joyfuljulez Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Hi I am new to this forum, I have an African Grey 32 years old. he just started plucking his feathers from his chest. It is really bad, since he hasn't done it before. Any ideas? I do have a vet that I have taken him to before, so I will call her tomorrow. but its worrisome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Hi I am new to this forum, I have an African Grey 32 years old. he just started plucking his feathers from his chest. It is really bad, since he hasn't done it before. Any ideas? I do have a vet that I have taken him to before, so I will call her tomorrow. but its worrisome. Hi If your bird is 32 yrs old, I doubt that your bird has any type of permanent chronic barbering problem and barbering isn't plucking. When a bird is barbering feathers he's cracking longer feathers in half. Plucking feathers is plucking the whole feather from the skin. It's extremely hard for any bird to *barber* chest feathers. The feathers are too small. Your bird may be developing a dry, itchy area which causes a bird to pluck those areas. Another scenario may be a change in the surrounding humidity in his living area. Another problem may be the adding of new toys or items to his area. Another problem is movement of a cage to another area which may be strange. In any case, spraying that area with cool water may stop a bird from plucking. In your situation, a vet visit is a good idea because your vet may suggest what specific items to use on the irritated area. If your bird was doing this for a very long time ( 6 mts to a 1 yr ) there's other items that can be used on the bird but your vet will probably recognize the problem and guide you from there. Good luck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I second Dave's suggestion of doing a vet visit as it could be a lot of reasons for this to happen. If its possible try to take a picture or two and post so we can see exactly what you are talking about. I would also recommend that you don't react to the plucking/barbering, just ignore it and maybe try to divert his attention to something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Even the ingestion of a heavy metal such as zinc from a toy can cause this action, or a health concern like a heart issue or it may be something simple like dry itchy skin or a molt. Vet visit is a great idea to eliminate any worries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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