My greenwing is plucking his feathers

[drtony]

Its been two weeks since i brought my greenwing home he is four years old. For the past couple of days he has been plucking his feathers on his legs. i spend about three hours a day with him. any suggestions?

[RMSacha]

Has he a prior history of plucking? Are you seeing him pluck?

Usually macaws will pluck in response to stress; is that a possible factor in this case?

When you brought him home; did you have any of his toys from his previous home?

Alot of things can cause plucking, and at times, its a matter of deduction—trying to find the cause and alleviating it.

[drtony]

hey thanks alot. i did remove one toy from his perch that was all chewed up but i did replaced it with a new one. now if i could only get him to talk to me

[RMSacha]

Originally Posted by drtony

hey thanks alot. i did remove one toy from his perch that was all chewed up but i did replaced it with a new one. now if i could only get him to talk to me

It's only been two weeks and this bird is four years... You have to give him time!!!! GWs are very emotional, and although males don't always seem to be, they are just as emotional as females—they just have a different way of expressing it...

Give it time!

[Copper]

A favored old toy in a new home is a security for them. If you still have the old toy or parts of it, put it back and add other bits to it, so it 'grows' and changes into the new toys.
Scatter some new things (start small) about his cage on the outside so he can adjust a bit before they become part of his space inside the cage.
If he has a favored color (remember they see in a different spectrum than we do, and while a red to us may be just red, he can detect the subtle differences in that shade) make sure that he has several different choices of that color.
Encourage him to go to the new toy, by playing with it, asking him to get it. Be happy about how you are playing with the thing, he will feel your happiness, and your interest in it, and want to join in.
Encourage foraging, hiding a favored type of nut in one of the toys or under something that he will flip over, shred, or destroy to get it.
Has he been checked out by the vet? Until you get tests results back, if you have other birds, he needs to be in quarentine, which will also help him to adjust.
Someplace in the threads here is part of the story of what happened with Angel-Rose when she first came. Make sure that he is healthy, and this is not a reaction to something that he brought with him. Every bird that has joined my family is checked... it's not only in my interest, but more so in theirs.
Good luck!!

[Macaaaw]

How is the GW doing as months have passed. I would think diet could have been a factor. If I miss Mcdonalds for a couple of days, I start plucking.