Please Help

[taelonsmom]

My 5 year old IRN was hand raised and always been handled. The thing is, he is pulling out his feathers and sometimes he makes really painful noises. Imran told me to ignore it (in case it is mutilation) but can someone please tell me why he would do that? He is plucking under his wings and new feathers are already coming in. I would also like to ask ... are there any parrot mites that can be harmful to humans (if he is plucking because he has mites?). I am taking pills that have side effects of irritation. He sits on my chest and likes to be pet and coddled between my breasts lol... but I am wondering if I am getting really irritated there because of him or his grown claws punching into my skin?

He is not bathing and he sometimes pushes away my hand when I ask him to perch. I am wondering if he is suffering from parrot depression or something. We have ceiling fans here and I have decreased his 'outside the cage' time to 15 minutes from 1 hour... I am wondering if he is feeling neglected or has mites.

I went to a vet here and he gave me something for the itching but that doesn't seem to be helping. We forced a shower on him by sprinkling water on him but he is still plucking...Help~!

[Lauren]

I am so sorry you are going through this... poor lil guy! He might be in pain? I had a cockatiel that plucked its keel because it was in pain from crash landing all the time, bad wing clip. It was a while ago so I dont remember much. But my dad took our tiel to the bird vet and they injected him with something and he healed up. I am sorry I dont have any advice! Wish I could help. But am thinking of him.

[taelonsmom]

He plucks and makes painful noise..I should probably clarify that. Thanks for trying anyways. Sometimes it helps to know people understand.

[ringneck]

I can image how frustrating it must be. But let me first clarify something, I don’t believe plucking is a symptom of depression but rather a neurotic behavior. I think many people are quick to say that parrots pluck due to depression—but it’s much more complicated and EVERY case is different. Did the vet run a series of blood panels? Might you know which tests were run? Vitamin/mineral deficiencies? Stool samples? Was he avian certified?

MITES

There are no bird mites that can harm humans as I work with peafowl, poultry, and smaller parrots. Not once have I ever gone to the doctor due to a mite problem. Mites tend to gather on parrots that are sick or live in dirty environments—this is why it is important to keep everything clean and weekly wash everything down. Hope that answered your question.
The reason I asked you to ignore the behavior of plucking/mutilation is because parrots pick up on our energy. They will go to all sorts of lengths to ensure their owners are kept happy—this includes self mutilation. Many owners will coddle their birds when they see them plucking or mutilating but that’s really the wrong thing to do. Instead this reinforces this behavior. A wild parrot who mutilates would never be given this attention—rather he would be left to die or fend for himself—so sad but it’s true.

What I am getting at is that sometimes owners reinforce behaviors unintentionally. Some owners will tell their parrots to “be quite” during screaming—but the parrot does not understand our way of discipline—rather the outburst from us is looked at as a reward. Some parrots bite due to our reactions and facial expressions—the list could go on and on. Ignoring this behavior could perhaps eliminate it—do I think it will end? Probably not, because honestly I believe you’re in for a long journey. Some cases of picking never stop and some parrots have to wear a collar around their neck for the rest of their lives. Other owners purchase products via the web that swear up and down that it stopped their birds from picking. There is no one answer.

Also, it can take a full year for the feathers to return. Once the feather has been chewed it will not grow back until the base has been shed off. This means a full molt.

I don’t think we’ll ever understand what goes on in a parrot’s mind; however, their unconditional attachment to us is obvious—some more so than others. I have been around parrots that will not eat, sleep, or thrive without their owners being around.

I hope this shed some light into the subject for you. Do some research of the topic, keep a journal to see what triggers your parrots behavior, and most importantly take him to the vet to be sure he has a clean bill of health.

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-C

[taelonsmom]

I can image how frustrating it must be. But let me first clarify something, I don’t believe plucking is a symptom of depression but rather a neurotic behavior. I think many people are quick to say that parrots pluck due to depression—but it’s much more complicated and EVERY case is different. Did the vet run a series of blood panels? Might you know which tests were run? Vitamin/mineral deficiencies? Stool samples? Was he avian certified?

Thanks again Imran. Well I am still looking for an Avian vet. I don't know where things are in Pakistan as I recently moved here. The vet I took him to didn't run any tests... nevermind he didn't even give him a look!

I read the parrot foraging book someone posted and bought him some toys today. Both of my parrots played with them for a good half hour. The picking seem to have decreased a little since I have started paying attention actually. I don't know if you know about the flood situation here but because of it there are a lot of bugs and air borne diseases. I hope my birds don't catch any. I will take them to a certified avian vet as soon as I can locate them.

[ringneck]

Wow! Good to hear! Stay safe with the floods ok?! We are thinking about you and your parrots. Please keep us updated on his picking.

Best Wishes,

IMRAN-C