Makena Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Yes, you read that right... He chewed it off. My fiance went to the mainland for 2 weeks and apparently the frustration of him being gone was too much for lil Makena. He is chewing his feathers big time and we don't know what to do! He is not only chewing on his tail but is also chewing his flight feathers. It's so bad that he can't even fly, something he used to do all the time. I am really worried he is going to seriously hurt himself. He isn't plucking, just chewing off about half of the feather. He eats a pretty good diet. He munches on pellets throughout the day and has 2-3 fresh meals/day. His fresh food usually consists of edamame, green beans, peas and papaya. I am constantly throwing other stuff in there, but he doesn't usually touch it. We have been spending lots of time with him and giving him aloe baths. He seems perfectly happy until we stick him in his cage. Every time we lock him in his cage he goes and lays upside down in his food bowl and starts chewing away! There are little pieces of feathers all over the place!! What do we do?!?!? My fiance has been back for almost a week now but it just seems to be getting worse!!! Arggg!!! Help!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siobha9 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 How old is he??? The reason I ask is that when Liath was about 1 year old she started chewing on her tail, it was awful looking, but then the feathers started to fall out and she never touched the new ones. I think she was trying to help the moult along. But she looked pretty miserable for a while... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight05 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Im a new grey owner so I won't give you false advice since I don't know much yet but I'm told there is these little bird type plastic hats you can buy to prevent ur bird from plucking. Much like they use for dogs to prevent chronic itching. I've read all over the place that the more they chew/pluck themselves the worse and worse it becomes. It's like smoking to them and they can't break the habit they need to do it to satisfy whatever is going on with them. And if you can manage to break that habit for a few days they tend to stop doing it. Im not sure if this helps you on the spot but its something you could possibley look into with a lovac vet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 He is 10 months old. We did notice he has some pin feathers coming in.<br><br>Post edited by: Makena, at: 2008/03/17 10:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Makena im sorry to hear this, it does seem your partners absent may have led to this behaviour.At 10 months he is the right age to start molting & this can make him itchy frequent bathing may help but i suspect this may be more than a molting issue.If he is biting at wing feathers also it would appear to be more a behavioural issue. I dont think it will be a diet related issue as i know Makena has a varied & good diet.Try adding preening / shredding toys to Makena's cage to distract his attention from biting himself. I know it's frustrating but we will explore all avenues with you to try & brake this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekkyousha Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 It does sound like a moult, maybe Makena is irritated at the new pin feathers coming through, they can hurt a little bit. but it does seem odd that it was when your partner when away, there is always the possiblity of coincedence. I hope Makena makes progress soon, has he been to the vet recently? Maybe the issue is to do with the cage itself? are there plenty of toys and space? is your partner spending just as much time with him since he's been back? Makena may have formed a habit now, they could be difficult to break please keep us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Knight05 wrote: Im a new grey owner so I won't give you false advice since I don't know much yet but I'm told there is these little bird type plastic hats you can buy to prevent ur bird from plucking. Much like they use for dogs to prevent chronic itching. I've read all over the place that the more they chew/pluck themselves the worse and worse it becomes. It's like smoking to them and they can't break the habit they need to do it to satisfy whatever is going on with them. And if you can manage to break that habit for a few days they tend to stop doing it. Im not sure if this helps you on the spot but its something you could possibley look into with a lovac vet Collars should be the LAST resort and really are only used to stop mutilation that has lead to an infection, not plucking. You used smoking as an example, and I'm betting your not a smoker. If you take cigs away from someone for a few days, almost every person will smoke next chance they get. It's not just a physical addiction, but behavioral as well. If a person does not make the choice to quit they won't...not even if they are forced to for a week. The same thing is true for parrots as well. The preening toys are a good idea...place them by the bowl if that is where Makena seems to do it all the time. A vet check should be concidered if it turns out to not be just a molt to rule out any physical reason for the feather distruction.<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2008/03/18 05:52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Oh Makena - I feel for your apprehension. It is probably a combination of molting and anxiety over the absence of Andrew. Hopefully this will pass when the molt is finished and all new shiny feathers are back in. One thing to perhaps help. Ensure he is getting Red Palm oil regularly and misted with Aloe to keep the skin supple and as un-irritated as possible. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Kristin, I'm so sorry to hear of this. I'm with Dan, red palm oil, aloe vera juice, plenty of baths, high humidity, lots of attention, and perhaps limit his cage time as much as you can. perhaps rearranging his cage would be enough of a distraction for him to "forget" about it. I know you two are moving soon, perhaps the anxiety of that is spilling over and he can feel it? Please keep us updates, we love Makena like he was our own. <br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2008/03/18 21:08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 Thanks guys for all your comments. We have been misting him with aloe and giving him tons of attention. He is only in his cage when both of us need to leave the house for some reason like a grocery store trip. Other than that usually one of us is always home. We did rearrange his cage and that has been keeping him busy. Hopefully his new feathers come in soon! It scares me that he can't fly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 I'm glad he seems to be doing better! Hopefully it will stay that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dblhelix Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Kristin, Sorry to hear of this and glad it seems to be improving. This must be distressing. I would caution you to be mindful of your response to this situation. If you fuss, fret and provide more attention as a result of this behavior you may actually be reinforcing the very thing you are concerned about. I realize this is waay easier said than done, but you do need to be aware of this possibility. Next time Makena is not happy he'll repeat the behavior if that gets him the attention he wants. You may also want to make a plan (nothing immediate) to get Makena more used to a routine where he actually spends more time in the cage while you are home and not only when you are out. This may sound harsh, but the truth is that he needs to be comfortable with time in the cage as it is unlikely you will be able to have him out as often as you may now in the years ahead. Things change and you need to try and get him on a well rounded routine. Of course they want to be out and we all need to ensure we provide enough bonding time every day, but it should not be every minute of every day! So, stuff to think about for the long run. For now I would focus on stopping the behaviour, but really give some thought for gradual changes you may be able to work on now that will pay dividends in the future. Please keep us posted (I know you will). I hope for continued improvement on this!! B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena Posted March 22, 2008 Author Share Posted March 22, 2008 Thank you guys soooooo much for all your great advice!! I think you are right Mark, we do need to make some gradual changes to his routine. We are actually thinking about moving his cage. We are moving soon so he needs to get used to being in a new place. We are also in the process of trying to get him used to his carrier, which he is REALLY hating. I am scared that throughout the course of a 5 hour flight he is going to chew off every last feather!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mas Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Hi Makena, Was just wondering how are things going now? Have you moved? Any success in cessation of the plucking?? -Sameera Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now