Why is my bird picking its chest and back feathers? What to do?

Ouch! Those areas look pretty irritated. A good first step is to bring your bird into a local avian vet so they can check for issues such as parasites, illness or infection, or even nutritional issues that could be causing the feather loss and dull coloration. Getting him on treatment can help improve his health. If he checks out healthy, looking for behavioral causes is a good next step. Boredom or stress can cause excessive feather plucking, so making sure he's kept in a stress-free area can help as well as adding in some enrichment to his environment. Toys that are interactable, time outside the cage bonding with you or on a playpen, and fun food and puzzle treats can help keep him interested. An Elizabethan (cone) collar can also be made to help with excessive feather plucking or scratching while the area heals.

The most common reason for feather loss is feather picking. This is usually a behavioral trait that can be very hard to stop. I would recommend a visit to a vet to just make sure there are no underlying disease like parasites or infectious. IF the medical exam is normal make sure to have adequate space for Harry to live. Provide plenty of toys to play with and possibly a mirror. Increase interaction in a quiet place of the house to reduce stress. You can mist the features with an over the counter feather hydrating spray. Sometimes if it is not improving their are medications you can use to help with this behavior.

Birds will pluck due to infection (bacterial, fungal, parasites), stress or boredom. If Paco will allow, look him over for redness or scabbing. Clean and sanitize the cage, bowls, toys and perches. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Use paper towels or plain paper on the cage bottom and change daily. Provide a variety of toys and puzzle feeders to keep him occupied. Allow playtime and interaction outside of the cage daily. Bathe or mist him with warm water weekly to encourage preening and to promote healthy plumage. If he persists, have him physically examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian to diagnose and treat injury or illness.

The bumps could be new feathers trying to push through that are being picked right away and preventing Nemo from regrowing them. If he is stress plucking, making sure he is kept somewhere that is less stressful, such as a quieter room, and that he has enrichment such as toys, perches, time with you, etc can help. In some cases, plucking becomes a habit that needs to be stopped, and something such as a birdy flight-suit that covers the chest or an Elizabethan/cone collar (Google has tutorials for making tiny bird sized ones from objects at home) can block him from picking and allow the area to heal.

Your veterinarian or an experienced avian veterinarian can examine and diagnose mites or infection (bacterial or fungal). Once medical causes have been ruled out, you can focus on behavioral causes such as boredom or anxiety. A warm bath or misting can promote healthy plumage. Rearranging her cage and play top can provide welcome changes. Keep a variety of toys and rotate them to keep her engaged and interested.

Thanks for reaching out about Tooka and including a photo. A veterinary visit is needed to determine a cause for the picking. Medical conditions such as viral diseases (PBFD, polyoma virus), kidney or liver disease, bacterial skin diseases, pain or arthritis, malnutrition, are just a few. Behavioral stresses can lead to feather picking also, hormones or husbandry. Anti-anxiety medications might help with feather picking but a veterinary visit is needed to prescribe. Good luck.

Thanks for your question about Coco, and thanks for the photos - they are very helpful. You are correct that it could be taking him a long time to molt, however he may also be preening excessively and removing his feathers. In one of the photos he looks to have acreddebed area of skin - this is not typical of regular molting. If you are seeing feathers continuously at the bottom of the cage, this would also be suggestive of overpreening. I would recommend ensuring that his cage is very clean, that he is provided with multiple toys (which you will have to introduce slowly as budgies are often very nervous about new items), a mirror if he doesn’t have any company, and proper nutrition. These would all help with a molting issue, and may also help a bit if he is overpreening himself. If you are able to take him to a veterinarian, they would also be able to assist with this problem. They could look at the skin and feathers to ensure that there isn’t a medical reason for his condition. I hope that helps, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!