Parrotlets Forum : TalkParrotlets banner

Plucking- Please help

Tags
plucking
2K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Mrs.JP3 
#1 ·
Rio is almost 2 years old and we have had him since he was 8 weeks. He was healthy and fine until yesterday where I noticed that he has plucked some of his feathers under his neck(only right side). He was very bonded to me and my husband. He gets seed mix and fresh fruits and vegetables for diet and i change his water twice a day. What changed was that we had a baby(he is 3 months now) and it became hard to spend more time with Rio. The pediatrician suggested not to let the bird near my baby yet as his immunity is not strong. Because of which Rio is getting less out of cage time and mostly spending time in the cage. As soon as I saw that he started plucking, I changed his cage setup and added foraging toys. His day cage is in our living room right beside a large window with good amount of sunlight. He used to sleep in his night cage before, but now somedays we get so tired that we let him sleep in his day cage in the living room. Our central heater is also turned on 24/7 because we are having a bad winter now. I have also noticed that he became very cage aggressive and also doing wiggle neck beside a toy mirror and also at the carrots and berries that I put in the cage. I took an appointment at the vet's office and I will get him checked. Any suggestions are highly welcomed. We dont want him to get depressed and we hope it gets better sooner or we have to look for someone who can take good care of Rio and spend quality time with him:(
 
#2 ·
Hello, sorry to hear about Rio.... congrats on the baby!.

To say Rios world has been turned upside down would be an understatement.

Def get the vet check up, and if they have any suggestions please share.

One thing I can suggest is having him sleep in his area so he gets 12 hours of sleep. Maybe you can carry him to his sleeping cage and have a few minutes of special time?

If he can see you and you can talk to him while being busy with the baby that would help. Changing up the cage is also good.

Our vet told us that stress plucking is on the edge of the front of the wings. Check that area out too.

My Huey is a plucker/barberer.... we get feathers on his belly then we dont have any. He pulls out his whole belly of green feathers. Nothing seems to stop him. I think some of his problems are hormonal. I recently started using avicalm along with featheriffic. It seems to calm him a bit. Huey does not pluck to bare skin just the outside green feathers.

Good luck.
 
#3 ·
Hello, welcome! Congratulations on the baby! Sorry Rio is having a hard time adjusting. Linn has the best advice on plucking, she has taken wonderful care of Huey. Is you want to read more of her journey just type "Huey" into the search box, you will find all the old threads on what she has done.
I agree it's probably the family change. I would try the sleeping cage and as much as you can let him know your still there or take turns taking him out will help. Especially as this is a temporary stage and Parrotlet live for many years, you all just need some time to adjust. Please let us know how it goes!
 
#4 ·
I'm sorry that Rio is stressed. Changes can be hard, but I have faith he will adjust. I would remove the mirror toy, though, because that is encouraging mating behavior, and those hormones make for a grumpy bird.
I would wonder about Rio maybe reacting to the sounds that a baby makes? Since he hasn't been hanging out with your new little one, he definitely has been hearing him. I also would think about a humidifier, which is good for humans and bird alike when the heater is on full blast.
I know the humans are tired, but sticking to the sleeping cage routine can help. See if his sleeping cage can be in a place that he doesn't hear his human sibling who I am sure doesn't yet sleep 12 hours at a time. If you can give him just a couple of minutes at cage changing time at night, you can give him stability that he needs. Many times during the week I don't give Tumi more than that, but those minutes at bedtime keep him happy. Try your best to develop a new normal, since if you can manage to survive this portion, the best thing for Rio will be to stay with the humans he knows and is bonded to and not to lose his home entirely and live with a new human he doesn't know. Whatever you can give him is the best you can do, and it is best for him to be with you.
 
#7 ·
I am so sorry to hear about Rio. My Lola has been feather plucking and it is getting worse. She is bald in spots on her chest, legs and has chewed her tail feathers. I, too, changed up her cage, gave new toys, cook her favorite meals, did everything possible! The vet said she looks good other than her plucking. I am now searching for a little body suit that I can put on her when I am not home. I have seen cones like they use on dogs after surgery, but I really don't want to do that! Good luck! Congrats on the baby!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top