I am worried

[Dave007]

Well there are good news and bad news:

Good news:

__________

Mikko has stopped plucking his wings

 

Bad news:

_________

He stopped because there are almost no more feathers on them and apparently he has started plucking his back

 

Good news:

__________

Now I don't have to go through the dilemma of whether or not I should have him clipped

 

Bad news:

_________

He's not doing a good clipping job

 

Good news:

__________

I am now sure that Mikko's beak is still strong and healthy

 

Bad news:

_________

I know that because he's been chewing his wooden perches (which took some time for me to make)

 

(I'm sorry but at this stage dark humor is the only way for me to stay a bit positive and not over-stress which could make things worse )

Regards

Joe

 

There's countless reasons why your bird may be plucking. Some are major and some are minor.

1--nervousness

2---boredom

3---being caged too much

4---not having enough room to maneuver in the cage.

5---illness

6---lack of humidity and surrounding temp too high.

7---maturing

8---new discovery of feathers to pull on or chew.

9---a wrong diet or change in diet

10--not being given enough time to be by itself.

11--improper toys

12--too many toys causing little room to stretch it's wings

13--improper type of baths.

14--dry skin

15--not ruling out a medical problem

16--improper clipping

17--not having the permission to fly

18--not having items in and around the bird where he can be extremely aggressive such as heavy duty bells

There's other reasons too. These are just some of them. Somewhere, your bird fits into one of these catagories.

 

THE FIRST MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IS TO HAVE A VET WHO DEALS WITH BIRDS RULE OUT MEDICAL PROBLEMS.

 

As far as your description of what's going on, you need to know about the most common areas that greys pluck. It starts with

1--wings or breast

2--covert feathers on the back

3--areas around the tail or the actual tail itself.

4--areas around the lower legs

5--neck areas

6--vent areas

Also as far as your description, it may not be as drastic you say. That happens loads of times with people here. We ask them to post pictures and it turns out that it's not as bad as they say.

When that happens, many suggestions are given to deal with things.

Only vets should prescribe medication. Many vets will prescribe ointments or other specialized things.

Also, your bird may be having a bout with plucking that'll subside when it's finished pulling out the feathers--(acute plucking)

 

PS-----be grateful that you see him chewing up the wooden perches. That in itself tells me that there's a lack of something that only greys require---hard and soft wood. Not fancy--just plain pieces of wood.

Edited May 13, 2012 by Dave007

[Joe Bachi]

Ok and judging by the pics I attached what would you say is happening?

[Dave007]

Ok and judging by the pics I attached what would you say is happening?

 

 

That's a case of chewing and plucking. Your bird has gotten down to the skin. Now that he's gotten down to the skin, any new feather growth may be plucked or pulled because the growing feathers on the bald areas may start hurting/irritating the skin and that's a common cause of replucking. This also happens to many birds that are clipped. As new feathers grow in, the ends of the clipped feathers pinch into the skin causing the bird to pull on them. It'll take some time before those areas will have decent feathers. In the meantime, you'll need to put a product sold over the counter called aloe Vera gel. Those bad areas need to have a softening product on them to lessen the irritation on the skin. The product can be gotten in pharmacies or large dept stores. A pharmacy can also order it if they have none. Many people use it to soften their skin especially women who are very aware of their dry skin. With them, beauty always comes first.

 

 

 

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q552/DavidDVP/DSCN0113.jpg

[Joe Bachi]

that's good, but I have one problem, Mikko doesn't let me touch him let alone put gel on his itching wings

Would Aloe Vera juice sprayed on him daily have the same effect?

Thank you

Joe

[Dave007]

that's good, but I have one problem, Mikko doesn't let me touch him let alone put gel on his itching wings

Would Aloe Vera juice sprayed on him daily have the same effect?

Thank you

Joe

 

You can always use the juice. It's good for them. It should be used full strength BUT that product I put on is for damaged skin that will make the skin softer and not as itchy. Sorry, it needs to be used and you'll have to get another person to help you. A towel can be used to wrap around the bird. One wing should be exposed. The gel is put on and do the other side.

Expect squawking, screeching, growling and nippiness. One trick to lessen the biting is to put a pencil across in his beak so that he'll bite the pencil instead of you. Look, if you went to a vet and he prescribed a special ointment to put on, you'd need to do it, right?

[Mama CJ]

Put the aloe juice in a spray bottle and mist him with it. You don't have to rub it on him.

[TWIX]

DJ somehow tells me he needs to get busy with toys, he likes to shred things. I keep buying him shredable toys, and he usually destroy them in minutes! It is expensive to keep a grey, and it's our responsibility to keep them happy and healthy. This is how i keep DJ happy and healthy:

 

The only times i lock him in his cage are when we sleep or when we go out (Spends most of his time on the play top)

He get's all the healthy food he can eat (As recommended by experienced members here)

I buy him 1 toy a week (Mostly shredables)

He gets to bathe twice a week and spend an hour or two in the sun right after

I spend at least an hour with him everyday (Mainly after i come home from work)

We exchange talk and sounds a lot during the day.

His cage is placed in the living room were we hang out most of the time.

He shares our food everyday, it makes him feel as part of the family.

We cover three sides of the cage when sleep time, as he likes to see what's happening.

We do not limit his movement at home, so it's fine when he leaves his cage and follow me around the house.

We understand that sometimes he wants to be left alone, so we give him some privacy.

We clean his cage once a day (Every morning after his breakfast)

He even watch TV with us

 

By doing all of the above, our loving CAG is busy most of his time and he doesn't have time for anything else. He is constantly busy and stimulated.