incubus1310 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hello everyone! Just today I noticed that my Ruby has a bald spot on one of her legs. I haven't seen her plucking her feathers at all but I am very nervous that she might be. She has been losing alot of down feathers in the last week or two. The whole bottom of her cage is full of them. I am unsure of what to think of this. She has not lost any of her large feathers except two tail feathers weeks apart from one another. As of right now, it is the only noticeable bald spot I see and it does not look raw or irritated. I am a complete wreck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inara Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Good morning, Incubus. Others here with more experience with baby Greys will no doubt have more specific information for you. It is possible that your Ruby is experiencing her first molt. However, my own inclination is that any time you see a sudden change in your bird like a sudden drop of lots of feathers, that it's a good idea to give your Avian Vet a call, ask some questions and then if necessary have your Avian Vet take a look at her. It's worth it for your own peace of mind as well as to ensure that all is well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Just January she took a trip to the vet and everything was perfect. And I have a feeling it's her first molt but I am horrified by the bald spot on her leg.. I sprayed her earlier today with some aloe Vera and I've been keeping a close eye on her. I haven't seen her pluck any feathers out. Hopefully it is just a molt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hello everyone! Just today I noticed that my Ruby has a bald spot on one of her legs. I haven't seen her plucking her feathers at all but I am very nervous that she might be. She has been losing alot of down feathers in the last week or two. The whole bottom of her cage is full of them. I am unsure of what to think of this. She has not lost any of her large feathers except two tail feathers weeks apart from one another. As of right now, it is the only noticeable bald spot I see and it does not look raw or irritated. I am a complete wreck. Periodically, bald spots can appear on various areas especially during molting. The skin is itchy, the bird preens the dead feathers because of the itch and sometimes overpreens areas. That can create bald spots. All the white down feathers falling off is the beginning of molting. Molting starts that way. Usually there's no bald spots but it can happen in itchy areas. That's also common with overpreening. The larger flight feathers, the smaller covert feathers, the tail feathers fall off during the whole year. There's no specific time. When those larger feathers fall, that's the sign that the feathers have died and new ones are ready to replace them. For areas that are bald, some aloe vera gel can be used on the bald areas. If you can't get the aloe gel at the pharmacy, put some glycerin on the area. ( glycerin has a vegetable base). It can be gotten at a pharmacy or large supermarkets that have a pharmacy attached. A bottle of aloe gel costs about $5 to $6 dollars. It will last a long time and it's an item that you should always have around the house . The bald spot should go away in about 2 weeks. I doubt that a vet is needed right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 thank you so much Dave. I thought about purchasing the gel as well but wanted some information from you guys first. I also had a chance to take the pictures of the area so you guys can see. I feel more reassured now. I'll get some gel later on today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 thank you so much Dave. I thought about purchasing the gel as well but wanted some information from you guys first. I also had a chance to take the pictures of the area so you guys can see. I feel more reassured now. I'll get some gel later on today. thank you so much Dave. I thought about purchasing the gel as well but wanted some information from you guys first. I also had a chance to take the pictures of the area so you guys can see. I feel more reassured now. I'll get some gel later on today. There's really nothing drastic that's happening in that area right now. The area is definitely raw but that not unusual in bald areas. That's why it's pink (skin) More complete instructions concerning the aloe gel or glycerin------just make sure you rub it in a little. Repeat for a few days. If your bird is a biter, get someone to help you hold the bird while you put it on. Neigher item is toxic. Birds can lick it with no problems although since both items are considered to be soothers, your bird won't even pay attention to it because it's soothing. In the future bald spots will appear. It's not unusual for it to happen in different areas that a bird can get to. That's why you should have gel around. Until you get either it, just keep the area moist a couple of times a day. PS, concerning those larger feathers---those feathers aren't part of a molting process. They simply fall out during the year ( any time of the year) when they die. Sometimes it happens when they're molting but that's just a coincidence. There's no set amount that will out. Sometime 1, sometimes 3, sometime 2, etc etc. PS---calm down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 haha. my vet told me the same thing when i took her in for a check up in January. I freak out over the smallest thing. She's not a biter so applying the gel will not be hard to do. Thank you again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 haha. my vet told me the same thing when i took her in for a check up in January. I freak out over the smallest thing. She's not a biter so applying the gel will not be hard to do. Thank you again Glad to help. You should have no problems since your bird isn't a biter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Glad all is well! Dave always has good advice. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 i've been keeping an eye on the bald patch on her leg and i've noticed now that the patch has gotten much larger. There's also another bald patch on her other leg.. here's some pictures i took just now. I've seen her physically pull out about 4 feathers from her leg.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 THAT is a vet visit! I still believe baby is too young to be chewing feathers as a habit. Baby has an itch and dryness that needs to be addressed. Its NOT a habit! Don't freak out, as baby will pickup on your stress! Our greys pickup on our stress! If you are calm and there every step of they way, that is what calms them. I've seen Sophie " toweled", which I didn't like, but was there 100%. She has NEVER left my site and she new that. Now 14 years later, if I go to the vet, and they want her to hang " upside down", she would do it, because she knows I won't let any harm come to her. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) i don't know what could be going wrong. i'll have to make an appointment tomorrow to take her in because i see that she keeps pulling out the feathers from her legs and preening. I just had a look now and it seems that she has stopped plucking the area and has left it alone. i noticed the bald patch right after our AC broke down at home. We spent two days without a working AC so do you think maybe she was too hot? Everything else has been the same at home. She's out all the time when I'm home, she's has numerous toys. Nothing has changed and honestly, I doubt anything is wrong with her because she had blood work done in January and everything was perfect. My guess is possible allergies or that she was too hot during those two days that our AC was broken. The only difference in her life as of late is that I've been taking her outside because my avian vet recommended that I take her out in her carrier or harness. Regardless, I'm making an appointment because I am not going to wait for it to get worse. Edited February 21, 2014 by incubus1310 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 I just took these pictures now. I think it looks much better today. Her feathers are wet because I just finished applying some aloe vera gel. Yesterday it looked much more irritated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Glad you are taking her to the vet. I have no experience with plucking, but my policy is always "better safe than sorry." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 I think I made the area more irritated by applying the wrong aloe vera. I had applied aloe vera cream instead of aloe Vera gel.. I'm guessing that's why Tuesday's picture looked so bad.. I didn't notice I bought the wrong one until I went through another posting and found the actual picture of the 100% aloe vera gel. She's doing better now. She has been preening alot because of the aloe vera misting but I haven't seen her pulling out any more leg feathers once I switched over to the correct gel. I'm going to continue to spray her and apply the gel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Go to the vet. I am sure he will recommend you continue with the gel. Its going to be okay, I promise! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brat Birds Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Glad the last pictures show a much less red area, but I agree, a vet visit is in order - just to make sure. Please let us know what the vet says - thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 So I am here to update you on Ruby's trip to the vet. Everything was fine. She already has feathers growing back in and her legs are starting to scab over which the vet informed me to not worry about it because the area is already starting to naturally heal. I thought it was pus and the start of an infection but it's not. She also recommended to stop with the aloe vera and to just let her heal and if she starts to pluck again, to give her a call and that we'll take her in and she'll spray something on her legs to stop the irritation. She informed me that what probably stressed her out was the air conditioner breaking down at my house. She informed me to keep her cool and that in a week once she gets the results in from Ruby's culture, if there is unwanted bacteria present, she'll prescribe something to apply to the area. Ruby is currently also going through a molt. I'll update again once I get the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 These birds can be weird. My manager has a Grey that is the same age as mine. He came in one day startled telling me his bird completely plucked herself bald under her wings and down to her preen gland. A wheelbarrow full of money in vet visits later and no answer but her feathers are coming back. Something caused her to do this but damned if the vet can figure it out. He also started applying Aloe spray based on my recommendation but who knows if that helped any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 Vet says aloe vera helped in Ruby's instance. Helped cool her down. But since feathers are growing back, to stop for now and see if she plucks again. As of now, she has stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Thanks for letting us know. It is always a relief to hear good news from the vet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 Yup thank goodness it's nothing too serious 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incubus1310 Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 Finally got the results back from the vet. No infection present, thus Ruby as of now does not need any oral medication or spray to be applied to her legs. I've been keeping an eye on them and her legs are slowly healing. Vet said to not freak out if she scratches at the new feathers coming in since they'll be a bit itchy but to keep her entertained and she'll be good as new in no time. can't wait ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Great news! Thanks for letting us know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 So happy for you and Ruby! I suspected the air conditioner change was the problem. Ruby sounds very susceptable to climate changes, where my Sophie is not. I can't spray Sophie. but every four months she gets a shower and boy, do I know how unhappy she is! After having her for fourteen years, I know what makes her happy and what doesn't. When I shower her now, she knows I am on her side, and it has got to be done! She trusts me with her life, so I empathazie with her! We go into the shower together and I feel her pain. Thats the only reason we can shower together. TRUST! Its done, and we move on Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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