Anyone else have baby that chews feathers?

[domyoburk]

Ursula is only 6 months old and seems healthy and happy in every respect except...

 

she is starting to chew feathers off! It's at about a rate of one feather a day, but she's developing a bare spot on her back. It's not a molt - the feathers are clearly broken off near the base; the feathers we find have sharp and broken ends down where the down starts. She's lost about 10 feathers this way so far, over the last week and a half.

 

We expected this behavior later, or perhaps when she is left alone when we are at work. Instead, this happens mostly at night. So early in life!

[Dave007]

There are some common reasons for feather chewing.

======================================================

More than likely, the chewed feather looks like a V at the end. There's a few different reasons that this happens. What's very important is that many times, a young grey will outgrow this problem. It could be stress and agitation or low humidity combined with not enough bathing. It could be boredom even though there's lots of toys in a cage. It could be curiousity in the sense that a grey discovers that it can be done and decides to do it. Sometimes, that habit lasts for a while. It could be dry skin which can develop by being near heating vents.

Try to make sure that your bird is in a calm environment and doesn't have lots of loud noises around her all the time. Make sure that she isn't being housed in a round cage (round cages can actually make a bird feel disoriented because they don't have any corners to retreat to if needed). Make sure she is getting at least 10 hours (preferably 11 or 12 hours) of sleep each and every night. If she is not getting this- you can cover her cage at 8 at night (give or take an hour) and then uncover her cage at 7 or 8 in the morning. This will help keep her cage dark (if you use a dark towel to cover her cage with) and will help her get more sleep each night. Just basically use common sense and make sure that she is comfortable in her surroundings. Probably you'll say that most of these things don't apply and if so, concentrate on the bathing/ misting. Soak the bird down. Don't use hair dryers or towels to dry him off. Let the water sink in. Thiswill also help any bald spots that you can't even see if they're there.

If there are bald spots that you can see, they should be treated with aloe vera gel which is applied directly to the bald spot.

If you feel that a medical problem exists, a visit to the vet will ease your mind.

PS--you can't do anything concerning the chewed feather. It'll just have to fall out and it will when any type of molting starts. Everytime you see him doing that, gently mist the area with some water.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/29 20:17

[domyoburk]

Thanks so much for your response, Dave. Thanks for taking the time to send a careful response to a newbie. It was very heartening - especially the part about "the young grey may outgrow this problem!"

 

We have followed all of your advice and she hasn't bitten off a feather in 4-5 days... there really seemed to be no reason for it at all except, as you mentioned, the "wow, I can bite these right off" mentality. You were exactly right - the ends of the feathers look like sharp "v's."

 

Multi-pronged approach: chewables in cage at night, not too long in there so she doesn't get bored, baths almost daily.

 

We had backed off on the baths because she freaked out at any attempts to get her wet. However, because of your advice we persisted and now we spray her chest, avoiding her face, and she tolerates that. Spraying her back (where she was chewing) is NOT tolerated, but my husband found he can fill a cup with water and pour it over her back! No actual bald spots (she left downy stubs).

 

It's really nice to have this forum.

[Tycos_mom]

I'm so glad to hear that your baby has stoped chewing her/his feathers I would have been a total wreck if it was my baby. In fact I was a total wreck when one of my baby birds was plucking his Feathers I started bathing him dai;y and he stopped thank goodness and thank goodness yours has stopped also Dave You are just awesome to have around The Knowledge you have about bird is so valuable to everyone on this forum I don't know what we would do without you.

[danmcq]

Thats great news domyoburk!!

 

Dave always hits the nail on the head! :-)

[Sallas]

Dave always hits the nail on the head!

 

Hopefully he is a carpenter then:silly:

[domyoburk]

We took Ursula to the vet today, a great avian vet. She said we were doing things right except that Ursula had rather dry skin and that may be triggering more preening. She said to keep the humidity around 40% and that should help. We should get a gauge and if necessary a humidifier; she said it matters even more than bathing when it comes to dry skin.

 

She also recommended: distracting with other chewables wherever Ursula is; regular bathing; not covering her sleeping cage, so she can have some light and not get nervous or so bored she starts to overpreen; not letting her play with any feathers she does bite off (we weren't).

 

It's still pretty nerve-wracking because Ursula knows how to bite those feathers off and can always turn back to the behavior. Oh well, we'll love her even if she's bald!

 

- Domyo

[domyoburk]

Oh, and the vet said it was not unusual for young birds like this to start this habit, even when it is unlikely they have allegies and there's no hormonal issues yet, and also unlikely any hard core behavioral problems.

 

Go figure. It may be something they only do in captivity, but in this case it sure doesn't seem to me like it has anything to do with stress or sadness or lonliness or anything. Ursula seems very content. Perhaps it's just circumstantial; maybe in the wild most of their preening would be done by another bird, and the whole dynamic around it is different.

[domyoburk]

OK, humidity is 60% now that the rains have started in the Pacific NW.

 

We thoroughly bathe Ursula every other day.

 

She still chews off one feather a week or so, off her back, at night in her sleeping cage.

 

We are going to get her a larger, more interesting sleeping cage, and after that try leaving her in her big cage at night (although she'll be up late with us til 11pm and then wake up when my husband gets up at 7am).

 

Anyone out there had an experience like this?

[Dave007]

"""""We are going to get her a larger, more interesting sleeping cage, and after that try leaving her in her big cage at night""""

 

You really should think about bypassing that new sleeping cage. The cage he uses all day is his home. he plays there, rests there, eats there, makes sounds there. Why not let the bird sleep in his home too?

 

I think you'll be wasting your money. Parrots don't need sleeping cages. Last time I checked, in the wild none of them had special sleeping trees.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/11/25 04:04

[Talon]

Interesting.....Talon has a sleeping cage. But that happened by accident. It wasn't something we planned on doing, but it is in my bedroom, and she only goes in it too sleep at night. She does have the option of playing on it and in it when I am on my computer in the day time, but she rarely does. She has toys, food, water and a sleep hut which she loves. ON the other hand, Rikki does not have a sleep cage. She sleeps in her mansion downstairs which I cover at night.

I cover all my birds at night.

[AlphaWolf]

Well most feather plucking or chewing is due to stress

 

Whether that is due to boredom, lack of attention, lack of stimulation, separation from you etc.

 

Toys only go so far. Some birds require more handling than others.

[domyoburk]

One night in the larger, more interesting sleeping cage (we already had it) and she still chewed off a feather (two nights in a row now)... we are thinking about Dave's recommendation now!

 

Another trip to the vet today, though... our vet is working with us on this and having us take one step at a time. I'll write about the results later...

[domyoburk]

Our vet, bless her, is not yet willing to say this feather chewing is behavioral. I am heartened, as this means we may be able to do something about this!

 

We are going to change (major) thing at a time. First we are going back to her old pellets (Lake's), because this chewing started about the same time we started her on Harrison's (which is ordinarily a great food). The vet said to try this for at least 4 weeks - and NOT to change her night habits, so we can find out whether it really is the food. She wants to keep protein levels constant, too, so in the test period also no seeds or Harrison's Power Treats (which Ursula loves).

 

She also said no more baths in our chlorinated water (oops!). That can irritate skin and Ursula's back is unusually dry and flaky. We are going to get a dechlorinating filter for our shower.

 

Poor sweetie - maybe she's just been extra itchy, and it gets worse at night when she doesn't have anything else to distract her!