Chance's health issues (my CAG)

[GreenWing]

I previously wrote that my CAG parrot, Chance, was hormonal months ago, laid an egg for the first time, and subsequently developed a kidney infection. Out of pain, she started plucking. I've had Chance for 11 years now, this is a new thing, nothing new happened in our lives to cause this. We've had an increase of noise in our neighborhood with new construction being done with townhouses being built. But at 20 years of age, Chance became very hormonal for the first time, wanting to mate both me and my spouse.

She completed her antibiotics months ago, and seems more lively/happier; she no longer has the infection and her last vitals looked good. Avian vet prescribed valium, as our vet noticed her anxiety was increased. Let me tell you: it is very difficult to get Chance to take medication. We had to put it on toast. It was the only way, as she's terrified of the syringe.

Chance is still plucking. And even though she's on a solar schedule she doesn't sleep. She now refuses to sleep in her cage. She sleeps on some perches we bought for her. She plucks in the middle of the night. I don't know what to do for her. She'll fly to us while watching TV and will pluck while on the couch.

The only thing that makes sense to me is that she's sexually frustrated. We really try to not stroke her or kiss too much. No matter what, though, she still plucks.

How can I get her to stop? Bear in mind, I had Chance for 10.5 years before anything like this happened. She's always known my spouse and she's a happy bird. Would getting another African grey help? Especially if a male?

I'm at a loss here. She has a whole play area with lots of toys, we built a jungle gym for her. She would still rather fly to the bed and destroy the bedding and try to dig in the bedding. She has a healthy diet with chop daily in addition to some seed mix. We have tried valium and Pluck No More. The valium helped only a little.

[Pajarita]

I am soooo sorry poor Chance is still not feeling well but, in my opinion, there are a couple of things that stood out to me on your post. Let me clarify:

1) She was not hormonal months ago, going by her behaviors, she is still hormonal. This is kind of normal because, in my personal experience, the longer the bird has been getting the wrong stimuli (wrong light schedule, wrong diet, wrong petting, etc), the longer it will take for her endocrine system to go back on track.

2) She did not 'become hormonal for the first time at 20 years of age', she has been hormonal for years and years and years. It's only that, at 20, she couldn't take it anymore.

3) You say she plucks at night and that, when you are watching TV, she flies to you and starts plucking so my question to you is: Is this happening in the evening or night? Because if it is, she is not on a solar schedule. There can be NO lights whatsoever, no TV, no light from another room or coming in through the windows from street/garden/cars driving by.

Personally, I would not be feeding her seeds or chop. I would feed gloop, raw produce whole, in slices or chunks and walnuts for dinner. I would also not give her Pluck No More. I could not find the ingredients this time (the page that had them no longer exist) but I remember doing research on it years and years ago and not been happy at all with it. Just because something is made of herbs, it doesn't mean is any good. As to the Valium... well, all I will say about it is that if my avian vet prescribed it, that would be the last time that vet saw my birds.

Greys are in breeding season right now so I would give her a nest. Both my female CAGs are hormonal right now but my Sophie has been with me for many years so her seasons are 'mild' and the only change in behaviors is that she 'chews' a bit more and allows my husband to give her scritches (which she never does unless she is hormonal). Doobis, who came a year or so ago, started plucking her chest and chewing 2 boxes a day (the 'nest') but I am hopping she won't pluck next year because she came all plucked (legs, belly, chest, shoulders, neck, top of wings and rump) so her plucking just her chest is a huge step in the right direction.

So, my recommendation to you is the same as before: make sure all the conditions are 100% correct, give her a 'nest' (keep a good supply of boxes), make her a nice linden tea for dinner, and don't get impatient because after 20 years of 'accumulation' it will take her a long while to synchronize her hormones to the seasons.