dhillon88 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 hello everyone i have a 11 months old Cag.. and his been plucking his feathers lately.. his not stress or anything his gettin a good care from and my family .. and very lovely and playfull any idea ? thnx here are some pix of the feathers he pulled out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Hi, Thank you, There's a few post on plucking right now, check them out...Have you had a Vet check him for a medical reason to the plucking? Dave007 is our resident expert on plucking....Thank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Plucking or molting? Do you have a photo of your grey you can provide? The reason I ask, is the first molt is the largest molt a grey will go through. With your grey being 11 months, feathers will be molting now that it is near summer. I suspect your grey has already molted a pot load of down feathers already... like snow when you pull the tray out to clean it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) He may just be going through a heavy moult. Not unusual for a young bird. Those look like coverts and alular feathers from the wing. Are they all from the same area? if he has been clipped he my be suffering from some irritation in his wings. As Jayd said have him checked by a vet because there are lots of reasons for feather loss and some like PBFD are serious and others are easily rectified with food supplements and subtle changes of environment. My Misty went through two heavy moults in his first three years with me. Mostly his chest and back. He was just two and poorly clipped when I adopted him. He is nine now and fully flighted. Two years ago I moved home and he decided to pull his tail feathers but now he looks fine all over. I give him a calcium and vitamin D supplement every day because they both help with feather condition. I suspect that your little fellow is just going through a growing up stage but a vet check is a very good idea if only to put your mind to rest. Steve n Misty Edited May 11, 2012 by Mistyparrot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhillon88 Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 thnx everyone.. Dave here are some pix for u... he does have poorly clipped wings.. may that irritates him.. its been like that since the day i bought him.. the seller messed up his wings.. those smalls feathers are pluck from the back and lower neck area between the wings as u can see in the pix.. but the long black feather was pluck from the wings and it was new feather he pulled it out.. i dont know why.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life is Greyt Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Oh that is a terrible clip your poor baby has. It does look like a molt to me, but I am for sure no expert. My Chickie is 8 months old, and she has lost tons of downy feathers and two large grey ones so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhillon88 Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Yea I know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 He is a nice looking bird. Why do you think he is eleven months old? His eyes suggest he is a little older as I would expect to see a little yellow in them still although that could be an effect of the flash. His flights should come back in some months. If his skin is irritated spraying with aloe vera solution has been found to be very beneficial. Aloe vera is great stuff for humans and parrots and is not at all toxic. From the photos his cage seems a bit on the small side for anything but sleeping in in my opinion. If he has to spend too much time in there he may get frustrated and bored and that will cause big problems and can promote plucking. He should be OK as long as he gets plenty of social time and toys to stimulate him. But apart from that terrible clip he looks good. What do you feed him on? Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhillon88 Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) Thnx ... When I bought him I was told that his 4 months old and I been having him for 7 months already so 11-12 months may b his older .. Who knows ... Yea cage is small but he only goes in the for sleeping on night time other than that his a free man his the boss of my house lol he never wants to stay in the cage so we let him free all the time But I do have a another big cage for outdoor I put him there for like an hr or 2 evryday so he can have some fresh air and sunlight And for the aloe Vera juice Where can I get that and what brand ? And do I just spray juice instead of water right ? Or mix with water ? For the food He loves sun flower seeds and peanuts But I use the amazon n African grey food from Walmart Fruits he loves banana and apple Veggies he loves baby carrots Junk food he loves to eat cookies lol Edited May 11, 2012 by dhillon88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) Hi, suggestion, stop the use of the Walmart seed mix and cookies.[anything with salt or sugar] You can try Kaytee mix without sunflower seeds, Volkman safflower mix, Royal large hookbill, The only safe walmart food is the Universal blend Medium /Large Hookbill, It is safest to only buy seed mix's without peanuts in the shell....Walmart, Aloe Vera Juice,[1 gal] make sure to refrigerate after it is open..... Edited May 11, 2012 by Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Stuart Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Your grey is beautiful. I agree with the others that it looks more like natural feather loss. I have one bird that mangles her feathers due to stress and another that doesn't. The feather mangler often looks disheveled. Your bird looks great! Bottles of aloe vera juice can be found at most pharmacies. If you go that route to mist your CAG, be sure to dilute it with 3 parts water. (Pure aloe vera juice can have a laxative effect. I don't use it on my birds at all.) I hope you'll research about parrot diets. There are a LOT of foods that they can eat and a number that they can't. NEVER give him salt, chocolate, caffeine, milk, avocado, rhubarb, onion, garlic, or seeds, pits, stems or leaves from fruits like apples, peaches, cherries, tomatoes, etc. Some good treats are cooked brown rice, cooked unsalted beans, corn on the cob (without husk), plain unsalted hot-air popcorn, pomegranate, brussels sprouts (raw or cooked), sweet potatoes, almonds, and the list goes on and on. Mix it up so your bird doesn't get bored. Each bird will have his favorites but --just like with kids-- it is good to expose them to a variety so they don't get finicky and malnourished. --Kelly ********Please do me a BIG favor.... **************** Go to Lafeber Nutri-berries on Facebook and LIKE their page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lafeber-Nutri-Berries/181104511900404 If they get 1000 fans by Monday May 14th, the company has agreed to support a project that involves taking Bibi the Bird on a trip to visit people in nursing homes, schools and hospices. PLEASE HELP THIS PROJECT! To learn more about the project, go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1174569575/road-trip-with-bibi-the-african-grey-parrot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Thank you, a Greyt post, as a side note: If you use "Aloe Vera juice, don't dilute, it already has water in it, check the labels.....Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhillon88 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 Thnx everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Have you had his calcium levels checked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhillon88 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 No I haven't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 In some cases calcium deficiency can bring about behaviors like feather plucking. In my bird's case, he was low in calcium. The vet suggested regular trips outside into the sunshine, for at least 15 minutes most days. I see you guys live in Bakersfield, so I KNOW it is sunny there. Windows block the rays needed to affect change, they actually need to be outside to get the benefits. He also suggested feeding him one cooked chicken drumstick bone a week (for the nutritious marrow- high in calcium and other good nutrients). I thought that would be a hard sell, but he LOVES them and so do my other two parrots. If you want to know the science behind it, it has to do with how the bird converts sun energy into Vitamin D which is needed for calcium assimilation. If they don't get sunlight it is difficult for them to get adequate amounts of Vitamin D and calcium. Plus, Vitamin D acts as a hormone, as well as, a vitamin. It really calms my birds down and mellows them out. I call it "birdie valium." Remember African Greys are from equatorial Africa where year-long, 12 hour-a-day sunlight is the norm, they evolved with THOSE sunny conditions and need them. Please email me if you have questions. Long story short, my bird has never plucked or barbered again and stopped within a week or so. He was barbering his feathers similar to your pictures where the feather ends are frayed or chewed. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 This is a Greyt post by chezron, if I may I'd like to ad a little to it. If you can, try to give you parrot around 1hr a day,even on cloudy days, it's the UVB they need from the sun. You can also buy a UVB full spectrum light to use indoors for 4 to 8hrs a day.. http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/Search.php?SearchID=2&DatabaseID=2&Keywords=Lighting&Heading=Avian&Search.x=13&Search.y=16 Hypocalcemia most often affects captive Grey parrots, and not wild Grey parrots. This is due to a lack of natural sunshine, which prevents conversion of vitamin D to its active form, which, in turn, does not allow for adequate absorption of calcium. Vitamin D conversion via natural sunlight or full-spectrum lighting occurs in the skin and uropygial (preen) gland. In addition to the vitamin D converted within the skin, Grey parrots absorb the vitamin D in the oil produced by the preen gland, thus aiding in the absorption of calcium. Feeding a diet of calcium-rich foods, along with providing access to natural or full-spectrum lighting, are important factor in our Greys health. Something I learned from a very wise man was that our parrots only spend direct time in bright sun light two times a day, in the morning and at dusk. The rest of their day is spent in the foliage under the tree carpet.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momo Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 hi,just want add aloe vera 100% home made recipe: -1 inch washed aloe vera,take the gel.watch out the yellow one,dont take any yellow or green gel. -mix it with 100 ml of water and blend it with blender. spray it to the bird and the rest keep it in refrigerator.can stay for 3 days. we used this before for my dad's cockatoo and it works! extreme healthy diet is important and many foraging toys will help.my vet said grape and pistachio is very good for feather plucker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 dhillon88... I don't see any evidence of chewed feathers! BAD clipping, but a beautiful bird! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aslterp59 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 On this subject.... A couple weeks ago I went to a weekend-long workshop. Left Friday afternoon and came back Sunday afternoon. My husband was home all weekend with Gemma, but she's a momma's bird. He gave her a lot of attention, tho, out-of-cage time, and so on. However, when I got back she looked rough. When I looked closer, I could see she'd been chewing on some feathers. She is still chewing on them sometimes - it seems it's already developed into a habit, like chewing fingernails on a human. I've been giving her tons of attention but she's still chewing feathers at times. What can I do to discourage this while it's still a new habit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 There is not much you can do if that is the way she handles stress and it is obviously related to your absence but do keep her busy and do not make a fuss over it if you see it happening, they react to everything and if she sees your reaction to it then that is encouragement to keep doing it, just ignore it when it happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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