Sos Help Please!

[swanwillow]

so any updates on the naked fuzzy one?

[Emmas]

Hello

LOL! he's still bald but he seems to be getting a bit more hairy not with big feathers but little downy white thin feather and dark ones on the back of his neck which i have never seen before!! his feathers are in better condition aswell very soft!! so fingers crossed with a bit more time he may well get a least a bit more fuzzy atleast!!

[swanwillow]

oh good! steps are steps, I must say!

[Heather_Bird]

Baby steps! That's good to hear!! Keep us posted.

All the best,

Heather

[Joel]

My 2+ cents regarding some experience with pluckers and etc.:

First of all, I personally would never keep a bird in a cage/flight with no grate on the bottom, not hygenic IME.

I have not seen any mention of proper lighting for your bird - maybe I missed it? Is it getting daily exposure to direct natural sunshine (not thru window glass?). If not, is it getting exposure to good quality F.S. Lighting? If so, would you mind showing pics of that and giving specs of your lighting equipment? ... Proper lighting is extremely important for proper assimilation of nutrients etc. and a general feeling of overall well being for your bird. Property humidity is also very important and daily access to bathing water.

Like Heather said, best to rule out all possible disease factors first - if one Avian Vet says nothing to be concerned about, I would make sure of that with a second and maybe a 3rd A.V. professional opinion.

I would recommend a nestbox (others will prolly disagree of course) for comfort, warmth, security and maybe to satisfy nesting urges and limit stress to some degree. I personally would also advise a mate of its' own species or at least a compatible playmate of same, similar or another species. I would never keep a bird alone with only human interation, I feel all birds do better with other birds as playmates in addition.

I also would make sure your bird is always kept fully flighted and kept in a long roomy cage.

Of course have supplemental heat available. I would supply your Lorie with a ceramic-heat-emitter (24/7) in a shroud - safely attached, next to its' favorite perch or other even better sources of desired heat.

Well good luck and as others have said, you may have a healthy yet permanently bald bird forever, depending on certain factors but I'm sure he will be loved and cared for "forever", regardless. :)

[Heather_Bird]

Thanks for you input Joel. Have to say that grates are very much an American thing and none of my birds have them. It's always the first thing I remove when I buy a new cage as I feel they give a false sense of security. Clean out your bird regularly and there isn't a problem. I also like them to be able to firkle around on the bottom of the cage happily. I clean out completely every 2 - 3 days and find (even with lory bathing) this is fine and they are mostly pristine and healthy.

I do agree on the natural sunlight thing though. Getting the bird outside for a few hours every day is wonderful. Failing that (and if it's too cold) then a good sunlight bulb helps.

Of course I disagree with your comments about providing a nestbox! A single lory does NOT need a nest box at all. With a plucker it is just likely to give him somewhere to go to indulge his secret passion. My paired lories have nestboxes available at all times but rarely use them unless they are actually breeding. Also, for a tame lory companion bird, a partner is often worse than useless. I know so many people who have gone down that road and regretted it. It leads to fighting with the new bird and heartache for the owner. If you don't want to breed lories then don't get a partner for your bird! If you do decide to ignore that advice then for heavens sake get a dna test done on your bird first. So many little Henrys turn out to be Henriettas and truly resent the introduction of another Henrietta into their space!

Have to disagree on the clipping issue as well. All lories feel they are Master of the Universe and will fight to defend that position. Clipping (done sympathetically and well) can negate that omnipotent position and give you a little feathered buddy rather than a total tyrant. If you are keeping non-pets or aviary birds or have 23 hours per day to spare then go for the other option with my blessing. At present, none of my rainbows are clipped but that is because they have been and they learned how to behave with their human companions.

Emma's bird needs supplemental heating because of his baldness. Fully feathered rainbows do not unless they are living in very extreme conditions. Mine will thrive and even breed all year round in the temperate north of NZ. Further south they still thrive but do not breed quite so freely before spring has sprung.

All the best,

Heather

[swanwillow]

I guess I should be from NZ too, only use a grate with blueberry, but thats cause her mess is extreme!

I use clipping as a help me training tool only. Right now Blueberry is clipped WAY too short, way too many flights clipped. Shes become fully dependant on me. I can't wait for her flights to grow back.

You know, one thing I have noticed; pluckers always leave their flight feathers. In my thinking, if you take away the flight, it may compound the plucking problem. Even in their darkest moments, they keep their way to freedom (in a wild sense-predation)
NOT saying that plucking is caused by or cured by clpping or not. Just rambling. I do that.

[Heather_Bird]

Well, it's certainly worth thinking about. I've never known proper clipping to cause problems although I have heard of birds who have been badly clipped and then went on to chew the ends of the flights that are irritating them. Guess that could lead to bigger things with some birds.

All the best,

Heather