help with plucking

[tattoo]

I got a rescue Senegal last week.
Anyway.. i need help with plucking. She is eating well now, however the day i got her she had a bunch of bleeding blood feathers and the vet had to pull a bunch of them and even stitch them. She also plucks.

I have her in an aquarium so she doesn't break anymore, but they seem to not take much to break. Vet thinks it goes back to nutrition. she was feed roudy bush only. no ventilation and no sunlight. I know have her on a bunch of healthy things including eggs, fruits, etc. she is easting very well.

I cant tell however if she is still plucking or molting. She isnt into toys and since she is in quarantine i can't keep my eyes on her all the time. but i do bring her to me and she sleeps for hours on my chest. she is very sweet but shy. someone owned her for 12 years before this witch got her... she has 187 birds in 2 sm rooms and no venation. sad sad.

any suggestions about plucking? never had this with tattoo.

[lzver]

Your doing a great thing by taking this little Senegal in and giving him a better life.

Unfortunately I don't have experience with pluckers, so I can't really offer any personal advice.

What did the vet suggest? I did find a few sites that talks about feather plucking that might give you some good information and advice.

http://www.petparrot.com/ParrotCarePlucking.htm
http://www.2ndchance.info/selfpluck.htm
http://www.avianweb.com/featherplucking.html

Good luck and let us know how the new little Senegal is doing.

[pchela]

The first things to try with plucking are making sure the cage is big enough or the bird has plenty of room to move around, checking the diet which you are already doing and offering a wide variety of toys to prevent boredom. After doing those things, if none of them work, your vet will likely have further suggestions.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

The things I've read about to try with pluckers include bathing, improving nutrition, treating underlying general health issues, providing more entertainment, providing more companionship and, yes, flight. Just because she doesn't seem into the toys, doesn't mean you shouldn't give them to her... she may learn to play with them over time. A preening type toy might allow her to redirect some of the plucking behavior. You could even talk to the vet about trying an Elizabethan collar if this is a recently triggered behavior that isn't a set habit. I have heard that irritation from a leg band or a broken feather or mites or really anything that might be irritating to the skin can trigger plucking where the bird didn't pluck previously. But I have no personal experience with it, I'm just "parroting" what I've read.

[tattoo]

I have tried a bunch of things already but i am afraid it may just take time. I have to keep her quarantine for 30 days so i can't put tattoo in the same room with her.. i have to keep her in an aquarium for a few weeks because her blood feathers are so fragile that they keep breaking. the vet had to pull so many that they had to stitch her.

I am trying to give her as much attention as i can including holding her (she is sleeping on my chest right now) i am giving her a much better diet (some days she eats good, some not) She is not interested in any toys (but i do have them in there) i am going to try some shredded papers to see if that interests her. She is very sweet but nervous. I am hoping love and time will help.

i think this will take some work. I have no idea her history except that some guy had her for 12 years before this breeder/hoarder got her. i dont know how long she has had her.. no bands.. no nothing and of course she isnt offering up info.

I do know she is a she! and i named her Lilly

[Giantmoa]

you could try foraging as well to help keep her busy trying to get treats? it might take her a while to get interested in it though

[ptuga72]

Plucking is tough. My suggestions are pretty much what everyone else has said. Lots of baths, lots of opportunity to stimulate her mind (foraging, preening/destructible toys, puzzles), limiting stressors, providing distractions (i.e., giving her a cinnamon stick when she starts to pluck), and being very, very patient. I thought we had left plucking behind us and wouldn't you know it, Scarlet pulled out her feathers on her chest last week. My avian vet also has put her on liquid sunshine to help her feather condition and I've started giving her chamomile tea on stressful days.
Anyways, sorry for the rambling, if you have any more questions feel free to ask. I'm no expert but sometimes a second (or third or fourth ) opinion can be nice.

[birdvet]

Plucking...aarrgghh!!!!

In short, very difficult to fix, unless its a medical cause. But a behavioural plucker that has habituated and been doing it for ages is a nightmare to cure.

As an aside, the source where this bird came from sounds super unhygienic and you describe the feathers as beeing friable and breaking easily. My first test would be beak and feather disease..I would not be at all surprised if the crazy person with the hundreds of birds has PBFD in the collection.

Here's a link to the dermatology chapter in Avian Medicine: Principles and applications:
http://www.avianmedicine.net/ampa/24.pdf

Here's a link to the entire book, FYI.
http://www.avianmedicine.net/ampa.html

If you remember this simple time line for birds. They sleep, forage for food, preen, and look for mates occasionally . If their food is provided for them in an easy access bowl that leaves a significant portion of the day they need to fill in. Most will fill it in by overpreening and eventually picking.

Good luck!!! And you rock for adopting this poor little bird and giving it a much happier home

[tattoo]

thanks guys.. we are working on this little girl. We named her Lilly! I am going to just keep her with me. I can take her to work with me and keep her on my desk. Today she did pretty well. only plucked about 5 feathers. She can get a lot of attention at work so it will keep her busy. She loves the girl that works for me who got her out of that house. Lilly grooms her and feeds her. I am working with shredded paper, millet and anything else i can find to keep her busy.
she was with some guy for 12 years and i think he must of taught her to dance. as soon as i said dance, she perked up and started swaying from side to side.

anyway. thanks for the support. Everyday seems to be a little better than the day before...

i will keep you posted.