Any ideas how/if to bath my baby...

[CoCoLo]

I have a 4 year old female grey. About 6 months ago she started plucking (which seems like a common theme with greys). I've had her to the vet for bloodwork. They say her potassium / iron was quite low (to the point they were saying she was anemic). She seems quite normal except for the plucking which is heartbreaking to watch. She'll be sitting with me calm and relaxed and the next millisecond whipping around feverishly "nibbling" at her down feathers / skin. She will methodically search out a new feather growth, get a good grip on it and slowly pull it out. It's allmost like it feels good to her when she does it; no sound or anything.
She was on a seed / fruit / veggie diet. I have now converted her to harrison's.
question: can potassium / iron deficiency cause destructive behavior like this?

I have just gotten the pluck no more along with the shampoo (have no idea how i am going to bathe her like they say; submerge her neck high in water? shuuuuure.....)

They say for best results to use the shampoo but i have no idea how i am going to do this. Any suggestions?

[Lori~D]

YES, any deficiency can cause feather destructive behavior and NO dont submerge your bird. Use a spray bottle to apply the pluck no more and I believe you also put it in the drink? Get her diet in order and try to keep her busy. Try to do some research to find out WHY she is low in potassium and iron. Potatoes (cooked) and bannanas are a good source of Potassium. Did the vet offer treatment of any kind? I have heard the Avimate products are better but have not used any. Avi-calm and Feather in but it sounds like you first need to focus on the diet and deficiencies. I have a plucker but we are working on it with diet and lifestyle first and it seems to be working.

[CoCoLo]

The good news is I have successfully converted her from a seed diet to Harrison's. I just kept eating it with her and eventually she figured it was food. I just hope she is eating enough of it. I may pick up a scale just to make sure she is not losing any weight. The vet doesn't see anything wrong with her other than the 2 deficiencies which could be because of the seed diet i guess.

The company that sells the Pluck No More does recommend using the shampoo, but i am unsure how to do this. The shampoo apparently will kill any mites as well as get rid of any dead skin which may be causing irritation. I may take her to a vet for this. I have noticed a definite difference in her down as well as new growth. Hopefully she will leave the new growth for a bit. That is the real test.

I have also bought some DVD's that show how to make a foraging tree and other ideas to keep her busy.

Any idea if it was only diet related how long it normally takes to see results? (ie how long for her iron / potassium levels to come back up to normal)

Thanks for the suggestions.

[CoCoLo]

Forgot to answer your question about the vet treatment.

She was given an injection that was supposed to be for any parasites, as well as a treatment that i put in her water. Here are the names of them:

Ivomec Injection
Novo Trimel 200/40 Mg/5 ml suspension.

These appeared to do nothing as it was done at the end on May and she is doing the same thing.

Fingers crossed on what I am doing now....

[Addicted to Tequila]

Do you have a natural foods / health store nearby? The way she is whipping around makes me think she is pretty itchy. I know a lot of folks here use aloe juice... NOT GEL... JUICE. You mix it with water and spray it on. I think it might be worth a shot for you... driving a decent distance and getting the juice, a spray bottle, and some distilled water has GOT to be easier than even THINKING about submerging a bird neck high in water!

Isn't she supposed to go back to the vet for a follow-up?

[equiniphile]

A lot of people take their grays in the shower with them

[Lori~D]

equiniphile - this thread is nearly a year old

[tracie]

I have a 10 month old CAG, she isnt a plucker, but I do think that a grey's nutritional needs are pretty complex. When I first got Zoe, she had really dry skin. Some things I have added to her diet are flaxseed oil. I put a few drops in her oatmeal and she doesn't twitch as much, she isn't preening like she is itchy anymore. I also started adding alfalfa, veggie magma, spirulina, bee pollen, and garlic. I usually rotate this with different days of the week. I hope this helps you. I am sorry you are in this situation, and I hope everyone's suggestions help your little girl. I would fill her cage with things to keep her challenged and busy, try some nutritional adjustments and love her to pieces. They are just so wonderful

[chapala]

Sorry she's plucking. Be sure to feed her at bare minimum 20% fresh vegetables and a little fruit along with the Harrison's pellets. Flaxseed oil, just a few drops a day, would be a good addition to her diet for the Omega 3 oils. Be sure to buy refrigerated, dated flaxseed oil from a natural foods store, and keep in the refrigerator - it's quite perishable at room temperature.

The seed diet would have been deficient in certain nutrients and too high in fat. Hopefully you'll see some improvement with the change of diet.

A soothing skin spray is made from calendula and chickweed. You can find the recipe at Feeding Feathers (Yahoo) forum, or some natural foods stores sell in ready-made.