biting off feathers

[buddy3707]

Hello everyone. I desperately need some help. Lately I notice my grey is biting (not plucking or chewing) the tip (middle) of his feather. At first I thought maybe he's moulting (shedding) his feather but wouldn't he remove the entire feather from the root?

I know for a fact that it's not the case of him not getting enough attention. For the most part he is out of his cage on a perch we built for him. He watches my mom cook and he listens to music. Plus she's constantly talking to him. She's retired so she's home everyday. It's very frustraing to see what he did to his feathers. I would appreciate anyone help.

 

I attach a pic below. Thanks in advance.

 

 

Post edited by: buddy3707, at: 2009/02/20 02:20<br><br>Post edited by: buddy3707, at: 2009/02/20 02:22

[judygram]

Yes it does look like he is chewing his feathers from the pic you provided, is it mostly on the back as it appears in the pic?

 

First off, has he been to an avian vet lately? If not then I would schedule one to find out if there are any physical reasons for this happening. If not then it has to be something behavioral making him do this and that will be harder to pin down.

 

How long has this been going on? Has there been anything that you can think of that has changed in his routine or surroundings that may have triggered this behavior? Does he bathe regularly?

 

You need to provide some more information if we are going to be able to help you but do the vet check first then we will go from there.

 

I know it breaks your heart to see him doing this to himself but do not react to it for he will continue to do it for the attention he gets from it.

[Char]

As Judy said, the first step is vet check to rule out anything physical. Has anyone at home been using any chemicals? Air fresheners, candles? Is he getting 10-12 hrs undisturbed sleep every night?