Important Note:
If your parrot has started plucking and you’re reading this to find out what to do, skip this and go to "Part 2: Help! My Parrot is Plucking Its Feathers. What Should I Do?" But before you read it, GRAB YOUR PHONE AND CALL YOUR AVIAN VET! In Part 2, I will discuss more emergency solutions to protect your parrot.
This is Part 4 of a 5 part mini-series about feather plucking in parrots. Be sure to subscribe so you won't miss this really important series.
Part 1: Feather Plucking or Molting?
Part 1: Feather Plucking or Molting?
Why Does My Parrot Pluck Its Feathers?
There are many reasons why a parrot will destroy its feathers. Feather plucking is just one way a parrot might exhibit Feather Destructive Behavior (FDB).
Emotional & Behavior Causes
Boredom
Insufficient activities available for a pet parrot within the cage may cause parrots to turn to their own feathers for entertainment. The pet may spend too much time in their cages (especially if the cage is too small for a parrot to move around freely in it) or a parrot doesn't have toys to entertain it. The more time a parrot spends in the cage, the bigger the cage ought to be (Feather Plucking)!Signs
The parrot will often be playing with their feathers or watching them fall to the ground (Jones, 2015).Diagnosis
Trial and error (Jones, 2015)Treatment
Provide more activities, new toys, foraging toys (destructible and refillable), give your parrot more positive attention (Jones, 2015).Other Resources
The following websites provide excellent tips and tricks to occupy your parrot:- Environmental Changes: http://beautyofbirds.com/environmentalchanges.html
- Parrot Proofing Your Home: http://beautyofbirds.com/birdproofingyourhome.html
- Foraging Stops Destructive Behaviors: http://beautyofbirds.com/foraging.html
Also refer to Redirecting Negative Behaviors in Your Pet Parrot: http://beautyofbirds.com/redirectingnegativebehavior.html (Feather Plucking)
Loneliness
Parrots are social beings. In their natural habitat, most of them occur in flocks or at least with a mate (Feather Plucking).Signs
Similar to boredom, generalized plucking. Parrots may pluck when your not looking or showing direct attention to him/her then stop if you make a big deal about it (Jones, 2015).How much time are you spending with your parrot? Are you investing at least the quality time recommended for your species of parrot (Jones, 2015)?
Diagnosis
Trial and error (Jones, 2015)Treatment
- Time: Spend more time with your pet parrot or provide a parrot companion.
- Behavioral modification: Providing positive reinforcement and redirecting your parrot's energy towards non-destructive activities
- Companionship: For a small percentage of parrots, the addition of an opposite sexed mate may eliminate the behavior. (Feather Plucking)
Stress
Signs
Generalized Plucking. Plucking is usually a more forceful action as though ripping or pulling out feathers. You may have noted changes in the parrot’s environment (Feather Plucking).Diagnosis
Trial and error (Jones, 2015)Treatment
Remove items or situations causing stress. If the situation cannot be removed, try to redirect your parrot's attention towards positive activities and stimuli (Feather Plucking).Medication Treatments
Sedatives, hypnotics, and tricyclic antidepressants have been occasionally reported as an effective treatment (Feather Plucking).Anti-Psychotic
Dr. James E Bright, M.D. shared with me how he treated an “OCD” parrot with Haloperidol. This anti-psychotic is usually prescribed to humans at 5-10 mg daily. If the plucking is psychologically induced, your vet can prescribe the medication and calculate the dosage. Ask your vet about “Haloperidol oral concentrate (Jones, 2015).”
Alternative Treatments
Several parrot owners found that their pets' feather plucking stopped almost immediately after starting their pets on Avitech AviCalm Calming Supplement (for stress reduction) and Featheriffic (stimulates growth and good feather quality). They sprinkled these supplements over their food (Feather Plucking).Other Resources
Holistic Alternatives to Medical Stress Medication (see the section about stress control) in part 2 (Jones, 2015).Cage Location
Scientists have found that parrots with cages that allow a view of doors where people entered the room were more likely to engage in feather picking."For parrot owners and breeders, one thing our research shows is that it might be worth putting a lot of thought into where the cage is positioned in the room," Garner said. "I think with a lot of care and a lot of forethought, these behaviors are manageable and preventable, especially considering our earlier work that demonstrated the positive effects of social housing and environmental enrichments, such as foraging and climbing devices. (Research by Purdue University: Cage Location a Primary Factor in Emotional Feather Plucking.) (Feather Plucking)
Signs
Generalized Plucking. New cage location (Jones, 2015)Diagnosis
Trial and error (Jones, 2015)Treatment
Place cage away from the sight of the doorway. Also, lots of enrichment including foraging should be available to your parrot (Feather Plucking).Other Resources
- http://beautyofbirds.com/foraging.html
- http://beautyofbirds.com/environmentalchanges.html
- For more information from the research by the Purdue University into the widespread topic of abnormal behavior in parrots, including feather-plucking, read “Research by Purdue University: Cage Location a Primary Factor in Emotional Feather Plucking.” http://beautyofbirds.com/featherpluckingcagelocation.html
(Feather Plucking)
Light
Parrots enjoy the sun and like lots of light in their environment. If they are kept in dark corners, they are likely to become depressed and may turn to feather plucking or even self-mutilation. It addition, sunlight is needed to form essential Vitamin D - a lack of which has also been linked to feather picking (Feather Plucking).Signs
Check light source and cage position (Jones, 2015).Diagnosis
Some testing may be performed by your avian vet (Jones, 2015) (Hardy, DVM, 2015)Treatment
Provide proper light conditions to your parrot. Some parrot owners have witnessed a total turn-around in behavior and feather condition once proper light conditions were available to their pets (Feather Plucking).Avianweb Note: Birds benefit from natural sun rays that are unfiltered by window glass, as glass blocks necessary UV rays needed to synthesize vitamin D necessary for bone health. So it's important to open up the windows when weather conditions allow you to let the rays in (make sure that some part of the cage is in the shade to allow a bird to get out of the sun when he or she gets too hot. During the winter months, full-spectrum lamps can substitute for natural light (Feather Plucking).
Testimonials
“My bird plucked for many years, and I tried various things to get him to stop and sometimes he would, but he would always go back to plucking. That is until I bought a new house. It has a wonderful "Florida room" that has windows on three sides and two skylights. I put his cage out there thinking he'd enjoy being able to watch birds and people outside and lo- and behold, he stopped plucking. The room is unheated so he must come in during the colder months, and I got him a full-spectrum lamp which is on a timer so he gets 5 hours of "daylight" each day, and he has not plucked since then. If I had known that the light was the answer, I could have had a fully-fledged bird years ago!” ~ Leslie Tannahill (Feather Plucking)Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/lighting.htmlHormonal
One parrot plucked his chest when he was forced to watch a breeding pair of the same species that were temporarily placed into his room. As soon as the pair was relocated, the plucking stopped (Feather Plucking).Signs
Many parrots pluck their chest area as they mature and get into breeding condition. Another typical plucking patterns for hormonal parrots may be plucking between their legs.Diagnosis
Trial and error (Jones, 2015).Treatment
Vets first recommend that pet owners make environmental changes to reduce sexual triggers, such as removing mirrors or nest boxes and to prevent hormonal stimulation such as petting that induces this behavior and altering the light cycle to mimic winter sunlight. If all these changes fail, then drug therapy may be warranted. Drug therapy is most effective in females but has also shown effectiveness in males (Feather Plucking).Lupron
In some cases, a vet may prescribe Lupron shots to reduce hormonal behavior. The drug Lupron turns off sexual hormones. Some parrot owners report that hormonal plucking stopped immediately after the administration of this drug and never started again. It works if the plucking is caused by hormonal frustration (Feather Plucking).About Lupron: leuprorelin acetate has an inhibitory effect on the pituitary that should reduce the hormones FSH and LH. This drug has been used in parrots for chronic egg laying, hormonal aggression, and feather picking. Again, this is not a perfect drug and certainly not for all situations (Feather Plucking).
Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/sexualbehaviorinbirds.htmlDietary & Allergenic Causes
Malnutrition
One-sided, unbalanced nutrition (which may have led to a disease). Deficiencies of minerals, such as calcium, zinc, selenium, manganese, and magnesium (Feather Plucking).Signs
brittle, frayed feathers and itchy skin, which can lead to feather plucking / bald spots (Feather Plucking)Diagnosis
Your avian vet will be able to run tests to determine malnutrition (Feather Plucking).Treatment
Seek the advice of your avian vet. Most nutrients related issues can be resolved by introducing a supplement and improving your parrot's diet (Jones, 2015).Dietary Deficiencies
A diet deficient in calcium, salt and/or protein could also be a cause for plucking/chewing (Feather Plucking).Signs
plucking/chewingDark spots on feathers (Hardy, DVM, 2015)
Diagnosis
Your avian vet will be able to run tests to determine malnutrition (Jones, 2015).Treatment
Salt
One breeder suggested adding a separate dish salt water (1 tsp of salt to a quart of warm water) to your parrot’s cage. You may want to discuss the preceding possibilities with your vet. Calcium malabsorption problem in parrots could be brought on by an imbalance of other nutrients such as phosphorus (Feather Plucking).Red Palm Oil
More and more parrot owners have been supplementing their parrots' diet with Red Palm Oil and are reporting healthier / glossier plumage. I started adding it recently and was surprised that my parrots really seemed to like it (Feather Plucking).How to feed
The popcorn tasted great popped in it or you could sautée vegetables in it. However, I am keeping this oil in the fridge and it's therefore solid, which allows me to simply take off a pea-size scraping and place it on top of my parrot's fresh food. They like it (Feather Plucking).
Testimonial
Several parrot owners recommended this product and one pointed out a review on Amazon.com b J. Hall from San Pedro, CA: "This isn't a joke, but it is useful advice. I bought this oil because I have a parrot with a feather-plucking problem. I've been adding about half a teaspoonful daily to her soft food for about 3 months and the results are terrific. She's almost back to full feather and has not plucked a single pinfeather since we began adding it. This is a logical solution. Palm nuts are a part of most parrots’ natural diet. It only makes sense that red palm oil contains nutrients that are otherwise missing in a caged parrot's diet. Your mileage may vary since feather plucking is a complex mystery, but in my case, it's been a miracle cure for our cantankerous Eclectus." (Feather Plucking)Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/birdnutrition.htmlVitamin D Deficiency
Is your parrot getting enough light? Just like we do, our parrots need light to synthesize Vitamin D - also known as “the sunshine vitamin” - as it is formed when our skin is exposed to sunlight (Feather Plucking).Signs
poor skin and feather condition, including feather picking (Feather Plucking).Diagnosis
Your avian vet can perform a simple blood test (Feather Plucking).Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/featherplucking.html#lightAlso, see the section about light (above)
Low Levels of Fat
Low levels of essential fats (Feather Plucking).Signs
dry skin (Feather Plucking)Diagnosis
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015).Treatment
Antibiotics (Feather Plucking)Limiting or eliminating pellets and increasing foods/seeds high in essential fatty acids is recommended (Feather Plucking).
Food Sensitivities / Allergies
Some parrots are sensitive to wheat, corn, rice, and other grains. The itching may stop once all these are eliminated (Feather Plucking).Signs
itching / dry / flaky / inflamed skin (Feather Plucking)Diagnosis
blood tests taken by your vet can often determine allergies (Jones, 2015).Treatment
The itching may stop once all these are eliminated (Feather Plucking).Other Resources
Dietary Changes and Recipes to Reduce Feather Plucking: http://beautyofbirds.com/featherpickingdiet.htmlMore Recipes: https://www.facebook.com/groups/recipesforfids/ (Jones, 2015)
Illness Causes
Pain
Parrots don't understand pain. For example, my elderly, handicapped cockatiel has arthritis and keeps biting his swollen joint whenever he feels in pain. When parrots are in pain, they may bite/chew on the area where the pain is concentrated or they may remove (pluck) feathers over that area. If you find your pet concentrates on one specific area - rather than randomly plucking feathers, this may be a good indication that your pet is experiencing localized pain (Feather Plucking).Signs
If you find your pet concentrates on one specific area - rather than randomly plucking feathers, this may be a good indication that your pet is experiencing localized pain (Feather Plucking),Diagnosis
X-rays are often recommended when pain is associated with feather picking and when the distribution of feather picking is over the back, neck or chest. The X-ray may reveal problems such as blocked gizzard, a gas extended proventriculus or cloaca, heavy metal poisoning, foreign bodies, enlarged spleen, and air sac disease. One parrot who plucked his neck feathers just over the crop had ingested pieces of string that were stuck inside the crop causing discomfort (Feather Plucking).Treatment
Seek the advice of your avian vet (Jones, 2015).Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/heavymetalpoisoningbirds.htmlParasites
i.e., GiardiaSigns
The common giardia picking pattern usually involves the chest, underside of the wings, insides of the thighs, shoulders and sometimes the lower back region (Feather Plucking).Diagnosis
Skin and Feather biopsy to determine if there are parasites (Terry, 2015)Treatment
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015).Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/giardia.htmlPsittacosis
Human transferable disease (Feather Plucking).Signs
- Persistent flu-like symptoms (Feather Plucking)
- especially be considered in recently acquired parrots that come from pet stores or from breeders (Feather Plucking)
- Have you or someone in your household been sick recently (Jones, 2015)?
Treatment
Fairly easy to treat with antibiotics (Feather Plucking).Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/psittacosis.htmlMalfunctioning Uropygial (oil gland)
A Vitamin D / Calcium Deficiency can also be caused by a malfunctioning uropygial or oil gland, as this gland produces vitamin D3 precursors that are spread into the feathers as the parrots preen themselves. Upon exposure to ultraviolet light, the precursors will be converted to active D3, which will then be ingested when the parrots preen themselves again. Therefore, the oil gland should be checked in feather picking parrots, and/or those that are suffering from seizures (Feather Plucking).Signs
feather picking parrots, and/or those that are suffering from seizures (Feather Plucking).Vitamin D and/or Calcium Deficiency (Jones, 2015)
Diagnosis
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015).Treatment
Follow the direction of your avian vet (Jones, 2015).Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/birdoilgland.htmlHeavy Metal Poisoning
Chronic low-grade Zinc exposure can result in excess barbering and feather picking (Feather Plucking).Signs
- Barbering and feather picking. Chronic low-grade Zinc exposure can result in excess barbering and feather picking (Feather Plucking).
- Does your parrot enjoy chewing things (Feather Plucking)?
- lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, increased thirst and watery dropping (Feather Plucking).
Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/heavymetalpoisoningbirds.htmlLiver Disease
Once the liver problems have been resolved, it takes a while for the itching to stop (Feather Plucking).Signs
Itchy, dry skin (Feather Plucking)Treatment
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015).Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/liverdisease.htmlInfections
When a parrot destroys their feathers in an irregular pattern, some experts believe that they might be picking feathers over the locations of infected air sacs because of respiratory problems, such as aspergillosis (Feather Plucking).
Signs
parrot destroys their feathers in an irregular pattern (Feather Plucking)Diagnosis
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015).Treatment
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015).Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/aspergillosis.htmlYeast Infections
Signs
parrot destroys just the tail feathers (Jones, 2015)Oder: most describe it as a sweet/bread smell, though I think it smells like a soured bird (Jones, 2015)
Diagnosis
Contact your avian vet, your vet may perform a gram stain (Jones, 2015).Treatment
Contact your avian vet. Your vet may talk with you about medication such as Fluconazole or BeneBac (Beneficial Bacteria). Yogurt may also be recommended to reintroduce good bacterial (Jones, 2015).Other Resources
Zinc Toxicity
Sources of zinc include: i.e., galvanized or powder-coated cages, quick-links or hardware, galvanized dishes, metallic toys - indeed any metallic, shiny object could be suspect (Feather Plucking).Signs
picking feathers or showing signs of depression and gastrointestinal stasis (Feather Plucking).Diagnosis
Your Vet will be able to measure zinc levels (Feather Plucking).Treatment
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015)Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/toxicities.htmlEnvironmental Toxins
such as pesticides on produce, exposure to cleaning products, air deodorizers, etc (Feather Plucking).Signs
picking feathers or showing signs of depression and gastrointestinal stasis (Feather Plucking).Diagnosis
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015)Treatment
Contact your avian vet (Jones, 2015)Other Resources
http://beautyofbirds.com/toxicities.htmlhttp://www.greenandhealthy.info/safepesticides.html
Other
- Diseases
- Infectious disease
- Hypothyroidism (see: http://greenandhealthy.info/hypothyroidism.htm)
- Low Thyroid Functioning
- Systemic Disease
- Endocrine Disease
- Reproductive Disease
- Infections (see: http://beautyofbirds.com/aspergillosis.html)
- Fungal (Aspergillosis)
- Thrush
- Staph
Note
While some feather plucking is behavioral-based, often it is a sign of a more serious health issue. Dr. Susan Clubb will consultant with your vet (Heidenreich).Dr. Susan Clubb 561-795-4878 (Jones, 2015)
References
- Feather Plucking. (n.d.). Retrieved 2015, from Beauty of Birds: http://beautyofbirds.com/featherplucking.html
- Hardy, DVM, D. (2015). (T. Jones, Interviewer) Nixa, MO, USA.
- Heidenreich, B. (n.d.). Help for Parrot Behavior Problems - Barbara Heidenreich Answers Your Questions. YouTube.
- Jones, T. (2015). Springfield, MO, USA.
- Terry. (2015). Phone call with the receptionist at Dr. Susan Clubb's Office. (T. Jones, Interviewer) Springfield, MO, USA.
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