Feather Plucking / Chewing
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Valuable Web Resources:
- Research by Purdue University: Cage Location a Primary Factor in Emotional Feather Plucking
- Dietary Changes to Relieve Plucking Caused by Itching Skin, Inflammation and Food Sensitivities
- Diagnostic Approach to Feather Picking / Feather Chewing
- Feather Picking by Dr. Jill M. Patt, DVM ... Feather Picking by Dr. Rob Marshall
- Please also see Environmental Changes
FEATHER PLUCKING / CHEWING can be caused by behavioral neuroses or physical problems, the most common of which are the following:
Physical / Medical / Environmental Dietary Reasons
Behavioral Reasons for Plucking are:
Stress
Sedatives, hypnotics and tricyclic antidepressants have been occasionally reported as an effective treatment. In an initial study by Grindlinger and Ramsay, 10 severely afflicted birds were treated with dosages of Clomipramine ranging from 0.75 to 3.0 mg/kg.
- Refeathering occurred in areas where the skin and follicles had not atrophied to the point of incapacity to produce refeathering;
- 20% of the birds were capable of refeathering;
- 50% picked their feathers significantly less, to the point that areas of excoriation or inflammation healed;
- 40% of the birds gained 10% of their body weight.
- Birds were more active and more sociable, but not sedated and not affected by anticholinergic (antihistamine like) side effects, according to 60% of the bird owners.
The findings of this study may have been more positive had less severely affected birds been used in their sample population. That a significant reduction in picking occurred in 50% of the birds treated is really remarkable.
- Holistic Alternative to Medical Stress Medication:
If it is stress-related plucking, then the following product has shown amazing effectiveness:
A product called "Stress Control" by King Bio Inc. has also shown effectiveness against stress-related plucking. It is a natural herbal mixture that relieves stress and anxiety in most pets, including birds. This product also helps with aggressive behaviors. One Customer review states that this "PRODUCT TRULY IS A MIRACLE WORKER!". It is added to a bird's drinking water. The package also indicates "Advanced Homeopathic Formulation with NO Side Effects 100% Safe Natural."
- Click here to view the list of ingredients and application.
- "Stress Control" retails at $19.95 a bottle. Another herbal product has very similar ingredients and is equally effective. However, "Pluck No More" costs around $30.
- Note: A vet recommended a list member NOT feed ANY FRESH FOOD while your pet is on either Pluck No More or the above Stress Control formula. He recommends feeding cooked foods, pellets and seeds only. According to him, the fresh food interacts with the natural formula and makes it a futile effort.
This product may work great for parrots suffering from stress or anxiety, but the cause of the stress or plucking may still need to be addressed, especially since there may be physical causes. Therefore, please also go over this website to assess the cause of the plucking, which could be as simple as changing the location of the cage or may require veterinary intervention.
Boredom / Loneliness:
- Behavioral modification. Providing positive reinforcement and redirecting your bird's energy towards non-destructive activities
- For a small percentage of birds, the addition of an opposite sexed mate may eliminate the behavior.
- The following websites provide excellent tips and tricks to occupy your bird: Environmental Changes .... Bird Proofing Your Home .... Foraging stops destructive behaviors ... Also refer to: Redirecting Negative Behaviors in your Petbird
Cage Location:
Research by the Purdue University into this widespread topic of abnormal behavior in parrots, including featherplucking, yielded the following results (the follow article is available on this website)
... physical environment, including cage placement, was a key factor generating feather picking by the parrots used in the study ... The scientists found that parrots with cages that didn't allow a view of doors where people entered the room were less likely to engage in feather picking.
"For parrot owners and breeders, one thing our research shows is that it might be worth putting a lot of thought into where the cage is positioned in the room," Garner said. "I think with a lot of care and a lot of forethought, these behaviors are manageable and preventable, especially considering our earlier work that demonstrated the positive effects of social housing and environmental enrichments, such as foraging and climbing devices. (full text)
Physical / Medical / Dietary Reasons:
Birds don't understand pain. For example, my elderly, handicapped cockatiel has arthritis and keeps biting his swollen joint whenever he feels in pain. When birds are in pain, they may bite the area where the pain is concentrated or they may remove (pluck) feathers over that area. If you find your pet concentrates on one specific area - rather than randomly plucking feathers, this may be a good indication that your pet is experiencing localized pain. Discuss with your vet any testing / treatment options.
Dry Flaky Skin:
According to a vet, the problem with a long time plucker (barring no follicle damage, of course) is that it begins to itch and hurt when a new feather breaks through the skin, as the skin is dry - which will likely encourage further feather destruction in your pet. It is really important to condition your pet's skin. You might want to monitor the humidity in your bird's area, then supplement with moisture; increasing the amount and frequency of baths, with the addition of aloe afterward usually helps a great deal.
Low levels of essential fats will also contribute to dry skin. Limiting or eliminating pellets and increasing foods / seeds high in essential fatty acids may help.
Hormonal:
Many parrots pluck their chest area as they mature and get into breeding condition, so we have to be sure to pay special attention to keep their skin as healthy as possible and to provide them with lots of preening, chewing and activity toys to keep your pet's attention off his or her feathers. Foraging is another great way to keep them busy and emotionally healthy.
Infections:
When a bird destroys their feathers in an irregular pattern, some experts believe that they might be picking feathers over the locations of infected air sacs because of respiratory problems, such as aspergillosis.
A diet deficient in calcium, salt and/or protein could also be a cause for plucking/chewing. One breeder suggested adding in a separate dish salt water (1 tsp of salt to a quart of warm water). You may want to discuss the preceding possibilities with your vet. Calcium malabsorption problem in birds could be brought on by an imbalance of other nutrients such as phosphorus.
- Red Palm Oil: More and more Red Palm Oil have been supplementing their birds' diet with Red Palm Oil and are reporting healthier / glossier plumage. I started adding it recently and was surprised that my parrots really seemed to like it. Several bird owners recommended this product and one pointed out a review on Amazon.com b J. Hall from San Pedro, CA (quoted next): "This isn't a joke, but it is useful advice. I bought this oil because I have a parrot with a feather plucking problem. I've been adding about half a teaspoonful daily to her soft food for about 3 months and the results are terrific. She's almost back to full feather and has not plucked a single pinfeather since we began adding it. This is a logical solution. Palm nuts are a part of most parrot's natural diet. It only makes sense that red palm oil contains nutrients that are otherwise missing in a caged bird's diet. Your mileage may vary since feather plucking is a complex mystery, but in my case it's been a miracle cure for our cantankerous eclectus."
- The product, including the original review, is on this webpage (scroll down to the review) ... You should also be able to get this oil at your local health food store.
- How to feed: Popcorn tasted great popped in it or you could sautée vegetables in it. However, I am keeping this oil in the fridge and it's therefore solid, which allows me to simply take off a pea-size scraping and place it on top of my parrot's fresh food. They like it.
For more information on bird nutrition, please go to this webpage
Food Sensitivities / Allergies (itching / dry / inflammed skin)
Endocrine / Reproductive Disease
- Zinc Toxicity: Zinc is a known toxin that will cause feather plucking in birds. Most affected birds were feather picking or showed signs of depression and gastrointestinal stasis. Your vet will be able to measure the your bird's zinc levels. Sources of zinc include: i.e., galvanized or powder-coated cages, quick-links or hardware, galvanized dishes, metallic toys - indeed any metallic, shiny object could be suspect
- Environmental toxins: such as pesticides on produce, exposure to cleaning products, air deodorizers, etc. (For non-toxic ways to control pests in the house or garden, please visit this webpage.)
Parasites
(i.e., Gardia) - The common giardia picking pattern usually involves the chest, underside of the wings, insides of the thighs, shoulders and sometimes the lower back region.
Infectious disease
Hypothyroidism / Low Thyroid Functioning
Primary Skin Infection
Allergies
Systemic Disease
Additional Treatments / Things You Can Do:
The following have shown success:
Mix Aloe Vera Juice (not Gel) with Water - 50 / 50. Mist your bird daily with this solution. You can get Aloe Vera Juice at a larger pharmacy or grocery store. Some plucking may be caused by dry skin -- and if this is the case with your bird, this will help. It also reduce dander - which is helpful for people with allergies.
George's Aloe Vera Spray Mister 8oz
Aloe Vera Spray Mister - A cooling refreshing spray. 100%
Some birds may be allergic to it! Start slowly.
*NOTE: Test first on a small area. Even though Aloe Vera is helpful for many birds, some rare birds may have a reaction to Aloe Vera. Spray one of your fngers and touch your bird's foot. Leave for 24 hours and see if an reaction occurs.
- With African Greys specifically, but not exclusively so, adding Palm Oil to his or her diet can greatly improve feather condition. The Palm Oil greatly decreases the desire to pluck or chew, allows feathers to grow in and those feathers are strong and glossy. A small amount of this oil should be mixed in with any parrot seed you are using (about 1/4 teaspoon twice a week). it can also be fed to other parrots (smaller birds / cockatiel size about 8 drops twice a week.). Red Palm Oil is available at your local natural food store, or you can get it online
- Note: My African Grey's plumage is glossy and beautiful. Others report the same. Definitely recommended.
Great success has been reached by a vet putting a little notch in the lower mandible which makes it difficult for the bird to grasp a feather, and yet doesn't impede eating. The beak will eventually grow back; the rule of thumb is that the deeper the notch the longer it works. This will only treat the symptom - and the cause of feather plucking still needs to be investigated, but this procedure will prevent permanent damage to the feather follicles and prevent further feather loss.
- Collars: For serious cases, such as mutilators, additional steps may need to be taken. People have reported success in stopping a bird from overpreening / plucking his/her feathers by using a "tube collar".
- Bird owners have successfully used the soft pipe insulation tubes as a collar. It can be purchased at any hardware stores and is more comfortable than the Elizabethan collars. These insulation tubes come in different diameters, so you would get one that would be close enough to your pet's neck to keep your pet from reaching down to pull feathers out. You only need a short piece - to fit around the neck. The insulation tubes are already slit to fit over a pipe so there is no cutting, taping, stapling or anything. Just stretch it apart and put around the birds neck and you are done. Vet recommended. It works great, there is no loss of balance; parrot can easily move around.
My parrot had additional problems, such as an injured breast bone caused by frequent falling (she had nerve damage due to suffering from PDD / Macaw Wasting Disease.) So I was looking for somethign that not only stopped her from plucking, but also protected her chest. I used a thick sports sock (the thicker, the better it withstands a bird's beak). I cut the "foot" off the sock, until I had a "tube" long enough to cover the chest of the bird. I cut two slits on the sides for the wings. On this webpage, you can see a photo: Xena.htm.
- Crop Bra: A fairly easy solution offers the crop bra (illustrated below). I made it from elastic bandage. It temporary prevents chewers from getting to their wounds.
- The "sports-sock" solution lasts a little longer -- as it is thicker. But the crop bra may be easier for you to work with. You could put some cushioning material between the bandage and the chest to protect the bird from hurting itself when falling off the perch, as sick and weak birds tend to do.
- Bubble Collars: Another option is a commercially available Bubble Collar. They are more comfortable than the hard-colllars commonly used. Hopefully your avian vet carries that. If not, the following vet offices do: Bridget Ferguson, DVM, ABVP. Holly Street Pet Hospital. 501 Laurel Street. San Carlos, CA 94070, Phone: 650-631-7400; Wildwood Veterinary Hospital 838 Portola Rd Portola Valley, CA 94028-7207, Phone: (650) 851-9453; Lynn R Dustin, VMD-Board Certified Bird Specialist, Bay Area Bird Hospital 2145 Taraval St San Francisco, CA 94116 Phone: (415) 566-4359. Your vet needs to order this collar. They are relatively inexpensive.
- Avian Collars: Another commercially available collar - also needs to be purchased by your vet. They are also relatively inexpensive; however, your vet will have to order a whole set to fit your pet with the right size.
- A little experimenting will help you find the best solution for you.
The following resources are recommended readings:
- Redirecting Negative Behaviors in your Petbird for some excellent tips and tricks
- Bird Proof Your Home to Protect Your Furniture & Keep your Bird Safe
- Foraging: The Way To Keep Your Parrot Mentally Stimulated and Happy
- Top Bird Killers
- Toxicities
- Toy Safety
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