Smokeys Plucking

[Parrot Lady]

he hasn't stopped yet he keeps plucking away at his feathers , he gets 3 showers a week plus I use Feather In and Tropical Rain Mist , I don't know what else to use on him ,also he has stopped eating his pellets again, all he eats is his goldenfeast and will not touch a pellet hasn't touched one in days , I have ran out of ideas for him , he is really a good bird and does get a lot of attention but I can't play with him 24/7 that's about the only way is to sidetrack him from plucking , I do most of the time but I work and I have to spread my time out and give attention to my other birds to , maybe I shouldn't have adopted him he is worse now then he was the day I brought him home , featherwise his personality is great he is such a sweet bird any ideas from anyone ??

[KevinD]

Sukei did the same thing when we got him, after the vet visit to make sure there were no medical problems, we got him to eat pellets by softening them up with a "LITTLE" warm water, and got him eating a lot of apples and grapes.

 

Then the vet suggested putting a "LITTLE" white viniger in the spray bottle. If he starts scratching and trying to pluck we mist him down, and he stops for a few hours. But over all with the diet change and making sure he isn't to dry, he has almost stopped.

 

He gets one shower in the morning, and misted through the day.....

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Awwww! So sorry about Smokey. Settling may take a few months. Don't doubt yourself. You are the best decision for your baby. You will provide him with a perfect home, but it may take time for him to understand that. Nancy

[chezron]

Sorry he is plucking. Let me share with you what worked for my bird. He started barbering his feathers when he was about a year old. My vet said to take him out into the sunlight at least 15 minutes a day. Spraying your bird with aloe and other sprays is just putting a bandaid on a larger problem. Sunshine is necessary for your bird to make vitamin D which is crucial for calcium assimilation. Sunlight plus one cooked chicken drumstick BONE a week supplies many essential vitamins and minerals in the marrow.

Take a look at some of the ways a parrot utilizes sunshine:

 

It produces strong bones, beaks, and aids in feather production.

It builds the immune system.

It kills germs and bacteria on the feathers and skin (and it has been recently discovered that direct sunlight kills the deadly PDD virus on surfaces.)

It minimizes the chances of developing certain cancers.

It reduces anxiety and depression.

It enhances a bird’s vision.

Natural sunlight can only be reached outside. Setting your bird’s cage by the window isn’t enough. Sure it will give them something different to look at during the day, but glass blocks out 90% of the sun’s UV rays, even screens block out 30%, so there is no gain or vitamin D production.

[Parrot Lady]

I have spectram lighting on all my birds cages , I would take Smokey outside but it would have to be without a harness there is no way he is going to let me put a harness on him and without a harness I risk the possibility of him being able to fly away so what choices do I have

[Luvparrots]

I take my gang out in their travel cages which are wire.

[monicamonica]

HI, I read on internet about aloe vera gel or aloe vera water,you can get it at wally world per. gal. now im not saying it will stop him plucking,but it soothes their skin and you spray them with that instead of water,you can dilute or use full strength,who knows it might help.

[murfchck]

A dog travel cage works great for that sunshine, the lighting is a good thing but nothing beats the real thing! The cage i am talking about isn't the plastic one, it is an open one made with metal, you can put a perch in it, hang a water and food food bowl and there ya go, a safe outside playpen! Aloe from wallyworld aka WalMart is a staple. I have 6 parrots, only two are fully feathered, ease up on yourself. Sorry to say it happens with more birds than you realize, but you fretting over it will only cause stress in Smokey and keep him doing it. There are grass mats for sale, (Carol sells them online from this site) it has helped our newest with her plucking. I got a huge one for my macaw but ended up giving it to Cotay, in less than two weeks she has hit the center of it and i have gone from having a snow covered cage bottom to being able to count how many were plucked out during the day now, if any were at all. It is like i have told many people who ask about what they can do to stop this habit, if there were an easy way or a cure for this, we would all have feathered birds but there really isn't. What has worked for one may not work for another. We can only offer lots of toys and shredders, a good diet, good hygiene, sunshine and lots of love! Then the rest is up to them! :-)

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I can't even imagine what having a plucking bird feels like! I am sure it is horrible! Remember, having a bird that plucks, doesn't mean he or she isn't happy... its a habit. Nancy

[katana600]

Like Smokey, Gilbert was chewing and barbering feathers. He was also a nervous wreck when we got him. He had plucked some feathers so violently he pulled follicles and those feathers are not going to come back. We knew he was a stress plucker and as time passed he became better able to predict his environment and he has slowly improved. The hardest thing I had to do for him was "nothing". It just takes time. Change is hard on them, even good change.