Separation Anxiety & Feather Destruction

[DebT]

Hi, it's me again, the Queen of Feather Destruction. I decided to make this a new post rather than continue on with my old one about feather nipping.

 

Over the last several of weeks I've been trying different approaches to dealing with my 2.5 year old CAG's occasional feather destruction after research and with help from this forum. Last night I went out for several hours and found that while I was gone my CAG nipped the ends off about 4 or 5 feathers. She hasn't been nipping for a couple of weeks (the last time was when I went away for a 3 day weekend and left her in the care of my husband).

 

So it appears that is related to some sort of separation anxiety. When I'm home, she's not always by my side. She's usually playing in our sun room or sitting on a perch in the kitchen, so its not like she's getting constant attention from me when I'm here. So I don't exactly know why she would get anxious when I'm not here, other than the fact that she knows I've left the premises.

 

When I leave the house I leave her plenty of food, toys, music on, tell her I'm going out for a while and will be back soon, etc. I've been doing this since the day I brought her home. She started the feather destruction about a year ago.

 

Any budding behaviorists out there that can give me an idea of what I'm doing wrong? How do I teach her to feel okay with me being gone for short periods of time?

 

I've already decided that any time I go out of town she goes back to the shop where I bought her, since she's comfortable there and according to them doesn't pick at her feathers. But I'd like to feel like I can go out shopping or to a movie and not have things fall apart.

[BMustee]

Well, one thing I just thought of was recording yourself while at home...like talking on the phone or with you hubby...and don't tell the bird you are leaving and just play a looping tape of you being home. I don't know if it will work but it's worth a shot.

[DebT]

Wow, I didn't think about that! It is an interesting idea and I have the equipment to do all of that. Maybe I can go one step further and video tape myself. The birds usually hang out in the kitchen when I leave the house, and that's where I keep my iMac. They're used to watching parrot videos on it with me, so that might be worth a shot too. Clever! Oh, my 12 year son thinks I should make a cardboard cutout of myself, hee hee.

[BMustee]

LOL...that would be too funy. Knowing greys though you would come home to a decapitated self...LOL

[DebT]

Oh, yeah, hadn't thought of that. They do love cardboard!

[Christina]

Great idea! I was thinking along the same lines...one of those bird videos playing or something like that. Do you already leave a radio on for her? Do you have her forage for her food? I do that with Finnigan and it keeps her well occupied for some time looking for food and opening the paper cup or tissue paper its in. Also a bath area when you leave for some time, so she might take to bathing herself and then preening her feathers instead of picking at them.

[DebT]

I do leave a radio on when I'm gone, Smooth Jazz. She has toys and foraging toys too. Actually, the bathing is not a bad idea although I've noticed that she does not preen herself after I've sprayed her down which I find odd. I'm starting to suspect that she didn't learn how to properly preen herself.

[birdmom]

Hi Deb. May I suggest a nanny cam? Perhaps there are things going on when you're not at home that upset her.

 

I know u sd u have kids and Im sure they are wonderful. But maybe when u r gone they attempt to entertain her. Perhaps it is a family pet? Or maybe she just hates the sight of hubby. Where is her cage kept? Do u have a cat? Maybe it sits and stares at her.

 

I would like to suggest that when you go out for a short while, put her in a sleeping cage in a safe room and close the door and put the radio on. Tell the others to leave her totally alone. See if she still destroys feathers. She may need some privacy.

 

If that doesn't reveal anything 2 u, then get a nanny cam from radio shack to find out if something or someone is annoying her while u r out. Do not tell ur family about the nanny cam.

 

Over here the aloe baths and red palm are helping buddi. her feathers are growing back in and she isnt plucking as much. I'm spending more time with her and give her special time each nite b4 bed and she gets to stay up after Charlie. I'm letting her chew on all the toilet paper rolls she wants. Good luck I hope this helps.

 

joanne

[DebT]

Hey Joanne, I was wondering how Buddi was doing. The red palm oil experience has been interesting: when I first introduced to my birds they hated it. I sneaked small bits into their wet food (mash) and mixed it in. Eventually they started liking it. Since at least half of their food ends up on the floor I started putting a small dollop of the oil on the top of their food. They'd eat the oil first, then later go back and eat the wet food. Then this morning I put their wet food in their bowls first, and went back to the pantry to grab the oil. Both birds started protesting that I'd given them food without the oil! They were so excited when they saw me coming back with the jar, which they recognize on sight.

 

Anyway, I've been thinking about your post while dicing up some peppers (we're getting plowed with snow today and I'm making green chili). I do have one child, a 12 year old, who is really wonderful with the pets. The birds both like him and my husband. We don't have any cats. We do have an older yellow lab who is afraid of the birds and keeps her distance, except she does clean up their castoff food. My thought was that nothing could be happening to Fawkes when I'm not around. But, even if there is nothing going on, maybe the mere fact that she's out "on her own" when I'm gone makes her nervous. She may feel vulnerable and defenseless. SO, after all that, I think your cage idea is a really good one, that had never occurred to me before! I haven't been putting the birds in their cages because I feel bad about them being in there (yes, I feel bad when I'm at the zoo too). My dog has a kennel that she's hung out in since she was a puppy. She goes in there when she wants to get away from it all or to nap, and will actually whine if the door is closed and she can't get into it. But birds are different, they don't have that "den" mentality. But on the other hand, maybe she does feel safe in there since no one ever intrudes into that space.

 

Next time I go out to the store or something, I'll put her in her cage and see if that helps. I'm not going any where today, I'm cocooning!

 

Thanks Joanne!

[Kibibi]

Just a thought .... do you have an answering machine? If you do, then you can call your home while you're away and while you're leaving yourself a message, your bird can hear you on the speaker.

[DebT]

Just thought I'd do an update with Fawkes! I've been running two humidifiers full blast in our sun room so the humidity is up. The plants are looking great! Fawkes has new feathers growing in on her chest and she's looking better. I've been feeding her red palm oil daily, added ground walnuts and crushed flax seed to her food, spray her with aloe (still a struggle). I've also been putting her in her cage when I need to leave the house, and take her to the African Grey for bird sitting when I go out of town and so far so good. I was told to take it easy on the aloe since it's supposed to be drying to the skin, which I heard the complete opposite here, so I'm not sure what's right anymore! But I can tell you that so far she's doing okay and the new feather growth is encouraging. I was also told to add a bit of kelp to her diet to maybe get her molting, which she hasn't seem to have done yet (she's 2-1/2). Thanks for all the advice!!

[danmcq]

This is good news about Fawkes!!

 

It sounds like you have done everything possible to stop the plucking and it seems to be working. :-)

 

Keep us posted on those new feathers coming in.

[KatB]

Congratulations on Fawkes' new feathers! It's so rewarding when things work out...