Help!! B&G Macaw plucking

[aimaleigh]

Hi im new to this board but im need to see if anyone has any ideas.. I have a 17 B&G macaw that I have had since she( I say she but she has never been sexed the vet and I both believe she is a she) was 8 weeks old. I noticed Tuesday last week that she had pucked her chest. She plucked a 2x2area on her chest later that night I gave her a bath and noticed she had plucked under both wings as well. I immediatly took her to her normal vet the next morning and they did blood work and all and did say she has budding yeast in her stool and gave her a antifungal and said something about her white blood count I can't remember. He also put her on Prozac 2 times a day. I noticed around saturday she didn't seem to be as ichy as earlier in the week and wasn't plucking as much. Well I just came home and she has pulled out a ton again. Her Diet is Harrisons pellet and whatever else she eats from the kids feeding her or nuts/or anything else I give her. I cannot think of anything that would have changed except I did go out of town the weekend before but my husband and my 2 boys were home all weekend. I can't imagine me going out of town would have been a problem since im usually gone on the weekends shopping and running my daughter around plus she really hasn't liked me for the past 7 years. I got married 7 years ago and she has chosen my husband as her mate as the vet calls it. She really will not let me touch her anymore. Does anyone have any suggestions the feathers she started pulling tonight was on the top of her wing.. I really don't want her to get sick from being cold because of loss of feathers. She is making me very upset doing this....
Any help would be appreciated...
Thanks.

[KimM]

Other than hormonal.. has anything changed in the home or the routine in the home? New furniture, job change, someone new in the house or gone from the home? They can be pretty sensitive to change.

[aimaleigh]

The only thing really that has changed is the boys toys from christmas they are 3 & 5 guess they do make noises. She is in the same spot and same perch same food for the last 3 years.

[birdlady49]

You know, I really really really would like you to bring her to an AVIAN vet, rather than your "normal" vet. I'm very disappointed to read that your vet immediately put your baby on prozac without suggesting less drastic measures.

It could be yeast, it could be giardia, it could be hormonal or it could be dietary, or it could be environmental. Did your vet have a loooong conversation with you about those options? Or was his/her next client waiting in the next room?

I'm sorry if you feel loyal to this vet, but based on what you've written, I'm disappointed in the results of your visit.

[MiloMacaw]

just my $.02.. but maybe it's BECAUSE nothing has changed? You mention she has been on the same perch, same food, same toys for 17 years- what type of perch? Is she just on a t-stand or does she have a lot of different perches and places to climb and play? What type of toys? Are they offering her enough mental stimulation? Does she have good lighting? Is she caged? If so, how big is her cage and how often is she out? Stressful changes can of course initiate plucking but so can boredom. I hate to hear you are going through this :/ Plucking is such a scary thing

[MiniMama]

I want to second birdlady's comments. Has your bird been exposed to the outdoors? My own birds had giardia, and the feather plucking was fast. I took them to the vet on day three, hjowever, so the over all feather loss was minimal. Food allergies are a big problem too. fungus??? hmm....

[aimaleigh]

I really appreciate everyones feedback she currently lives on a Kings Metal Playpen 502 I don't cage her anymore her cage is old and it is in the garage. She is really a chicken bird anything in the form of a toy freaks her out and she will not move off the 2 inches of cage until it is removed. I have found about 2 or 3 toys she will tolerate and do put them hanging on only one side of the playpen. I do not take her outdoors I live in VA and it is cold outside I did think about putting the old cage outside but to be honest I have been scared to let her go out with the birds that have died because of umm I can't think of it but the birds have been dying because of misquitos (sp). She lives in the Den with the 2 guinea pigs beside her and the kids and dog and my husband play in there. She is very territorial and aboutmy husband and has a heart attack if I sit in my husbands chair by the computer or touch my husband at all in front of her I can't even hug him she trys to attack me (crazy bird)The vet I take her to is Dr Peter Fisher that is supposed to be a very good avian vet. He did talk to me but to be honest I really can't remember what in the world he was saying I know that he siad the last resort was a collar and they would have to put her under for that which i know I don't what to have happen. I guess it is possible that she is bored. I did read on this site something about putting paper in the cage and tonight I did try it I got some printer paper and shreaded the ends and attached it to the toy that she currently has and she did accept it and played with it (however I don't know what paper is safe to give her). One other thing I did forget is the vet said she had a elevated liver enzyme. im sure its because of the junk food she eats I don't know. I just love her to death and I don'ot want her to be hurting herself like this so any helpful information I would definatly try. :)
Thank you for all of your comments.

[aimaleigh]

Here are 2 pictures of Cookie one was the Friday before she started plucking and the other was tonight.

http://www.birdboard.com/album/showp...o=8111&cat=500
http://www.birdboard.com/album/data/...m/DSC_0003.JPG

[MiloMacaw]

http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.c...stand-K502.jpg if anyone wants to see the perch ;) Is that the right one?

*If* its behavioral, giving her some shredable toys, lots of paper if she likes that.. bird pinatas, for her to direct her attention to, things like that. I'd definitely cut back on the junk food, im sure your vet mentioned that ;) Lots of fresh fruits and veggies, pasta, legumes, birdie bread, seeds, nuts pellets etc. cookies, chips, crackers, fries, cereal, toast, pizza etc etc all the things that our birds love that we really shouldn't be given them... well, I'd pass those up entirely. Does she move around and climb on the gym she has? to me, it doesnt look like it has much perching space, but she could see it completely different.

I think the disease you are talking about is West Niles?

[MiloMacaw]

Oh wow, the poor baby :( Plucking is so scary.. she is still a beautiful bird!