My lovebird has plucked all his feathers :-(

[sassa]

Hi Shosh,

Thanks for the advise. I'm afraid that if I take away the mellets from him he won't eat. I do have other seeds with the mellets but he just prefers to eat the mellets right now. I once notice him eating the other seeds but that was a month ago when I first got him, but he only picked on them, he didn't really eat it. I was still feeding him fomular. As soon as I put the mellets in his tray he started eating that and he didn't wanted the fomular any longer. I will keep pushing different foods on him, like the fresh veggies and the seeds, once I put those things for him, I'll take away the mellets and see how he does. I will start on them by tomorrow.

This is not the first time I ever clipped wings from a bird, causae I use to do it quite often with my African Grey. But I guess with him he didn't like it for some reaon or another and started plucking away from his wings. I will see what happens before I buy th solution, hopefully he's not plucking anymore.

I do plan on buying a cage, but it's really hard to find a small cage that has a playtop, I guess I'll just have to make one for him, and he'll have to climb up there when he wants out of the cage, that's not bid deal thought, it's easy to do those toppers for the cage.

He'll be really busy once I get started on a play gym I'm planning on building from scratch instead of buying one. My husband and I are going to to make a 3 or 4 level play gym for him, with lots of toys, swings, ropes, woods, and latters for him to climb.

Sense you seam to know allot, can I ask you this one question? Ok so I got him from a breeder who really didn't spend the time with them and had to hussle to catch this little one for me. When I bought him home a few days later I notice that one of his feets was deformed. Ok, so you know how they have to little feets towards the front and two facing the back, well all of them face frontwards. However when I watch him stand on the edge of the bottom of the cage he does put one of the feets towards that back, but some times it just stay to the front. Is there something I can do to make them a little flexible, I don't want to hurt him in anyway. I was thinking that if I massage his feets a little they will get flexible and maybe point towards that back. What do you think?

[shosh]

If there is some deformity, which I can't tell without a pic. and I'm not a vet, I would still suggest you leave well enough alone. In other words, if he's getting around and if he is managing without a problem, I wouldn't touch a thing...especially since he is already several months old. Animals learn to adapt quite nicely to their condition, whether perfect or not, and your little guy isn't in pain and if it doesn't interfere with his life, I'd probably just leave it be.
Of course, if you are really worried, you could ask a vet, but I'd don't think a massage would do much but freak him out!

If you can get a good pelleted diet, zupreem, harrison, or roudybush ( there are others), I would try to get your lovie to eat some of those too.
They will and can eat millet to the exclusion of everything else....but you will have an unhealthy bird.

Try putting some of the millet in a cup and covering it with little bits of veggies, like maybe some carrots or broccoli.....hang up a nice, wet piece of lettuce ( dark green only....romaine, swiss chard)...he will most likely have to try some carrot or broccoli (or peas..etc..apples..)to get to the millet.

Keep an eye on his eating....you can also try taking the millet away and substituting the seed/pellet and/or veggies.....so at least you know he'll eat the millet but also try the others. He's very young and not set in his ways so THIS IS THE TIME to get him to try the other diet.

Millet should really only be a treat....

By the way, like you said, you don't HAVE to have a playpen on top of the cage...you can make one and put it beside the cage. I do that..I put stuff on top but I don't like the playpen because the bottom of it makes the cage dark inside and I'd rather have it bright....so for the one cage that does have a playpen, I don't put the bottom liner part.

I also hung stuff from the ceiling above their cage....on hooks and chains...rope toys, shredding toys, swings....it hangs down just above their cage top so they go up there and play, too.

[TooDusty]

No offense intended, but maybe the wing clip went bad? I've heard about wing trims that make the feathers scratch the body and they go nuts and start chewing/plucking their feathers. How much experience do you have trimming wings?

Pluck no more did nothing for me and I spent a heck of a lot of money on it.

Best of luck!

[sassa]

No problem, the wing clipping didn't go wrong. If you read my earlier post, I use to clipp and african grey bird for 4 years and I know how to clip them.

On the lovebird I bearly clipped his wings because I wanted him to still have some flight abilities, however he didn't like it period, or clipping his wings made him uncomfortable. I know allot of people makes mistakes in wing clippinp.

He didn't like the fact I clipped his wings so therefore he resulted to plucking his wings, then the feather. But I guess thats natrual with lovebirds, because I've never had this problem before with other birds. And all the research I've done is all about lovebirds and their habbits of plucking wings off for no reason or for their own reasonings.

[sassa]

Shosh,

Ok, so followed exactly what you said about the food, and you were so right on the money, lol... I actually took away the mellet and give him some seeds and some veggies with rice, but he didn't really touch the rice n veggies. So I then return and give him some of that swiss chard, and I believe he eats or play with it. I give him that every day, and he is off the mellets eating healthy foods for lovebirds, that's to you.

I bought him a nice size cage. Didn't get it at the store, got it from someone who wasn't using it any longer. However, I don't really like the cage because it's more hight then width, but then again I will be leaving his door opened at all times with a latter where he can climb back in if he strays away from the cage. I'm going to make it a nice place for him, I'm really creative when it comes to stuff like that :-)

Shosh, thanks for all your help and advise.

[shosh]

Good to hear that....
Yes, sometimes they take time to like new foods...and sometimes they never do!! But it's good to keep trying new foods and be persistent...you can also cut little pieces of broccoli head and apples and if he doesn't eat them right away from a separate cup, you can place them over the seed/pellets so he'll have to try some to get to the food.

Glad you got a cage....hey, i know that wide is better than tall but since he spends most of his time outside, it really is just a place to feel safe and come home and sleep and eat. And you can put some toys and perches inside....like a second home.

Keep up the good work!!!!

[sassa]

Yes, I know that. I didn't like the cage when I saw it, but if I have to buy another one later on this year, knowing me lol... I'll probably do. But for now I'll make it really nice for him. He can't fly right now so that is a plus with this cage, although it would be great if his wings can grow faster but in time ;-).

[birdlover912]

How short were his wings trimmed? Sometimes the ends can rub and irrate the skin, leading to chewing or plucking of the ends of the feathers. I've noticed this with my peach fronted conure when the breeder trimmed his wings--the feathers were cut halfway down, and the ends were too pointed for any comfort. Try letting his wings grow in and see if that makes any difference.

Here are a few pages that you might find to be helpful:

Feather Plucking In Parrots
Parrots - Feather plucking in parrots - Learn causes and remedies for feather plucking and feather chewing.
Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Feather Mutilation and Plucking in Parrots & Exotic Pet Birds

Please let us know how this all turns out

[sassa]

It's me again!

Well, sense the last time I spoke here, my lovie continued to pluck his feather, well whatever feathers he had left there. So I purchased the "Pluck no more" and it's working. It's been almost two weeks and almost all his down feathers have grown, now I'm seeing the outter layer feathers starting to grow. This stuff works miracle, at least for my bird. He now looks like a walking cotton ball, he look so funny and cute at the same time. I spray him with that solution about 3 to 4 times a day, however I have slowed down to at least twice daily. He hasn't pluck any longer and I can't bearly wait for all his feather to grow back and he'll be able to fly again and hide from me, lol.

Now I just have to brake the habbits he has trying to bite me when I want to pick him up. Any suggestions?

I've been working on trying to get him every day and petting him accross that head which he loves. But every time I try to get him or even if I put my finger next to him, he opens his beak to bite me. Anyways, I turn the house up side down for him to come out and he clings to it, eventually he comes out and I pick him up.

It's like picking up my cat that doesn't like to be picked up, but when I start to pet him, he likes it and purrs.

I think I ended up with a bird that does not care about being taimed, picked up. He prefers to be by him self or maybe with other lovebirds. Once all his feathers have fully grown, I might find someone to keep him with a pack of lovies. And find me a bird that wants to be a pet.

This little lovie thinks he rules the house. I have three cats who can't even get close to him, he'll start attacking them, accept for one who never gives up and keeps on coming towards him, so now he just give up on attacking Mattie my cat, lol.

[tkirsch9368]

my CAG has plucked his feathers also but only in the chest area and under his wings. Basically the places where he can reach so I am guessing it is more of something he didnt like turned in a habit as he has done this for about 2 yrs the previous owner has said. I have had him for 4 days and changed a few things such as someone is here most of the time vs his previous owner was gone for about 10 hrs per day. His cage is also too small. It is for a medium size bird such as a Sun Conure so that too is going to be changed and I have taken his old yucky toys out and put bright new fresh ones with bells on them to distract him a bit more. I am sure there are other things I can do and will get to that just dont want to change everything right away. He did have a few coming in but right after I brought him home he plucked all of them that he could reach out. Hopefully this change is a good one for him. Hope someday someone can find out why such a thing happens, but then again sometimes I want to pull every hair out of my head too!