Feathers

[Fay123]

Hiya all,

 

I don't think it's anything major but you can never be too sure, I've noticed whenever my grey is pruning or a loose feather has fallen out, he will sit there with it and chew it, prune or just play with it. Is this normal behaviour? He doesn't do it all the time just when he's sleepy or relaxed. He has plenty of toys and is always has access to outside he's Cage whenever the family's home. Does anyone else grey do this?

 

Thanks

[JeffNOK]

My CAG does that occasionally too. I don't think it a sign of any inclination to over-preen, feather pick, or pluck. Unless you start to see bare patches, I wouldn't worry.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Jeffnok has great advice. Sophie now just leaves her feather. Nancy

[Brat Birds]

All birds will 'play' with their feathers sometimes. I have even had a 'fight' with Peanut over one of his. He thought I was crazy! LOL

[katana600]

Yep, seems normal to me too. Both mine will get real still and preen one spot if it has a pinfeather or sheath on it. Gilgirl was a plucker when she came and we would never even see it happening. We would just come in the room and see a flurry of feathers on the floor around the cage and a forlorn little TAG in her fluffy undies after she had stress.

[Inara]

Some birds will actually use a dropped feather as a "scritcher," like we would use a back scratcher to get to those hard to reach places. They will pick it up with their feet or beak and scritch or brush with it. My departed CAG used to love to have me take one of his molted flight feathers and gently brush from the nape of his neck up to the top of his head with it. Would nearly put him in a trance.

[Mistyparrot]

I agree with the other posters Fay123. Your grey is quite normal doing what you describe. From the picture he looks fine.

 

Steve n Misty

[BaileysPapa]

Most birds will occasionally play with dropped/molted feathers. I had a Green Cheek Conure that swooped down, and picked up a lost feather from my Cockatoo. It was a big white wing feather. That Conure flew around and around, as if to show it off to everyone. When he went back to his cage, he took it, and "hid" it under his water bowl. And for three days, he'd fly around showing off his trophy. Then, he just dropped it from the roof of his cage. And watched it fall, with that tilted head one eye look. And didn't pick it up again. My Lovebird will chew up the larger molted feathers of his Cockatiel girlfriend. Only the molted feathers, they do not preen, or pluck, each other. Though, he once pulled a feather out of her crest while they were eating from the same bowl. She gave him hell for that! He never did it again.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Don't go crazy with them playing with a dropped feather. Sophie was playing with a dropped feather, and had a feather that really needed to go! I was obscessed with the feather she needed to get rid of, as well as chewing on one she got rid of. She started limping... I was a wreck...Ryan intervened, told her to " get rid of this feather", he handed it to her and she got rid of it. She got rid of the feather, stopped limping. Ryan just laughed at me!

I asked him" how did you do that?" He just laughed! He said... " Sophie is an actress, and should win an academy award!" She was limping to add to the drama. He knows her so well.

I am so happy that Sophie and Ryan talk several times a week while he is off at college. She knows he is off getting smart. Of course... I hear " Sophie is a smart girl!" Nancy