Plucking/bathing/lighting

[Angelina]

My 3yr old b&g came to us plucking (that's the reason the guy wanted to find a new home) and he seems well adjusted and bonded with us, but continues to do it. The guy we got him from said he loved being sprayed. He surely does NOT! With a fine mist sprayer....room temp water or warmer, he does NOT like it at all. He has been to the vet for a general check up and testing, and he has checked out 100% healthy physically.

How do you bathe a bird who hates to be wet? Is there something different I should try? I've seen in a bird catalog bird lighting, might that help him out?

Until we got him in January he had never been to a vet, and was only given bird food, no supplementation with anything else. He gets that here, and a wide variety of things. Thanks for any input.

Angie

[Copper]

I've got a 16 y/o with some sever plucking.... but she's only been here 7 weeks.... she has other issues too, but as far as bathing, doesn't like the misting spray.
What I did was get a deep baking dish and put tepid water and aloe juice in, and set it on the play top of her cage. She uses it every day. it's helped her skin to not be itchy as much. Don't know that it will help plucking as yet, but worth the try.

[MaryG1959]

I don't recommend spraying anything other than water on the bird. I have used George's aloe (distilled aloe that has consistency of water) but found it didn't do anything. The other issue is they will often "preen until they are clean" and if you spray on a substance, they may very well "work at it" until they have removed it from the feathers causing more damage.

Feather plucking, pulling, mutilation can come from a variety of sources to include: Diet deficiencies, allergies to specific foods (like peanuts or corn), boredom, not enough sleep, cage location, not enough natural light, hormonal issues, too small a cage, not enough toys-----------in other words, just about anything. It can also be a combination of any of the above reasons.

I've even saw a website that claimed that a specific diet (one they sold coincidentally!) would "CURE" feather plucking......if that were true this person would be laying on a beach somewhere because of their abundant wealth!

Research the ingredients in the food you feed. Find out the side effects and make a determination from your research what to eliminate or add.

Many of us feel when we get these birds that we will 'fix' our little friends---I have felt the same way in the past----unfortunately sometimes nothing can be done and if the bird isn't harming itself (i.e. picking at the skin and causing sores or even bleeding).....nekked birds can be beautiful (I should know, ha ha).

if the bird doesn't like water then it will take time......One of my b & g's doesn't like water too much. She was being bathed when we got her---by her prev owner in the kitchen sink. My husband started taking her into the shower---she HATED IT! But since she loves my husband she would go in. He would literally spin around in circles trying to get her wet ---she now likes it much better. We have other birds who will sit on a "spring tension shower rod" for their showers.

Time and patience ----keep trying and eventually the bird will at least tolerate the shower.

[Copper]

Mary, I'm using the distilled aloe as well. one tablespon per half gallon of water, so it's not causing her to overpreen. She had some serious dry skin to go along with the plucking. She went to the rescue plucked, and the place she was in before, she came plucked as well. I'm not holding my breath for her to feather. I told the rescue that if it's that important for her, they make birdy sweaters. She does have a few pins in spots that were previously plucked, but again, I'm not holding out that they remain. I adopted her because she needed a place where she could be calmer, where there weren't as many birds coming and going to cause her additional stress.
I've had some measure of success with all the birds that have come from nasty and abusive situations.
She's got problems with diet. She survived on seed for most of her life, didn't know fresh veggies until the last rescue. Didn't know pellets until the last one, and didn't know cooked food until the last one.
At 16, she is just learning the words 'step up', Learning not to fear the towel that was used to handle her, and learning that not all sticks are to be feared.
If she pulls a feather, I can't be upset... that would upset her more and lead to a vicious cycle that we're trying to break.
She's enjoying her baths, she's becoming more vocal, and I can occasionally get her interested in destroying a chunk of wood.
Some day, I may be able to hold her, and have her comfortable.
She's got 16 years of memories to sort through, some good, like remembering some children that loved her, and reacting well with my grandkids. Most though involve fear of people, fear of hands, the towel, the sticks, of anger and heaven knows what else.
Feathers or not, she is home.

[MaryG1959]

Copper,

It seems you made a "well thought out" Lifetime commitment to this bird---as it should be. You've done what "not enough" people are willing to do, you've adopted the "unadoptable" and given a life to an animal that was given up on by all previous owners.

If you go to my site and go to the plucking/mutilation page, you'll see pics there---there is one of Lucy and Ethel when I got them, and Lucy now----While they are improved---they are certainly not feathered.

We made a life time commitment as well--for better or worse---this is their home.

We love them the way they are ----there is just something about a naked bird!

[Copper]

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...-07-18_008.jpg

This is a pic of Sailor almost 6 weeks ago... I managed a couple days ago to get a 3 of Angel-Rose into the album here... I couldn't even tell you at this point how I did it... It really was an accident, I am so tech-challenged! Angel-Rose was the one that came with psittacosis that I wrote about in the quarentine thread.
Sailor looks a bit more ragged right now. The cold spell we had stopped the moult, and when it heated back up, the feathers started flying from all the birds. The stress bars in her feathers that I've been picking up and saving are very obvious. A-R had them too, but not as bad, and hers are/were more diet related than other stresses.
The rescue that she had lived in for a year prior to here said that she did moult out some last year, but the flights and tail weren't part of it. She is getting more proteins and calcium right now, and loves being out on the deck in her cage when it's sunny.
It is a life time commitment... The macaws and the grays are in my will, and even the vet has been designated. There is also back up plan, and trust fund.
That's commitment!

[catschair]

What a cutie...but that ain't naked! Here is a serious plucker for you. She will let some feathers grow now and again, but they rarely last more than a few weeks.

Like Mary says, I thought I could "cure" her while I was babysitting her, but it hasn't worked out that way. She is happy and healthy just a little "differently feathered".

[Copper]

We see the hearts, we see the minds, we see the love.
That's what makes the difference

[catschair]

Well put! Thanks

[Copper]

Angie....... just realised where you are located...
Have you contacted M.A.C.A.W. ?
Stands for Madison Area Caged something... They are a good group, and very knowlegeable.