Help with plucking!!!

[yorkee187]

I recently moved back home from school and brought my pacific p'lette home with me. I noticed yesterday he has been pulling his feathers out. I don't why he is doing it and I don't know how to make him stop. Is it stress from the move? I moved in at the beginning of June. Is he bored? If he is I don't know what more I can do. He has never been too fond of toys and even when he would come out he would sit on my laptop, chirp and groom himself. I can't really play with him because he doesn't really like me and flies away when I come too close. Could there be a problem with his diet? Could he be sick? Can this be fixed? Please help I am so worried! He just won't stop pulling them out even as he sits on my laptop as I write this!

[yorkee187]

I just tried giving him a bath. He has stopped . . . for now.

[Monica]

Generally speaking, wet birds don't bathe. You may want to consider an avian vet checkup to ensure it's not medical. Beyond that, well it could be the move, or something in the environment, boredom, or who knows what else.

[Sally]

It is so hard to know. SO many people have tried to figure it out. Diff. for each bird. Sometime people smoke with birds, chemicals, allergies, stress. I am sorry and I hope you can figure it out. Some stop plucking and some do and then start again or stop all together. Try to stay calm because they really can feel how we feel.

As you figure it out, just decide that it will be OK and the birdie is so pretty. Tell him he is. Keep the stress down. Play music, talk, sing. Have a bedtime ritual. I sing and read a little book. Then cover the cage and play a music box. Just try things like that, easy. I hope you let us know how it is going.

[yorkee187]

Thank you so much for that. I just got back in town from a conference and he is doing better! My mom moved him closer to the fish tank and I think it helped (he would always stare at them before). It seems like he has stopped and his feathers seem to be growing back. I just have a gut feeling he's doing it b/c of sexual frustration since my other birds are hormonal right now and he;s the only one without a mate. I'm going to try hard to keep the stress down.

[Sally]

Great. Sounds good. You are figuring out what is the right thing for him. They are all different, different homes etc. I hope all will turn out fine!