Chance plucked - first time

[Pajarita]

Ahh, well, the crystals in a bird's urine are usually from eating too much protein and/or food that is too dry. This is one of the most commons problems with pet parrots... they are not 'designed' to eat dry food (dry fruits, pellets) and, because they are hard-wired to drink only at twilight, the poor things live with sub-clinical dehydration which damages the kidneys and liver. A wet diet is essential to their health. Pellets are easy but they are not good for them regardless of what the manufacturers and vets tell you.

[GreenWing]

Update on Chance: she's doing MUCH better. She finished her course of antibiotics and has seemed to stop plucking. She's drinking water again, too.

Feeding juicy fruits really helped in the chop I would prepare. She really enjoyed pomegranate and grapes and apples, with chopped broccoli and yam and other goodies. Thank you for all your help, Pajarita.

I'll be calling her avian vet today to update and make sure she can have a follow up check.

[Pajarita]

GREAT NEWS! And you reminded me to post about pomegranate arils which came early AND CHEAP this year (I got them for $1.98 each!) are super nutritious and birds love them.

[GreenWing]

Pomegranates are awesome.
Well, I spoke too soon. Chance did stop plucking, but seems to have started again. We're in touch with her avian vet, will keep everyone posted.

Fortunately she's doing well on chop and seems more lively.

[Pajarita]

That's actually not unusual, they do have 'relapses' but, eventually, if diet, light, out-of-cage time, etc is all good, they stop. Keep on insisting with the good husbandry and it will all work out,

[GreenWing]

Thank you... apparently Chance is making small crying sounds and we're now worried the infection hasn't cleared. She's plucked all feathers around her vent.

Taking her back to Avian vet tomorrow. She might need a different course of antibiotics. We couldn't get an earlier appointment time.

Poor Chance. Will update.

[GreenWing]

I insist: strict diet, strict solar schedule, no petting anywhere but on the head and neck and give her a nest. I have found that trying to stop them from nesting is EXACTLY the opposite of what they need.
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Thank you, appreciate the reply.
This issue started due to her being hormonal for the first time to a great extent in ten years. Of course, I made mistakes along the way in stroking her and kissing her.
After she laid the egg two months ago that has stopped. She's on a solar schedule and her diet is now strict with mostly chop and NO pellets, proteins, soy, etc.
The problem is that the antibiotics administered did not destroy the infection and she is plucking because she's in pain. The x-ray showed she has enlarged kidneys. Unfortunately, a hen getting a kidney infection can happen with egg laying. I wish the veterinarian prepared for the infection in hindsight but I'm not sure how often this occurs...

In any case, she is on her way back to the clinic in an hour. I'll be sure to update on her status today.

She's not sleeping well and bangs the cage in the night, waking us up, despite sleeping on her perch. She refuses to sleep in the cage now. I think she is acting out psychologically as a reaction to being in physical pain. I hope our avian vet, who is an excellent avian vet, can help us destroy the infection with a new course of antibiotics and perhaps give some pain meds for Chance, so she can get some relief and be able to sleep at night.

Truly, it's heartbreaking to see my CAG in this state. In the decade I've had her, she never plucked. Not once. I always took pride in that and giving her exceptional care because this bird is my "child." Now, it's hard to see her plucked body and see her suffer like this.

So, yes. Let this be a warning: never, ever stroke a bird or kiss wings because you are inadvertently making a mistake that can cause harm to a bird. Head scratches ONLY.

[Pajarita]

Well, yes, stroking their backs and wings is a no-no but that did not cause her to become overly hormonal or pluck. It's never just one single thing... in my personal opinion is always a combination of things: a not too good a diet, a not strict solar schedule, not having a steady routine (people do not realize how important it is for their emotional and physical wellbeing never to change the daily routine), maybe spending too many hours in the cage, etc. Mind you, I am not saying you did all these things, I am simply listing things that make a difference.

I don't know what antibiotic she was given or for how long but I have found that levofloxacin or TMP-SMX work well for kidneys and that birds usually require a longer treatment than other animals. Also, a bit of metacam would be a good idea. And heat! Keep a heating pad at the bottom of her cage and cover the top, back and sides so the heat doesn't disperse. Another thing you can do is give her herbal teas instead of plain water, dandelion tea and/or hibiscus with a bit of ginger would be beneficial.

Aside from that, when it comes to plucking and bringing their endocrine system back on track, time, patience, perseverance and consistency are key. It takes a long time for the endocrine system to completely 'catch up' to the seasons.

Oh, one more thing, if she plucked her vent, she might have another egg 'cooking' in there. Is she pooping normally? Also, was she tested for heavy metal?

[GreenWing]

Good news: Chance's infection is doing better and her kidneys are going down in size but are still a little enlarged. Avian vet says the slight enlargement will cause some discomfort still but she's doing better. Vet says to keep up with renal diet. Apparently... Chance is having a strong psychological reaction to this infection. Avian vet (who has been her vet for a decade) says she is exhibiting nervousness and anxiety. Pain meds are out because they're hard on kidneys but a low dose of a calming medicine is being administered.

The good news is that she's physically healing and her vitals are looking very good.

That's good advice about the hibiscus/dandelion tea! Will give that a try. Yes, her vitals look good, her droppings are normal, she has a good appetite and she's doing better... just her mental health is in a tough place. Poor baby.

[Pajarita]

GREAT NEWS!!! Feed her oat groats, bananas and cabbage. Cabbages have an extra good bacteria that promotes production of serotonin and oat groats and bananas have tryptophan which, again, is necessary for serotonin production. Also, add linden and lemon balm to the tea, they are both a mild nervine - and she will like the lemon balm taste a lot.