Plucking grey

[ridepaints51]

I have 2 greys m 11 & f 3, m Tiller we have never had any behavioral problems so the problem with the female Nala is dishearting...we went on vacation when we returned she started plucking bottom half of tummy and ALL ALL tail feathers..since Nov....does the bitter apple spray work?

[Lisa B]

I havent heard of success with that. Some have had good results with Kings pluck no more, however I have not seen a long term cure for plucking.
Have you had tests run to make sure she doesnt have a clogged preen gland or anything else underlying?
Alot of greys who pluck resort to back under stress. I have one with emotional problems and one is a nervous plucker. I have learned after test to make sure all is ok, that bald is beautiful.......She might stop once she feels things have returned to normal.

[ridepaints51]

Lisa,
Thanks, I have had her tested by a very good vet and everything is good. I really think it is now a habit. She has the best personality and coudn't be sweeter, my biggest concern now is her balance. With no tail feathers she really struggles with not falling. She spends the evenings in my lap on her back talking and singing....she is really perfect except for this plucking!!

[Lisa B]

Oh we need pics of that!! She sounds very sweet.
Stirling has no tail either right now. Just one feather. We recently moved, and he plucked one entire half of his body. chest, wing, butt and tail.
It was to be expected tho. He was absolutely in perfect feather a week prior to the move. the prettiest he has been in 20 some odd years!

[Greycee's dad]

Do I understand this correctly, she started plucking after you returned?
Did something about your appearance change, like hair color or cut? Is there a toy or something that you brought home to her that might be upsetting her? Or was there any other change in her routien after you returned?

[ridepaints51]

Actually, it did start before we got home but it was very mild and only a small area on her lower tummy that I noticed when we got home. She now has a nake left leg all lower tummy and all tail feather, blood feather and all.

[Greycee's dad]

I'm sorry I don't have any other ideas to offer, my only experience with plucking was due to a medical problem. Good luck though, don't give up, she sounds like a wonderful bird, I hope you can find some answers. There are others here with alot more experience then me.

[Lisa B]

Sounds like a nervous thing to me. Stirling picked WORSE when we got him settled back in his cage in teh new home, then he did in the tiny travel cage. They tend to start to pick when nervous and then once things return to semi normal, they go to town picking for a short time.

[Greycee's dad]

One thing you may want to look into is behavior modification. A good place to start might be Good Bird Inc. - Fostering the human/animal bond with positive reinforcement
They work on trying to eleminate unwanted behaviors by reinforcing more acceptable behaviors through positive reinforcement. Probably the hardest part is trying to identify what the cause of the behavior is, that's especially tricky with plucking, but you may find some ideas there.
I've subscribed to the magazine for the past year; there are always interesting articles on behavior in each one. Good luck.

[Lisa B]

ohhhh thanks Paul, I'll look into it as well!