Heavy moult or plucking?

[Muse]

I noticed Megan's back had some bare spots. Of course this incited a panic and off the vet we rushed. The vet said it was a confusing exam. There was indeed a LOT of feather loss (the cage floor was full of small whitish feathers one day about a week and a half ago). But the vet said the appearance of the skin was not such that it looked plucked. She said it could just be an usually heavy moult.

 

So now we have orders:

0.25 - 0.3 mL of red palm oil per day (Megan, unlike Marden, will not eat red palm oil willingly. This will be fun. Not.)

Soother spray once daily (Right. I'll get right on that. As soon as I get some Kevlar gloves...)

More frequent showers (Let the nightmare begin.)

Lots of enrichment (which is not a change from the norm)

 

She also recommended getting back into a bedtime routine. Megan had been refusing to go upstairs with me. I think she went up one time this past week not counting last night. I suspect my husband's early and unexpected departure the weekend before last may have had something to do with that. She normally goes to bed with daddy, who unlike mama, can go to bed when he feels like it and not when the work is done. So last night I made SURE she went upstairs with me. She lost two feathers this morning, but wasn't preening or pulling at them. One had been hanging kind of crooked since yesterday and I knew it was getting ready to fall out. Maybe this is just an extremely heavy moult?

 

It's hard to believe that 450g of bird can control almost 450 collective pounds of humans, but this bird is a little stinker. It was weeks before someone erased the 'bird shaped' powder mark on the mirror from a shower attempt that sent her careening around the room in a panic. She does the same thing if sprayed in her cage, which is why I don't do it. She's fully flighted, and quite skilled at it so doing things she doesn't want done are extremely difficult.

 

She actually got in the shower WILLINGLY today, and I hooked up the 'birdie hose' and proceeded to spray myself, making happy noises and lifting my arms up and going "WINGS!" She did not do the "WINGS!" gesture, but did allow me to gently mist her until fairly soaked. Problem is, the affected area is covered by the wings. I ended up the shower by running the hot water just through the shower head and steaming up the bathroom and leaving her in there for a while.

 

I worked outside today, digging holes in the yard (aka planting things) and until around five PM, I had the AC off and the windows in their 'bedroom' open while the little birds were in the playroom. On cool down breaks, I let her and Peck out of the cages. The heat didn't seem to bother them while I had the AC off (it bothered me more than them!) and they played very nicely. I did not see any unusual amount of feathers, and only a little fluff in her cage and that is normal for after-shower very thorough preening. They've been outside twice this week, in their cages out on the porch.

 

I hope she hasn't started plucking. I am wracking my brain trying to think of what might be the problem. She really seems to enjoy Peck's company. They get along well, even were playing with the same toy yesterday. The ONLY time he gets hatey is when she tries to get IN his cage (and eat up his food). I discourage this behavior.

 

About the same time this started, I started a new job (which ended about as quickly as it started - long, not good story that I won't go into here....). The vet suggested this might be the cause of her stressing, but again reiterated that we weren't even sure she was plucking. I do know that since Mar died, she's been pretty spoiled, being the main focus of my attention and accompanying me around the house most of the day.

 

I had them run extreme blood work. After losing Mar I am not willing to take any chances.

 

Okay.... off to try to spray the little stinker. I hope when I return I will be able to type with all ten fingers.

 

Update: The spraying did not go well, but no blood was shed. There was a towel (fleece) involved. She refused to cooperate so I gently toweled her as she screamed bloody murder. It was not easy to hold her in one hand, and get under her wings and spray her back with the other. It got done, but both of us were much relieved when it was over.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Muse
Update

[birdhouse]

Aahh, the big bad bath thing!!! EEwWW!

 

I don't know why, but I'm surprised that you don't have a bird fountain in that lovely bird room. What do you think about adding one?

 

Megan's been thru a lot. A lot. You've been doing everything you can. But, you're the first to admit that your emotions have been pretty close to the surface. I'm sure she feels that as well as her own as well as Peck's. So it wouldn't really be surprising if she had a small call it reaction. But unless she was so bonded to Mar that she's going to tip over, I think she's got a big bird life that should probably help her get thru this w/o much more than a hiccup or two.

 

And you two seem to have a bit of a contentious relationship. So I'm surprised she hasn't been giving you a harder time than this long before now. Hopefully, that's a good sign.

[Greywings]

You might want to try just running some shallow water into the bath tub and put her toys in there with her while running the vacuum. Running the vacuum cleaner seems to inspire bathing behavior in many birds, might be worth a try. Or place a wide container of shallow water on her cage floor for the same result.

[Muse]

Actually, a fountain sounds like a great idea!

 

She actually has let me shower her twice. And the retaliatory bites I keep expecting are not materializing. Maybe she knows I am trying to help her.

 

This started about the same time I started working, which involved a lot of my time being taken up. We had not been that close before I lost Mar, but I think we have become much closer since. In fact, getting her to step off daddy used to be a battle, but now she often does it willingly, and at times even initiates it by flying to me.

 

The whole job thing was a nightmare, but I did learn one thing, it was something I loved doing. So it may prove to be the impetus to start my own home-based venture. I am currently looking at what it will take to get it off the ground. That would have me working, but in the home where she can be nearby and "helping".

 

She's really outgrowing the cantankerous nature she had as a baby. She's never going to be like Mar was. None of the birds I have ever known were like Mar was. And my job is to try not to use that as an expectation or compare her unfavorably to his behavior. It's hard. His breeder used to call him "the best bird in the world" because of his sweet, gentle nature. It was so easy to trust him because he was so trusting and so laid back. I have a much harder time trusting Megan when I see all the scars on my hands (and now on my lip). She's been wanting on my shoulder again. Especially at the vet. I know some may think me crazy, but I have been letting her. She seems to be working on restraining her urges to bite me, so I will work on trusting her.

 

And yes, my emotions are still floating on the surface. I burst into tears at least once a day. Mother's day was a nightmare. I cried off and on the whole day. The depth of this grief is still overwhelming at times. I have been trying to stay away from her when I feel the tears coming just in case that has something to do with it.

[Muse]

I will have to try that with the vacuum and bathtub. She does not seem to want to bathe in her cage, but it is a tall, narrow cage so she is perched much higher than the floor. (I hate the cage personally but my husband likes it). Her preferred method of bathing involves daddy holding a big bowl on the play stand for her. I have tried putting a big bowl on the big stand on that rack we added for the food bowls. That didn't appeal to her. But at least she's letting me take her in the shower now. And on the upside, I have not seen an excess of feathers (since that one and only time). Maybe this was just a single incident, but I am not willing to take any chances. I am hoping to get the preliminary blood work today, and the protein electrophoresis, which takes longer, sometime early next week.

 

This is what the test is (relating to humans but the same applies to birds):

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/serum-protein-electrophoresis-spe

Excerpt:

"Why It Is Done

 

Serum protein electrophoresis is most often done to help diagnose and monitor a wide variety of conditions. These include:

 

Some forms of cancer.

Problems with the kidneys or liver.

Problems with the immune system.

Conditions that lead to poor nutrition."

 

We are hoping that if there is an underlying medical condition, this test will help us to pinpoint it.

 

I will post the results as they come in.

[Muse]

To update: It's now going on four weeks, and the feathers on her back are almost all grown back in and look beautiful. She's happy because I stopped spraying her. The really odd thing is, it was only this one day that I saw a large amount of feathers. Her 'pantaloons' still look a bit sparse but over all she looks great. The blood work came back perfect so that is a load off my mind. She and Peck both need a pedicure so I am thinking about trying to take both of them in the next time and having the vet give her a once-over while they are there. Her weight is holding steady, appetite is great, she's very active and no other symptoms, so I am hoping it was just a one-off thing - maybe it was a weird moult or she had a really itchy spot or something? I am just glad it appears to be past, whatever it was.