What can I do to stop my parrot's feather pulling?
My male monk parakeet (quaker parrot) has been pulling his feathers out for over a year. I have been giving it a lot of attention and care. He has a large cage with bird toys. He loves to chew his feathers, and he has lost all of them, exept for the feathers on his wings and head. PLEASE HELP!!!
I breed quakers as a hobby. Feather plucking (and also QMS- quaker mutilation syndrome) is very common in quaker parrots. Sometimes the reason with quakers is they over-preen themselves. Preening toys are a deterrent for plucking. You hang them where they roost and in spots around their cage where they sit the most and they preen the toys instead of over-preening themselves. There are soooo many reasons for plucking.....stress, boredom, sexual frustration, diet, overpreening, psychological problems the list goes on.
Unfortunatley your bird has been plucking for a year and it has gotten really bad. You may try the preening toys....it may or may not help now. It has over time developed into a habit now for him, so he may never allow them to grow back in. The longer they pluck for and you don't figure out the reason....the harder it is to get them to stop. You could take the bird to your vet for an evaluation to see if there is an infection or if he thinks he can be medicated.....or you can love him for his featherless self.
I have a conure who has severe anxiety and plucks his chest. There is nothing I can do short of birdie prozac....which I am not willing to medicate him. I feel it is too dangerous for a small bird. So I accept him for who he is....even tho he looks like he has mange sometimes.
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