is monty plucking

[di2008]

hi all ive noticed this week some grey feathers when cleaning montys cage( approx 5 this week) they look about the size that they have around the neck area.. when i've brushed his other feathers aside on his neck there is a little bald patch:ohmy: ive never seen him plucking but he does do a lot lf preening and we get loads of the downy feathers about the place.. he has loads of out of cage time and when he is in his cage its usually bed time or time for work. he has lots of toys out of his cage and 8 hanging toys and foot toys in his (87cmx85cmx122cm)cage although we never see him playing in his cage beacause like i said usually bed time or out at work..he does do lots of sctratching tho :unsure: i mist him 2-3 times a week and occaionaly with pure aloe vera juice. he is about 6 months old so i thought he was too young to start moulting? any ideas please, could he have this bald patch from Scratching? how do i now if he's plucking if i never see him?:unsure: :blink:

[casper]

Hiya Di,

 

Can you maybe get a picture for us to look at and see the patch.

I have only had one bird go through a molt so far, Charlie was about 9 months when he started and it went on for a few months.

I wouldnt have thought Monty would have been plucking at this age, like you say he has plenty of things to stimulate him and plenty of attention. Charlie did lose feathers in one spot before and had a little patch, keep an eye on him see if it does get any worse but I wouldnt have thought you had anything to worry about.

Do the pic if you get chance Di so we can see.

Caroline.

[di2008]

thanks caroline will do my best soon as he see the cam he flies to it :laugh:

[Dave007]

Also get some clear aloe gel and put some on each irritated and/or bald areas. Many parrots overdo the scratching when they're itchy and feathers are annoying them. Put some on and spread it across bald or irritated areas. It'll be absorbed by the skin within 10 minutes. Don't dilute it.

[di2008]

:ohmy: oh no think he might be after all:( :unsure: today he came out of his cage at 8.30am we had breakfast and he played for an hour while i cleaned up the breakast mess and his cage then we played together until 10.30 when he went back into his cage while i went food shopping, he has an avian light plenty of toys and the tv left on. i returned at 1pm it is now 5pm and he has been out since i got home we've have played, showered and he has done very little preening that i have seen, but about 4.20 has had a nap in the conservatory then awoke and started to preen it was then that i noticed 2 larger feathers than before one 5.5cm on the floor beneath him and the other 7cm he was chewing on:blink: he is now sitting on my shoulder while i type preening and i have just given him a scratch and yet another smaller gry feather has fallen out.. is he moulting do you think? at 6months or plucking? what can i do??i do have the heating on will the heat have any affect it's 25degrees at the moment in our house

[she]

My guess is he is moulting,With heating on he may also get dry skin just like us.Regular baithing and the aloe gel will help with that. :dry:<br><br>Post edited by: she, at: 2008/10/04 22:21

[di2008]

an update on monty

 

he is still losing small feathers at the rate of 1 or 2 a day, and has been for around 3 weeks now. these vary in size from 5-7cm to nexk size and then really tiny head feathers, he also still has the bald patches on his shoulder baldes where he scratches, not seen him pluck any feathers tho.

got him booked in with the vet on monday morning just to be sure. he also seems to have gone off his food and has not eaten any fresh veggies or much fruit in the last 3 weeks too and has gone from 407 to 400 in weight in that time too..he is still a happy chappy tho and im misting and rubbing with the aloe vera until i see what the vet recomends..

[danmcq]

Thanks for the update Di. He sounds normal, but a vet visit is never a bad thing to do when you have any doubt.

 

A loss of 7 grams is really nothing and to maintain his weight, he has to be eating enough each day to sustain it. Maybe he's sneaking a bite when your not looking. :-)

 

Looking forward to hearing how the vet visit goes on Monday.

[di2008]

tok monty to the vets and she says she doesn't think he plucking, none of the feathers are chewed and in the usual areas where they start to pluck there is no sign of anything going on. she said to keep an eye on the situation and thinks it is a partial moult. he's got to have more cage time and more sleep:whistle: i tend to keep him up till i go bed(11.30-12ish) as i dont get in until 10pm from 2.30 in the afternoon so like to spend a bit of time with him:S :whistle: but she said he might develope attenion deficit desorder unless he learns to have time out... so really,all good news so far, got go back in 2 weeks, i am so relieved that hes not plucking, bless his little fluffy socks:kiss: <br><br>Post edited by: di2008, at: 2008/10/14 11:27

[danmcq]

Thats good news Di and I am sure it gives you some relief too. Now you and monty can get some sleep. ;-)

[she]

Good news,I am so glad. I also do shift work and arrive home at about 9.30pm when I am on lates so I let Charlie out for about an hour when I get in. He seems fine with that. He is out of a morning before I leave for work but I like letting him have a bit of out of cage time when I get in.I know greys like their sleep but its a ballance between sleep and attention.I am sure you will work it out. Sheila

[di2008]

well vet suggested it , so i've done it :unsure: ive put monty upto bed at 9.30pm in a sleep cage in our bedroom until i get the spare room cleaned out next week.. i am so used to having him up till 11.30-12.00 im missing him already:( will he be ok?? am i doing the right thing?? will we disturb him when we go to bed?? i have covered him up too and he has never been covered up before.. wont all this new stuff stress him out?? sorry so many questions, but the vet suggested it as a means to help him not to start plucking...:blink: :unsure:

[she]

I cant go against a vet but it seems from your last post that you feel things are not right. I am with you on this. As I said in a previous post it is a balance between sleep and company. If you feel a 9.30 cut off is wrong, have h alf an hour with Monty before putting him to bed.I do not use a sleep cage but I do cover my birds up. I personally feel its best. It prevents draughts in winter and lets the bird know it is sleep time. I would never cover up of a day. I would relax your regime a bit if it is worrying you. I love my grey to be with me of an evening when I am on late shift and come home.Sometimes it is only for an hour but I feel it is quality time and he settles down for a cuddle on some occasions. From what the vet said, Monty is not plucking so drastic measures are not called for.Sleep is important to a grey but I feel not at the expense of companionship. Relax and find the right balance. you are not happy with the situation so let him stay with you for a bit longer. say 11.00 so you have some time with him if that feels better for you.Enjoy Monty.<br><br>Post edited by: she, at: 2008/10/18 23:28

[casper]

I agree with She. I wouldnt make drastic changes Di if Monty is not plucking and seems happy in his routine.

I cover my birds about half an hour before I want them to settle and leave the front pulled back so they can still see us, then I dim the lights before covering totally, they usually settle within 10 mins. The birds are in the same room as us on an evening and I dont have any problems. Mine prefer to be covered but I know other people on here dont cover and that works as well for them.

Maybe still have him out for a cuddle but put him to bed a bit earlier.

You do what feels right for you and Monty, he looks like such a happy, confident bird.

[di2008]

thanks shelia for your kind words, i do worry a little when doing things that he is not used to, but then again he is only just a little over 6 1/2 months so keep telling myself the vet is right and he will get used to it. i must say that i feel tonight 9.30 maybe a little too early and should maybe be 10pm. ive been up twice and checked on him creeped onto the landing and can hear him climbing around his cage:blink: :unsure: if i find that he's not settling and keeps us awake(i dont mind being kept awake just means that he's awake too tho) then he will just have to go back to normal in his big cage wat he's used to. but just feel that for his own sake even if i not happy with it then must do what the vet suggest.. thanks once again for your reply and previous kind words xx karma to you xx

[di2008]

well montys settled down in his sleep cage in our bedroom and is getting a couple extra hours sleep each night now which should be good for him... however:unsure: i took him to the vets again(she said to return in after 2 wks)she now thinks he might be plucking as the feathers he's losing are from different parts of his body and they usally lose a few feathers from one place then a few from another in a systematic fashion,when moulting, she says.. but she is also doing feather and stool tests at the lab, one for any sign of chewing on the feathers and the other for chlamdyia:unsure: :blink:

i am unsure, although read a little of what this is??is it treatable? will he be ok?? he has lost weight again and i cant seem to get him to eat anything, he justs want to play all the time:unsure:

do your greys sit and eat a full meal?? monty will have a 1/4 round toast then leave the rest.. then 1 piece of melon out of his fresh fruits and leave the rest..he will eat a sugar snap pea out of his salad bowls and leave the rest...eat a few carrots out of his vegg dinner and not touch anything else.. he has access to pelletts all day( harrisons&keytee rainbow) which he will nibble from time to time and in his bowl on his java tree has nut and raisins ..he also has hanging granola bars(x2) and 2 foraging boxes full of treats.. but the amount of food which he eats is really worring me:( any ideas please???

i have done birdie bread.. wont touch it

i have bought nutri berries.. wont touch them

he munches on 2-3 palm nuts a day but just seem to sling the flesh and chew for ages on the nut in the middle :blink: please help!! he doesnt eat any poeple food really either, although we're eating he just likes to sit on the edge of our tray and have a taste but doesnt eat anything..

he wont eat egg.. or rice.. i am really stuck as what to do next..

sorry for the long message:blink: :unsure:

[danmcq]

Hello Di,

 

How much weight has he lost say over the last month? It does sound like he is not eating a lot. But, most birds do just pick at foods through out the day eating a little of this and a little of that. Many times when they jsut decide to shred something that is fun food for them, they are actually eating little of it and slinging most of it.

 

Chlamydia could be the underlying cause, but to truly verify it in most cases blood work is the best way. Stools can also be used, but are not as accurate of an indicator. One thing you should know to, is it is transmittable to humans at times and is known by the common name of Parrot Fever.

 

Here is a link on detailed information for you:

 

http://www.avianbiotech.com/Diseases/Chlamydia.htm

 

It sounds like you are doing all the right things and you vet will get to the bottom of it. Looking forward to hearing about his weight loss and an update from the vet results.

[di2008]

hi dan thanks for the reply, i will go and look at the link you provided right away... as for montys weight it was 408 (g i think) which dropped to 400 in 2 wks now its 390 2 wks later again:blink: he seems so healthy tho and very active, so unless he's eating loads i dont see how the weight is going to go on.. he is now 7 months old and has between 7 and 9 hours out of cage time a day and he's fully flighted too.. thanks again your advice is very much appreiciated x

[danmcq]

Hi Di,

 

18 grams loss in weight over a 4 week period is not alarming or a dramatic loss, as if he was terribly ill all of a sudden. Once you get to a 10% (40 gram) weight, then it is serious concern time.

 

One thing to note, they do go up and down in weight, for no appearant reason. Example, Dayo over a period of 6 months has varied beteen 418 to 452. He vacillates up and down month to month. Kind of strange, but I think between the heavy molting over the last 6 months, becoming fully flighted again etc. is probably the explanation.

 

Your Grey is young, flighted and it sounds like a normal kid that is more interested in playing and exploring than eating at times. :-)

 

Hopefully your vet will give a clean bill of health and put your mind to rest. :-)

[she]

Hello Di. I dont think Monty is too bad at all.As Dan pointed out the weight can fluctuate. Parrot fever can be passed to humans but I would not worry, I really dont think Monty is that ill.Infact I think he is a normal happy grey. It is good your vet is checking things out for you though. Blood tests will put your mind at rest.My grey was tested for parrot fever a few years back when he was off colour and very listless. Results came back negative but he did have an infection of sorts,we never found the cause of infection but a few weeks antibiotics and tlc soon had him on his feet again.I feel a parrot with parrot fever would show far more signs of illness than Monty.Charlie my grey will also some days eat very little, but other days eats like a horse. Let us know what the vet comes up with. Sheila

[casper]

Hi Di,

 

Monty always looks a very healthy and happy grey! You can see in his pictures he is very active.

My greys are the same some days they can pick at their food and it seems like they are not eating much!

Lets hope everything comes back okay, I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you and Monty.

Please keep us posted and let us know what happens.

Caroline

[di2008]

sorry not been on for a while had internet problems.. montys Chlamydia results have come back clean just waiting for feather test results now but not sure what thats for, might be to see if they've been chewed, which i know some of them have because i have seen feathers just fall out and montys pick them up and chews them like he chews everything:laugh: i have since read that they have a moult around 6-7 months and another at 12months and then every 12months thereafter so i now know in my heart that he is moutling because i have never seen him pull a feather, they just fall out while he is playing (he is a rough little boy:laugh:) and even while we are stroking him, someitmes about 10 a day.thanks for all your kinds words of support

[danmcq]

Molts happen. ;-)

 

It's GreYt to hear the test came back negative. It is definitely molting time for your young Grey and also for most the rest of ours too with the seasonal changes taking place. I know both my Grey and Conure started molting their larger feathers such as mid and primaries, along with a few tail feathers in the last 3 or 4 weeks.