Feather Plucking - HELP

[Rickjb39]

Hi all i got up this morning to find out that "Birdie" has and still is pulling feather on just 1 area on his/her wing. I'm thinking it may be stress as he/she has been moved into a bigger cage and i have introduced another canary "Duck" all in a space of 2 and hald weeks. Duck & Birdie seem to get on really well as if one flys out the cage the one left behind starts tweeting repeatedly until he/she gets out or until the other comes back. Please help me get to the bottom of this feather plucking and help him/her stop :)

Update:
Also Birdie in his/her new cage has nice big food bowl and he/she keeps laying on all the food as if its a nest. Is this normal?

[LoveyDovey]

about feather plucking...my vet suggested to spray some non toxic deodorant cuz it tastes bitter, the bird wont try it again...so maybe thts somethin u wanna try...

good luck...i have feather plucker too and it pinches bad...

[christie99]

Plucking is usually a sign that something is going on in that area. It can be anything from a feather cyst to an infection. The best thing would be to first pull the bird and make sure there isn't a cyst there, if there is a zit like bubble, take the bird to the vet to have it properly taken care of.

If not, you can first try bathing and feather toys for distraction. Next you can try a product like Scatt to make sure that it isn't a mite problem. If none of that works, it is definetly time to consult a vet.

Sprays, of any sort are usually not good in this situation. The ONLY one I would try is the Pluck No More that I have seen on a few threads. I have heard that it works well. I would NOT use any deoderant, that has different metals in it and would be toxic to a bird. Things that taste bitter won't work, a bird does not have the same tastes as a human, bitter or spicy doesn't affect them the way it affects us.

[chinniechantel]

I recently read deodorant has lots of metals in it like aluminum and stuff, not good at all for a birdie. Be very careful with any sprays around birds never use them unless you know they are safe. What is safe to humans is not always safe to the fids.

[Lori~D]

Canaries dont have plucking problems associated with stress that I have ever hear of or seen. If your bird is plucking on a wing there is something going on with that wing and needs to be investigated. "Solving" the problem with some sort of deterrent spray is not going to stop the pain or aggravation causing him to pick at it. Thats like putting a bandage over poison ivy!!
Canaries often lay in food dishes as a "nest". Its perfectly normal. Do either one of your birds sing ?

[LoveyDovey]

guys I appreciate your advise on deodorants...I only said it czu my vet suggested it couple of days ago...so and yes we also confirmed about the toxic element to the birds but the vet (one of the best ones here) is confident about it as long as the bird doesnt have any wounds!!!

[Lori~D]

Find me a deodorant that is non toxic to birds and says so on it. Time to find a new vet on that one.

[Rickjb39]

Thanks for all your suggestions and advice guys. I'll investigate the wing he/she is plucking at also Lori "Birdie" which is the bird that nests in his/her food bowl does sing from time to time. Once i ivestigate his/her wing then i'll be sure to update you guys on my findings.

[Rickjb39]

Well i looked and all i could see in the short time i had hold of birdie was just red/sore/scabby area where the actual wing comes out the body. I couldn't see no obvious signs of mites or any lumps.

[christie99]

Mites are not visible without a microscope. Scabby area shows that it is VERY irritated and really should be looked at by a vet. Antibiotics may be needed.