Losing Feathers

[BZM]

im new to this community, so hi, i would like some info or advice about my african grey, shes losing her tail feathers(its about all gone, only little red showing), and shes losing wing feathers wich are at the side(the big black ones), and her skin near her nostrils is becoming bit pinkish, her movement is normal, talks alot, shouts alot, very active, plays alot, can stand in 1 leg fine, eats fine, even the droppings are fine, im just scared if its something wrong or is it a growth sign, thanks <br><br>Post edited by: BZM, at: 2009/04/22 14:23

[Eckobird]

Hello B2M and welcome to the forum! Can you give us a little more info? How old is your grey? Is she plucking the feathers out or are the feathers falling out? She could be molting or she could be very stressed or sick..

[BZM]

shes 9 months old, its like, the feather is broken instead of taking the whole feather out, its like a haircut(only on wings and tail). :pinch:<br><br>Post edited by: BZM, at: 2009/04/22 17:37

[Dave007]

""" its like a haircut""""

 

Good guess because that's exactly what he's doing. It's called *barbering*. They'll bite off 1/2 the feather and leave the rest. The tail and flight feathers are the favorite first places to hit on. Considering how old your bird is, I would he's doing that because he's close to molting out the rest of his body feathers. It's take a while before you see a complete new feather there because they fall out in their own time, not the same time as other feathers. Usually after molting, a very young bird will stop doing that unless he/she is becoming a chronic plucker but understand that a chronic plucker goes after all the other feathers too and continues doing that long after molting. Your bird is going through a temporary case of acute plucking.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/22 19:52

[BZM]

thanks for the reply, fewh, that made me feel better

[judygram]

BZM, why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome room and tell us some about you and your grey.

[Luvparrots]

Hi BZMH what is your grey's name? You really should introduce yourself in the Welcome Room so we can properly welcome you to the family. And we would really love to hear more about your grey.<br><br>Post edited by: luvparrots, at: 2009/04/23 03:15

[BZM]

yup, sure, i posted there atm, now as i see, shes loosing back feather, looks like a fuzz, not bald like, i think shes molting ...

[BZM]

here is a picture, just to be sure that u guys are understanding how the feather thing is happening .

 

Picture 1- Front http://s580.photobucket.com/albums/ss241/albarest/?action=view&current=IMG_0106-1.jpg

 

Picture 2- Back

http://s580.photobucket.com/albums/ss241/albarest/?action=view&current=IMG_0107.jpg

 

im sorry for the links, but i tried my best for attaching the image in this reply ...oh well.

[Dave007]

It's good that you posted pictures. It helps. Your bird is plucking. It's not down to the skin yet and lets hope it doesn't go any farther. i doubt that it has anything to do with molting. Your bird may be having some problems with any type of changes going on such as moving a cage, new items that are now near him, new toys etc. It also happens when the skin of a grey dries out and becomes itchy. The first thing greys will do is pluck feathers because of the itchiness.There really isn't a specific reason why greys do that but greys are well known for plucking. Right now, the best thing you can do is to get a skin soother which is called Aloe vera Juice. It's sold in 1 gallon jugs at Walmart and also in pharmacies. Spray your bird thoroughly with it. Do it 3 to 4 times a week. It will soothe and soften the skin. The most important areas to spray are all the areas that you see white feathers and also under the wings and under the tail. Treatment will last for awhile because there's no quick fix. Even after the grey grows back feathers, it's a good idea to continue using the juice for the skin because greys constantly have dry skin. If you're gonna get the Aloe juice, it'aalso wise to get a small bottle of Aloe vera Gel which can be used for spot areas that seen more inflamed or very irritated. It's also good for removing old scales on the feet and legs. Neither item is toxic and both are absorbed in a short time.

[BZM]

thanks for the info, damn >_<, ill go fix her asap <br><br>Post edited by: BZM, at: 2009/04/26 04:06

[Char]

There are a lot of reasons why a Grey can begin to pluck and sometimes it can be difficult to figure it out. The first thing you should do is take her to an avian vet to rule out any physical reasons.

 

As Dave said it could also be a reaction to stress. Moving the cage, ect. How much sleep does your bird get each night? How much out of the cage time?

 

Also things like pollutants. Cigarette smoke, air fresheners, candles, cleaners,

 

The trip to the vet is the first step. If they are ill or in pain it will cause them to pluck. There is a member here whos grey was plucking until they discovered an ear infection. No symptom but the bird was in pain and they did not know it.

 

Good luck.

[Raposa]

Dave and Char gave you excellent advice. The first thing to do is to take your bird to the vet and rule out any medical reason for the behavior. The next is to try to figure out what the bird might be reacting to (with my bird, all her barbering happened in a one month period. During that month my mom was in the hospital for 3 weeks so I was not home much, and when mom did come home, I went on vacation for a week. My grey did NOT like that.) It can be very hard to figure out what the stressor might be; the birds are stressed by things that would not occur to us, and can surprise us by NOT being stressed at things we think would be upsetting.

 

Possible things to help:

Get an air filter to make sure there is nothing in the bird's environment irritating him

Make sure the bird has LOTS of things to chew besides feathers, and things to keep his mind occupied

Try some clicker or trick training; sometimes when they have a "puzzle" to learn or figure out, it takes their attention away from the barbering

Add red palm oil to his diet if he is not already getting it

Put a humidifier in the bird's room

Bathe every 1-2 days and spray with aloe gel on the days you don't bathe

Make sure the bird is getting enough sleep. If you need to, put the bird in a small cage in a quiet place at night (if the bird's room is being used by people until fairly late, the bird probably isn't getting enough rest)

 

And be patient. Even when the barbering stops, it can take a LONG time for the feathers to grow in correctly again.

 

Good luck, and keep us informed!