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HELP! What do I do?

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Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Pajarita » Thu Nov 03, 2016 12:14 pm

Baytril is not an anti-inflammatory, it's a wide-spectrum antibiotic. It's the name the manufacturer Bayer gave to enrofloxacin (the name for the actual chemical and the generic form of it).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Location: NW Pa
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Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Galah44Sarah » Sun Nov 06, 2016 11:18 am

Just had a thought... Could he have a parasite of some sort? The demented budgie I "acquired" a while ago had beak mites and although they were separate and he was treated over a year ago, could it still be a possibility? I can't see anything but his skin where he has plucked looks very dry and flaky.
I feel so awful if it is and I haven't realised!

Bad mummy :(
Galah44Sarah
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 12
Location: Staffordshire uk
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Types of Birds Owned: Galah rose breasted cockatoo, budgerigar, quaker parakeet
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Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Pajarita » Sun Nov 06, 2016 1:32 pm

No, if it was those mites, you would have seen something already (crusty growth and even deformation). When birds have dry skin, there are a few possibilities of what might be causing it:
a) Bathing the bird with warm water.
b) Using a blow dryer after a bath.
c) Not running a humidifier in the room where they are kept.
d) Inadequate diet (pellets are very drying to a bird's body).

Once you correct the one at fault, in time, the dryness disappears.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Galah44Sarah » Fri Nov 11, 2016 8:05 am

How often should I be giving him a shower.
He isn't keen on them but a new suction perch makes it a little easier as he hates being mist sprayed.
He has been wearing an anti peck vest for a few days now and seems so depressed! I haven't heard a peep out of him since he wore it.
Feeling like I'm being really cruel.
Galah44Sarah
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 12
Location: Staffordshire uk
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Galah rose breasted cockatoo, budgerigar, quaker parakeet
Flight: Yes

Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Wolf » Fri Nov 11, 2016 9:49 am

I am quite sure that he does not like the vest at this point in time as it not only prevents him from tearing up his feathers it is also still new to him and it will take some time for him to get accustomed to it.

I know that we have lightly discussed bathing him and understand that he does not appear to like being misted. It can be difficult to get the spray adjusted so that you can spray it above him so that it feels like rain to him and if it does not feel right to him then he will probably not like it. Some birds prefer to take a bath on their own so it might help to keep a large shallow dish with water in it where he can get to it and use it at his leisure. Some birds will not take a bath this way but it takes time and several refills of the dish to be sure of this. Some birds prefer to have a steady stream of water coming from above, sort of like their very own private waterfall for bathing and some really prefer showers and just as with misting them it is sometimes easy to mistake their enjoyment of taking a shower or of being misted for them not liking it. This is because they will sometimes get very loud while flapping their wings and moving in and out of the spray from the misting or from the shower.

As for how often to shower your bird, most of the time it seems that once a week is enough, but winter is approaching quickly and with it drier air caused by heating our homes and so sometimes they want to bathe or shower more often and then you could start of with twice a week and from that point watch your bird closely to learn the body language for when he is asking for a shower so that you can give him one when he wants it.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Pajarita » Sat Nov 12, 2016 10:38 am

Personally, if this was my bird, I would not even try to bathe him. The thing with plucking is that, even when it's caused by a medical condition, there is always anxiety mixed in there and taking into consideration that the most important thing to do with them is to avoid anything that would stress them out, if he doesn't like been bathed, it's a case of the remedy been worse than the disease. People often recommend baths for plucking birds but this only works if the bird enjoys getting a bath so, although the recommendation, per se, is not wrong, you need to take into consideration each individual bird because, if the bird is going to get bent out of shape by it, where is the benefit in it?
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Wolf » Sun Nov 13, 2016 10:00 am

Although I know what is considered to be a normal bathing schedule for my birds, I always keep a bird bath available for the ones that prefer to bathe themselves and wait for the others to let me know when they want to shower or be misted. They will usually try to climb into their water dish and so I spray them only when they want it. I was just pointing out that some people misunderstand a birds exuberance at getting a bath or misting for their not wanting or liking it. you have to watch how the bird reacts closely to see the difference in the behavior until you get to know your birds body language while bathing.

For a bird that plucks that you think is due to itchy skin you could turn on the hot water in the shower and let it fog up the bathroom and then spend some time with the bird in the steam, making sure that it can not get near the hot water in the shower. The steam will soothe the itchy skin by providing moisture.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Galah44Sarah » Tue Dec 20, 2016 6:04 am

Hi guys!
So quick update on Tango...
He was wearing a non pluck vest but I had to take it off after he stopped eating and lost weight very quickly. Then I started on showers and aloe spray. He also has a new table top stand which means he is able to be in a same room as me All the time.
The plucking hasn't stopped, but the odd feather is growing back and his skin is so much better and he seems like a much happier bird... Even learning much more words and flying around the house much more.
Thanks so much for the help, I'll keep updating.
My baby seems so happy again. X
Galah44Sarah
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 12
Location: Staffordshire uk
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Galah rose breasted cockatoo, budgerigar, quaker parakeet
Flight: Yes

Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby Pajarita » Tue Dec 20, 2016 12:58 pm

Well, pluckers don't stop from one day to the next. It takes a loooooong time and, in most cases, they continue doing it either in a small spot or seasonally but as long as the bird is healthy and happy, perfect plumage is irrelevant in captivity.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: HELP! What do I do?

Postby ~Karen » Tue Dec 20, 2016 8:22 pm

Thank you for all you've done for Tango.

May I suggest "Cold Laser Therapy" if it's available to you. I have found that it does wonders for pain and discomfort. It's a non-invasive procedure. My birds are able to sit on my lap as the tech does the laser.

This is not my vet in the below link but it has information and a video.
http://avianexoticsvet.com/cold-laser-therapy/
~Karen
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 25
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Types of Birds Owned: Green Winged Macaws
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