My new bird is terrified and plucking feathers. What should I do?

Thanks for reaching out about Rupu and including photos. Feather picking can be caused by behavioral problems and medical conditions. Medical conditions range from metabolic (liver, kidney), dermatitis (bacterial, fungal, viral), parasitic (mites), dietary deficiencies, and other systemic illnesses. Feather picking due to stress, breeding behavior, and others are also common. A veterinary visit is needed to assist with diagnosis and treatment plans. Dietary review is important. Keep separated from other birds in case infectious and contagious. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Bangaram and including a photo. Psittacine Feather Destructive Behavior is common in parrots, but the difficulty is acquiring a cause. Stress/behavior is common a nd can consist of breeding, nutritional or environmental stressors. Diseases can also lead to pulling feathers including infectious diseases (viral, bacterial), metabolic disorders (liver, renal), skin diseases and others. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and try to determine a cause. Diet and husbandry practices need to be reviewed with a veterinarian experienced with birds. Some diagnostic tests will probably be recommended and necessary to come to a conclusion. There is no topical medication that is going to cure or even stabilize this condition. Good luck.

Hello. I’m so sorry you are dealing with feather destructive behavior, but I’m glad your vet said he’s healthy. FDB is extremely frustrating and can have many causes. Illness must be ruled out first by way of a physical exam, blood work, X-rays, fecal tests. If those are all normal, then we usually do a feather and skin biopsy to see if there is an issue in the feathers themselves. After that, we consider the behavior psychological. Since you say this started during your cancer treatments, I suspect this is a stress response in your bird. Birds are extremely social and bond strongly to their person. If you were sick and stressed he likely picked up on that. If you had less time for him, thatvlikely caised him stress as well. Birds also are used to being in flocks and flying miles and miles a day. So just being indoors in a cage is stressful. As you can see, birds have a lot of cause t be stressed and pick feathers! There are many strategies to try but to be honest, once this starts it’s very very hard to stop. Special collars, vests and other things can be worn to prevent plucking. Medications for pain, itching, and antipsychotics can sometimes help. The best thing would be to see your veterinarian again, or seek the help of an avian specialist to work through the possible causes and implement a treatment and management strategy. This will be a long road, but hopefully will be worth it in the end. Good luck!

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 reaching out about Quiz and including photos. It surely sounds as if this is a stress response. Too many changes in a very short period of time: different room, different cages, different routine. The only answers are to try and mitigate stress: keep area quiet and maybe dim lights. Avoid any other additional stresses as in loud noises. Try and spend more time with them as a calming effect. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Blink and including photos. Feather picking can be due to external parasites (mites, lice), bacterial or viral dermatitis, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic disorders (liver, kidney), endocrine problems and stress. A veterinary visit is highly recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Ensure that heat support is provided due to the loss of feathers and ability to regulate the body temperature. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about your keets. It is recommended you allow them time to acclimate to their new home. This doesn't mean your shouldn't interact with them, but only if they are willing. Keep a good routine of waking in the morning, offering food/water, cleaning, bedtime, etc. Stress (new home) raises corticol levels which can cause feathers to fall out easier (just like our hair) but stress can also induce them to pull their feathers out (like us biting out fingernails). Some diseases can also cause feather loss and excessive grooming, so if persists, a veterinary visit is recommended. Take it slow. Good luck.