Camomile tea for pluckers

[mpebs]

Has anyone ever heard of giving camomile tea to birds that pluck/clip. I spoke with a retired breeder that told me to try chamomile tea - 1 teabag to 40 oz of water. Holistic vet told her 3 full days of tea then give back regular water plus tea now and then. The attachment is bamm bamm that had the tea for 2 full weeks. I was just wondering if anyone else has ever heard of this. If anyone can explain how to insert an image, I would be happy to post the pics of the lovebird.

[mpebs]

Looks like I figured out how to post the pics...lol

[The Outlaw]

You aren't trying to tell me that after two weeks, that's the same bird, right? If so, that's simply a fantasy. Feathers don't grow back like that so quickly.

If you are trying to tell me that it was treated with tea for 2 weeks, and this is the bird today, many months later, then you have my full attention.

I tried dosing my BG macaw with Chamomille tea and it did zip. Nada. Nothing.

[mpebs]

The pic says August 1 to October 1...so they are one month apart. I've never heard of using camomile tea. Since you tried it as well, I think I might give it a try for the two greys and one cherry headed conure that clip. I guess anything is worth a try as long as it doesn't harm birds. That was my biggest concern. Thanks

[mpebs]

Did you find anything that worked on your b&g macaw? I'm curious as to what treatments were successful for you.

[The Outlaw]

I wish I did. First of all, she came to me fully feathered from MN at about 13 months old. Her former owner was in the midst of chemo and didn't know if they were gonna live.

From the very beginning, the feathers seemed strange. Very dusty with very heavy sheaths.

At the age of 2 she started to pluck. I should also state, for the record, that I also have 3 other BGs, close to her age, a GW, a Severe, 2 greys, a YNA and a quaker.

None of the others pluck. All have the same diet. All are out of cages at least 6 hours a day and the macaws spend 8 hours a day, weather permitting, in an outside aviary.

She has been extensively tested and my vet has decided its not organic and likely behavioral.

I have tried the following:

Changing the diet: removing peanuts, corn and flour.
Removing pellets, feeding a totally fresh diet, limiting seed, limiting light and darkness, adding Red Palm Oil, using Pluck No More (total waste of money) adding Avicalm (helped for a while), daily showers, aloe vera added to rinse, aloe detox added to drinking water, extra protein, extra calcium, extra vitamin A(through diet). I've also tried collars and vests. She is currently vested.

I am clueless. However, I'm forever looking for the miracle. Good luck.

[Monica]

Chamomile tea helps calms the birds down and is often suggested for use before a trip. I've tried it with my cherry head conure that is a mutilator, but for her it only happens when there are changes or stresses either to the environment or to me. She only mutilates VERY rarely, and seeing that she may have brain damage she's a very calm/quiet bird. So to say, chamomile tea really didn't change her behavior. She did come to me as a biting, screaming, mutilating machine. She is nothing like what she used to be! At the same time she's not too trusting of humans so we have an interesting relationship.

I have a tiel who is harder to keep watch of since she's 'wild', and uncontrollable. Other than a new environment (she came mutilating herself) which has helped I haven't tried anything else on her, at least not yet. She came with her mate, and two offspring in a ferret cage about 18x18x46" and from a chain smokers home, so being in a different environment in a larger cage has done quite a bit for her and her feathers! Still, her flights do not grow out as they should, and if I ever try to catch her, there's sure to be blood from at least one of us. I plan on setting her up in an extra cage soon, and may try the chamomile with her. Also plan on putting her in a collar to see if there's any possibility of her flights growing back.

Least bit, yes I have heard of chamomile being used with pluckers, and working in some cases, but it doesn't work in all. Many different factors come into play as to whether or not of when you took in the bird if it was already plucking, as well as diet, environmental issues such as light, air quality, products used, etc. Some birds may never stop plucking themselves however, no matter what is done.

[littlecharlietoo]

Heard it... didn't work very well for ours. It's just an herbal sedative. Helps relieve anxiety and hyperactivity.

[mpebs]

Hey guys...thanks for all of your input.

Outlaw...I'm glad you told me about the pluck-no-more. I was going to try that if nothing else worked. I won't waste my money. You really tried many many things with no success. I'll keep all of those in mind.

Monica...we also have a cherry headed conure that is a permanent surrender. He's a clipper....has slightly gotten better since he arrived. Overall, he has the strangest and most aggressive behavior I've ever seen for such a small bird. He goes ape nuts over one of the B&G macaws and tries to attack the b&g when he gets on the floor. I can't leave the CHC out with any other birds unless I'm standing right there watching his every move. He also attacked his previous owner when she tried to get close to him. I saw him go after her when she delivered him. He was once her baby and when she got other birds, turned into an aggressive little booger. However, he has come a long way and now allows us to pick him up (with a perch) but will try to take a bite out of us every now and again. I have to say, he doesn't bite nearly as much or as hard as he did when he first arrived here.

[Monica]

I know what you mean with them cherry heads! Noel was previously attacked by a ferret, then moved to another home where she was misunderstood for a good 5 years. When I took her in, she bit, screamed, and mutilated herself! Screaming is now only reduced to when she wants food primarily, biting normally only when she's pissed off or doesn't like someone... Mutilation only occurs when something stresses either her or I out, so I can normally find out WHY she mutilated herself each time, since it occurs so infrequently. Her previous owner used a fake finger to get her to step up.

Now though, Noel trusts me enough that I can handle her, give her lots of kisses, trim her beak using nail failer and any other handy tools that would work, and give her the occasional scritch when she allows it... However, she is by no means a bird to seek out human interaction. Her best buddy is Casey, my first cockatiel, and they normally sleep together at night. I however DO NOT trust Noel around ANY other bird here, as she has done damage to them before (one incident which resulted in the death of an older bourke, sadly).

I have recently taken in a mitred conure (was thought to believe a cherry head, but I found out for sure when I met him, he was a mitred!), whom I hope ends up staying! He's only about 12 years old (compared to Noel of an approximated age of 16), is in better overall feather, has stronger grip and is getting the jist of flying. Due to Noel's ferret attack some years ago, she has gone blind in one eye, and cannot fly, and may never fly at all comparing her and Charlies strength. The more I get to know Charlie and his strengths (via feet and wings), the more I believe that Noel may indeed be suffering from brain damage, which causes occasional seizures, weakness in legs/wings, blindness, and a few other things. Charlie and Noel are complete opposites, so I wouldn't really mind observing Noel and another cherry head "together".


Of course Charlie, being the typical conure, that's love sick for his human (now me), gets into trouble, etc well needless to say he snuck up on a blind macaw, which caused him to loose half of his lower beak. It by no means disables him in ANY way, and he remains such a little booger! He's become very trusting of his chosen person, flying to them, accepting scritches, being held upside down, swung around, or even being tossed while laying on his back.

Pics of Charlie
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/09...harlie-Saurus/

Pics of Noel and Casey
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/09...l%20N%20Casey/


Spud is a very gorgeous Cherry Head! How hold is he?