Sock Buddy for Smokey

[Parrot Lady]

here we go again , I have tried so many things to get Smokey to stop plucking I was about to give up but I heard about the sock buddy and have actual proof it does work so we started this yesterday only thing really bad about it is the cost of the socks they are not cheap , the material has to be micro fiber or chenille which is almost imposible to find but I found some online , I ordered the kit with instructions on how to make them and she sent me 2 socks to get started , he has already chewed up his first sock and now we are on the second one , it takes awhile to get use to them but at $7.00 a pair I sure he does soon , I ordered 10 pairs for him last night at least it is better then putting a collar on him , I hate the though of having to do that , the down side is the cost of the socks and the fact that he can still pluck his wings and legs but at least he cannot pluck his chest here is the site if anyone is interested or needs this information

http://www.thesockbuddy.com/

[katana600]

When I read your thread I remembered reading once about a knitting group who was donating time to knit sweaters for penguins. I googled but the link was gone for the instructions. At one time I was knitting hats for premature babies from a thin cotton specialty yarn, so it might be possible to knit something or repurpose a sock like this article shows http://www.ehow.com/how_10027809_make-parrot-sweater.html Then while I was looking, I found a link to our very own forum http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?191845-Sock-Buddy-Sweater-sock-for-plucking-parrots There were a couple of other search results mentioning that the flight suits can be used for a plucked parrot. Some respond favorably, some may get worse. Gilbert's plucking was anxiety based and there was nothing to do to decrease her anxiety when she first came to us. That would be the acute plucking Dave mentions in the other thread. She went longer and longer between bouts of fear and gradually the chewing and plucking have lessened. Hopefully when Smokey has been with you longer he will also get calmer and more secure but with a Michigan winter coming on, hopefully you can figure out how to make a little less expensive sweater for him.

[judygram]

I have a friend in our bird club who has a M2 who has a plucking and mutilating problem and she makes her own sock buddies for her bird, she uses a particular kind of sock and modifies it to fit and when her bird chews it up she replaces it with another one.

[Parrot Lady]

Judy that's my plan for Smokey , I have to change the one he has on tomorrow it's getting pretty shabby , I ordered some socks but they won't be here until thyursday so until then I picked up the best I could find at walmarts just enough to do him until Thursday when the good socks come

[CritterCrazy]

Kenzi could certainly use a sock buddy. We tried with a lightweight material that's used for limbs before they put on the casting and it drove her NUTS! ALL she did was pull on it. We took it off because we felt it was making her MORE stressed.

 

Her WHOLE front is nothing but down feathers and she's been plucking her back and areas on her wings. She's already been to the vet & tested - nothing abnormal, this is all behavoral!

[KimKim]

How's the sock buddy been working for you?