Stella`s X-owner lied! Feather picking issue... and more

[Stellas Mom]

First I want to apologize for the size of this post. Its going to be long one!

Some of you might remember that we adopted Stella in February! If it wasn't for this board, we may have not kept him. You guys are the best ever! ... ok with that said... you might remember that I felt it was odd (and so did u) that I never got a chance to speak to his previous Mom. She gave my hubby a quick run down and that was that!... for instance his favorite foods were chocolate and french fries..... Don't panic! you guys straightened that out for me from day one!.. and now he has a better diet than I do!! I mentioned to you guys, his coloring is better and he's a much happier bird now that he's with us and I was correct about all my thoughts about his previous "Mom".. (using that word because its nicer than I word I really want to use)

Sorry i'm all over the place but I'm pissed off!... anyhoo, I had posted a few weeks ago that I was noticing Stella's nails were way too long and it was suggested I do the nail file routine with him but he wasn't taking to it quick enough for our liking so I decided to call a couple of Avian Vets.. The two I called were rude and abrupt and I didn't like the tone! specially the one that asked me for my credit card to make full payment when I book the appointment over the phone! and thus, I hung up on them!.. I knew that when Stella got here, his food had a sticker on it from a bird welness centre and I called them. It was the Vet she took him too!. I booked the app't... beak trimming and nails..

Which leads me to today... I wanted to know his history and as it turned out... I was sick to my stomach to learn of his history. She only took him in for his first health check visit when he was 2 years old (he will be 3 this August)... and she didn't even have him properly checked. She took the cheap route. When we got him, the feathers on his chest were all yucky but she had told my hubby that she boarded him in December and he was bitten by another bird and thats why the ruffled looking feathers.. WELL, I find out today its not true. She was to bring him back for a full physical and never did but she did bring him in to be boarded for 3 days and all was fine.... however, in January she brought him in on an emergency because he was bite by another bird (vet never received all info from her) and he had stitches... than 2 weeks later she brought him in again because his knuckles were bleeding.... the Vet never saw Stella after that. He also said "your bird has a huge feather picking problem" and I asked "because he's a GCC?" Vet said nope! it was a terrible problem that I told her about when she was here for the first time last June. ..WHAT! OMG! He said it is possible that Stella has stopped this now that he is with us but there really could be 100 reasons why he does this and that we should collect some feathers and take them to him and book a 1 hour consultation with him, me, hubby & Stella because it could be dangerous for him. He plucked a couple of Stella's feathers (grey down feathers on his chest) and than showed me the pin feather and the 1/2 plucked feather... I believe he said its good if I find feathers that still have the pins attached and not good if I find lots of 1/2 little feathers (that he would bite off)... now that I am home and trying to calm down, I'm hoping that is the right information that I absorbed! Is it good when I find the pin feathers? will this mean he no longer has him problem?... I donno but I am looking for any suggestions on how to stop him from doing this. The Vet (who was fantastic) said to keep him busy and we do but when i'm at work, he has 6 hours to pluck away if he wants too. I think we should book this appointment with him but right now, its more important to book the physical ($250.00) and maybe the consultation on feather picking next month. but I don't want to wait on the solution for this. I want to start helping him today. What I thought was preening seems to be feather picking... who knew...

I'm still pissed off that we didn't know about the stitches or the knuckles or that he's not been properly takin care of by a vet..... I'll calm down eventually! I always said that when she gave him away, she gave us a bulls**t reason and I felt he was just too much bird!... now I find out some other bird bite him.. hurt him etc..... and that she just lied to get rid of him..... anyhow, he's with us now and all better! eats well, looks great and is happy! but this feather picking issue is killing me!... the Vet said by now a GCC should have green feathers on his chest and not the beat up old grey ones that he has. He looks heathly and but apparently, he should look even better..... Any suggestions?

He also said we are giving him too many seeds in his treats. I should only be giving him pellets and a handfull of his seed treat mix once a week. I`ve have been leaving a full bowl (along with pellots) in his cage. He gets fruits, vegys etc all the time).. apparently the seed mix (has all kinds of good stuff!) is fatty and I should back off..... what do u think

Thanks for listening to me vent. Sorry if some of this doesn`t make sense! I have so many things running threw my head right now about this!
I guess we are so in-love with him now and only want the best! (hubby is away on business and he hasn't called yet).... so thanks for taking his place right now and lending me your ears! (or should I say eyes!)

Thanks! I love you guys! I don't know what I would do without you! All the way home I was thinking "how quick can I get online and post!"..

XXXOOO
Marilyn

[chapala]

Too bad about the previous owner not being open with you about the bird's previous health issues! But, the bird is with you now and in a good home, lucky for him.

Yes, seed is high fat. If you make up a grain mix from a human store with bulk bins -wheat berries, kamut, spelt, raw buckwheat, quinoa, millet, hulled (or hulless, but not pearl) barley, whole oats, at least 3 different grains - then, soak some overnight in water, drain and rinse in a strainer in the morning. You can feed that morning - germination has started, and the grains contain less fat and more nutrition. Better yet is to feed some, and continue sprouting the rest for about another 24 hours until you just see little white roots emerging. Then you have sprouts, very nutritious, lower fat, and your bird probably will like them. All mine do!

[Stellas Mom]

Thanks so much! I will print out that list and get them tomorrow!

I just poked around the board to look at some GCC recent pics and I see what the Vet was talking about. Most of the chests are a beautiful vibrant green feathers and my baby still has the grey fluffy ones....

I look forward to giving him the sprouts! Thanks again!

[Stellas Mom]

Originally Posted by chapala

You can feed that morning - Better yet is to feed some, and continue sprouting the rest for about another 24 hours until you just see little white roots emerging. Then you have sprouts,

Quick question, when you say better yet, continue sprouting the rest...
Do you mean, leave the rest in water for an additional 24 hours? then strain and rinse? Sorry, I'm a newbie at sprouting! LOL

Thanks!

[NotEnoughTime]

Yes - the grey downy feathers mean that your bird is/was plucking... The feathers should be mauve, green and grey (towards the neck) and cover over all of his chest. Downy feathers should normally not be seen. The feathers may also never grow back fully - even if he stops plucking. Not that this matters a lot if the bird is otherwise healthy and happy...

What you are looking for is a full feather if he moults a feather and not a partial (half) feather that results from feather chewing. A full feather includes the calamus (the part that goes into the skin) - see Anatomy and parts of a bird feather

Sprouts are very easy to make. Just rinse daily as suggested by chapala until you see little white roots - most likely in two or three days. Store them in the refridgerator for a few days as you use them and start another batch right away...

[Ringneckmom]

I'm sorry that you have been betrayed by the former owner, but at least he is with you now and is on his way to recovery.

I have a feather picker as well, my hahns, she started at an early age also so I have been dealing with that for at least a year. It started out with just snipping feathers on the inside wings and then got progressively worse. She has had the bloodwork and the Aspergillosis Titer to make sure it is not something medical and she is healthy. Still she picks and has pretty much cleaned off the feathers on her chest, legs, around the back and around her tail. I have her collared now 24/7 to try and stop the habit. I do take it off during the weekend when I can monitor her and this past weekend thought maybe she wasn't picking until she snipped a new feather on her leg. So the collar is back on. She and I are working through trust issues and anything that she doesn't like such as grooming (which she needs right now) and the collar just seem to set it back every time.

I have just recently converted all my larger birds to a pellet diet and will also do fresh food as well as some seed blend. The fresh they will get more often than the seed and right now they are not getting any seed except what is in a nutriberry or avicake. I have noticed a difference in the molted feather condition from using the pellets, but I also have to geive them the fresh food as well. I have actually done some researching to see if I could find out what my birds eat in their native habitat. Obviously, it will not be 100 percent on everything, but it helps me to understand their diet better. One thing I had always noticed is that when I put in their food, the first thing they went for was the fruit. I recently read a post by some one that lives near their native habitat the also helped comfirm that they eat quite a bit of fruit in the wild.

If you can do the research then it will help you to try and resemble his natural diet to the best of your ability and make also make for a healthier bird.

Try not to stress and obsess too much about the picking. I know how you feel - I did it as well. Now it doesn't bother AS much but yeah I still obsess about it at times as well. Just try and do what you can to give him an enriching environment and definitely do the physical with bloodwork and, if you can, do any of the other tests to make sure it is not a medical thing. If not medical then you can try to work on the emotional part.

In the end you may have to just love him with his grey chest and all. He may never stop so just make sure you are realistic about what you try to put him through.

Good luck with him.

BTW - they will pull full feathers as well so the only way to know it is actually molting is when you have an explosion of feathers and no bare spots aside from the ones he has currently.

[chapala]

Originally Posted by Stellas Mom

Quick question, when you say better yet, continue sprouting the rest...
Do you mean, leave the rest in water for an additional 24 hours? then strain and rinse? Sorry, I'm a newbie at sprouting! LOL

Thanks!

Sorry, I wasn't clear. AFter soaking overnight and rinsing in a strainer, then set the strainer over a cup or bowl to catch drips. Rinse a few times during the day and at night before going to bed. Rinse the following morning, and they probably will be done then. Let them dry out some, not dripping wet or bone dry, and they will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for several days. They are only soaked in water the first overnight, after that in a strainer and just rinsed in running water, then set back over the cup.

[hollyhawkz]

Hi Marilyn,

First off I would like to commend you for your dedication and love to Mr. Stella! I am so glad he found you! We took in a seven year old Cherry Head last August, and even though hi previous "Mom" loved him, she way not so bird savvy. There are certain things in Pepper's past that makes me want to use other words as well, however, on a whole, she is a good person, so what do you do? Pepper was terribly underweight and had a vitamin A deficiency (very common among parrots). He gained 11 grams and changed color in 6 months and has no more deficiency.

We use sprouts (soak seeds) as well for super nutrients.

The only suggestions I have are:
toys that drive them crazy busy like foraging and shredding toys,
and bells are must haves,
a ridiculously big cage,
those little vests you can buy for birds just for feather pluckers,
and cartoons or nature shows on a TV they can fully see during the day.

I have heard, albeit controversial, that it is good for feather pluckers to have a mixed diet of a good fortified seed blend along with the pellets, fresh foods and soak seeds. The reasoning being that birds naturally forage and shell seed with their beaks in the wild. When that instinctual part of foraging is taken away it can cause boredom.

[hollyhawkz]

Regarding soak seeds:

The nutrients are already in "full bloom" after 12 hours of soaking. You don't actually have to wait till there are little tails. 24 hours is optimal for nutrients, after that they can start to wane. We actually make fresh sprouts every day, so the bacterial worry is non existent. This recipe/info comes to me from breeders, local bird rescues and the Avian Vet we see.


Oh, and the people who sell the soak seed in Cloverdale BC. "Just for Birds" THEY SHIP! (a 4lb bag lasts us a 1/2 year) Here is their info!

In response to many inquiries a bean/pulse was formulated to our customers specifications.

This mixture contains the following grocer-grade beans and pulses:

Black Eye Turtle beans Black Turtle Beans Kidney beans
Great Northern beans Mung beans Navy beans
Pinto beans Red Whole Lentils Romano Beans
Soya beans Green Whole Lentils Green Peas
Yellow Peas Popping Corn Corn
Chick peas Garbanzo beans Red beans

This mixture can be either cooked or sprouted.

Sprouting generally begins with-in a few short hours and can be fed within 12 hours of first immersion into water - so basically overnight.

Freshly sprouted or cooked pulses and beans have very a high fiber content and the usable nutrition changes dramatically as the beans are cooked or sprouted. As well; the ability of a birds digestive tract to process this cooked/sprouted food is greatly enhanced as the proteins and carbohydrates change into a more usable form.

This product is packaged in the following easy-to-use sizes:

4 lbs. 25 lbs.
$6.95 $35.00

[swanwillow]

Hello...

I have whats known as a 'clipper' which is what it sounds like you actually have. She doesn't PLUCK her feathers, but she clips them in half... here's some pictures of her from when I first got her:



(sorry about the size, I had to redownload it to photobucket)

Currently she is fully feathered. I found she does it mostly in the fall.. seasonally. And this past fall was a LOT less than the previous fall/winter/spring.

On top of that, I had a GCC. (I miss her dearly.)

The fresh food diet really helped her stop plucking. After that, its a matter of finding her toys that keep her entertained. She's a very picky bird. So, those piniatas you can buy, and softer wood toys that she can just demolish are in constant supply at my house. I leave the wood/string at the bottom of the cage for her to work at also (she likes to untie the rope that holds the wood onto the main part of the toy.)

Pie tins for baths while I'm running the vacuum-cleaner helps. when I'm vacuming, she has to be bathing.

Pumpkin seeds in an easy to figure out foraging toy is another thing to do.. it keeps Quana busy for hours.. (although, now with Lacey here, minutes.. )

I found, at least in my case, the change in her envoronment, change in cages, and all around change helped. You can find her story somewhere down below in the ekkie section. I can't promise the pictures are still up though.. Her cage was horrible, she had no perches... Her toy was a metal chain with a bell. I didn't blame her in the slightest for clipping.

Edit: A picture of her after living with me for a while, and her new cage: