Hello from Boston

[Navre]

I was at the rescue today and came home to this pile of feathers behind the cage of my GCC. It's really hot, and I know it's molting season, but I am wondering if she is starting to pluck. I was gone all day but my son was here. he said he spent at least a couple of hours with her today.

We are having construction done on the house, although I'm told that they were fairly quiet today.

Also, she has pretty much been banished from the kitchen/family room area. My daughter is terrified of her when she flies, so rather than clip her, I have to give my daughter a sanctuary area.

I don't know if a combination of these things could be stressing her.

[Wolf]

Any change in the birds normal routine will prove to be stressful to it. The construction is a big one for sure. I am not able to say whether these feathers are the result of plucking or not, I would be examining each one looking for indications of ant flesh on the shafts which would signify plucking as it is the only way for me to know with my limited knowledge.

[Navre]

They don't look plucked. The end of the shafts look like all the other feathers she has lost.

I'm not doing any more days at the rescue until the construction is done.

[Pajarita]

Hmmm, well, even if they don't look plucked, that's an extraordinarily amount of feathers to lose in less than 24 hours for a bird with a good diet so something must be going on. And, Wolf is correct, any major change in routine (construction, limiting her 'territory', your not been there an entire day) would create stress. This added to her age (going through puberty -a physically and emotionally stressful and confusing time for them) plus the fact that she is molting (another physically stressful period for them) might have proven too much for her to handle. It's hard with parrots... We must constantly measure current living conditions in relation to their possible stress and make adjustments. Unfortunately, the adjustments are never on their side, it's us and the conditions that need to change because they can't.

[Navre]

She will wear the harness now, but she looks at me like, "You're lucky I'm the size of a hummingbird, or I'd hurt you."

[Wolf]

They certainly put up with a lot just to be able to spend some time with us. Now that is love.

[liz]

She is such a beauty.

[Pajarita]

Do those down feathers always look like that? I am talking about the ones standing up on her back, between her wings? Because, if they do, she's plucking.

[Navre]

Do those down feathers always look like that? I am talking about the ones standing up on her back, between her wings? Because, if they do, she's plucking.

No. That's just from putting on the harness.

[Pajarita]

Ahhhh, good!