIY projects and patterns that you can knit or make out of socks. I hope you find something that works for your little buddy!

 

[judygram]

It sounds like you are doing all you can to help him in his fourth home, hope it is his last, but one thing is to take him for a checkup by an avian vet to rule anything physical as the cause, some are just pluckers and there is not much you can do to stop it as it becomes a habit that is hard to break.

I love the idea of the sock sweaters, there is a woman in our bird club that has a M2 that is a chronic plucker and sometimes mutilator and she makes sweaters out of socks, she usually tears them up so they don't last long but then she just cuts another sock up.

[katana600]

I have an older rehomed TAG that is a stress plucker. We are just about at the one year mark. Slow consistency is the thing that has helped him the most. We had the longest stretch of no plucking, have traveled with him and he calmed down, but he is dreadfully frightened of storms and we had to take shelter in our basement from a tornado and he got so upset he went into a flurry of plucking his chest. I think it is key to not take it personally as a failure to have a plucking parrot. Of course we would change it if we could, but it is from what has gone before us as rescue caretakers. I do believe if they see us getting stressed from their plucking it exacerbates their nervousness. I try to keep things predictable for Gilbert, but if I do see him plucking, I just talk to him gently and tell him I understand he is scared and he is okay. Sometimes a loud noise with startle him and before I can come reassure him, I hear him come back and say "Gilbert okay" with shaky little voice that definitely sounds like he is trying to reassure himself. Sometimes seeing their plucked little self causes deep emotional distress, it tears me up to think of the first day I saw him after he had pulled out nearly two dozen flight feathers. Keeping yourself calm and assured and focused on the future seems to be the best we can offer. Four homes is traumatic for the little guy. The silver lining is that by documenting and writing a journal, when it seems like he still looks ragged and tattered, I can see by my own words that it is getting better when I wouldn't have been able to see that on a day to day basis. Every parrot is unique and different and not knowing his history is tough, we don't know much either. Sometimes what starts because of trauma and fear perpetuates from habit. Keeping him occupied and talking gently seems to help. We have a very quiet house and that was the elixer for this particular parrot. In one year, I see progress just beginning. Keep the faith.

[Greywings]

Lots of showers or spray mistings and lots of fresh veggies, fruits and sprouted seed & grain in his diet can only help. I live with a self mutilating Elanora Cockatoo (he came to us that way) a female CAG who does the nervous neck pluck (used to do chest & belly as well when we got her) we had & place a male TAG who had only head feathers but with lots of spray misting with both pure water and Georges Aloe vera juice regrew his feathers and got a new home. He does occasionally pull a few feathers when upset but is no longer naked. Do have that Vet visit first it can be something as treatable a bacteria or yeast on the skin.

[ludwigsmom]

he's a picky eater, i can't get him to eat many veggies. he just likes apples. he just throws everything else. Is there a trick to getting him to eat them i'm missing? lol I feed him the fruitblend & veggieblend by zupreme. He loves it. Is the harrisons really that much better? I'd hate to try it and him not eat it since its so expensive.

[Ronald Byrd]

Try eating with him. I'm going through the same thing now with my 9 year old. Snap peas, I had to open one and show him the peas inside, then cut a few for him, now he get whole ones. I tried romaine as well but he would only try it after eating it myself in front of him. Cooked carrots instead of raw. Papito picked them out of my chicken and rice soup a couple nights ago, I wanted to stop him but hey he was eating veggies.