African Grey - Plucking Feathers (This bird has been rehomed.)
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
- *** Crash has been rehomed to a good couple in Salt Lake. Thank you everyone for your support.
Crash, my African Grey, plucks her feathers. She came to me this way. I've only had her for a little over a month. She was given to me because her previous owner couldn't give her the time and attention that she needs, and he's hoping that I can help her. She's on medication. Her diet is of pellets and seeds. She gets played with. She has to forage for her food. She gets spray showers regularly. So, all of the stuff that people normally recommend to stop this behavior, I am doing. At this point, I think it is just habit. Does anyone have any ideas? - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
![ПОЛНАЯ ИСТОРИЯ ЭКЗОРЦИЗМА [Топ Сикрет]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qBySr6Bt0B8/mqdefault.jpg)
Your attitude and calm demeanor help immensely! She knows you're the "boss" but she trusts you. Keep up the good work!
Hi Mike! I have a Congo African grey Rudy that is 29 years old. She has had vitamin deficiencies from her previous owner not knowing she was feeding her correctly. She started plucking after I had had her for a year. She had been getting vitamin A & D injections and some calcium on her food. When the plucking started I watched her very closely. I ended up stopping the injections and the calcium. My vet had sent her blood work to a lab and said I was right to stop all of that. They recommended giving her AviGlo Organic Brazilian Sense Palm Fruit Oil. I give it to her on a small piece of Arnold Whole Grain Health Nut bread. She gets 6 drops of oil. It is given per weight. This has totally stopped all of the plucking. As well as having lots of toys and attention to keep her busy. Sounds like you are being a great dad! Thank you!! African greys can be misunderstood with their attitudes and such. Give the oil a try and let me know. Best of luck!
I pasted an Amazon link at the end of my comment. Just check around at different places for the best pricing. I just chose the first link that came up. I also purchased a small glass bottle with an eye dropper cap. The palm oil must be refrigerated after opening. It cools soft like Crisco or lard. I put my bottle in hot tap water to liquefy the oil and poured some of it into the glass eye dropper bottle. This way I am only dealing with a small portion at a time. Please remember that you will have to contact your avian vet to know how many drops to use. Rudy and I have learned the hard way about overdosing with vitamins. Birds are very sensitive to any imbalance in their systems. We've been through a lot and have learned a lot. Please let me know how this works and also reach out to me if you have any questions about anything African Grey. :)
www.amazon.com/Avitech-AviGlo-Organic-Dende-Palm/dp/B003PL8SFA
Kelly Bower thanks for that info, my African grey (Zak) is now 14, he was my son's , long story short , they went on holiday to Canada after a very stressful time ,and when they came back asked if I would mind having Zak a bit longer ,well 9 years on and now he has started plucking , he has calcium drops , veg ,fruit , seeds nuts , also I got him Kaytee pellets, which he loves to throw around . I knew nothing about parrots, what I have learnt is from Internet and common sense, but I am sure there must be more to know . Sometimes when it's feed time he makes baby squeaking noises anyone know why and he gets really soppy , keep wondering if he would like a girl friend !!!!
You could also try toys that he can chew that have the "feel" of feathers. If nothing works, just remember, it's still a good bird, that just doesn't like it's feathers!
I think it's great that you are giving Crash a home. I love absolutely love parrots. I don't own one because I travel too much, but I follow several owners on UA-cam. I noticed that a lot of the owners feed their parrots different kinds of organic fruit, instead of pellets and seeds. They also give them nuts for treats. I also noticed that parrots need lots and lots of toys to keep them busy in and out of the cage. I follow Gotcha the Cockatoo and his mom Katie has cool recipes that she makes for him and Lettie, her Grey. I also follow Marlene Mc'Cohen. She has several different parrots and she posts weekly tips on taking care of them and why they do what they do. She has a Grey named Cody. He is a busy little guy. As for plucking, they might be able to give you some tips but there is another channel, Odd Hobbies, that has information on how to stop the plucking. I hope you can get some help for Crash. Thanks for sharing!
I have an African Gray that was passed down to me when my father passed away. He was nice from the neck down. Also was on a seed diet. I switched him to Harrison’s extra course. And supplement that with fruits vegetables and nuts occasionally. He is now full feathered and happy.
The 2 main reasons birds do this is boredom and illness.
The forging aspect is on the right track, and that has to be constantly taken to the next level. Puzzle toys that have treats in them is one of tthel best things to get. Make sure you have plenty of cage toys and out of cage toys. Mix up the toys on ocassin and introduce new ones. Rope toys will be excellent for your Grey. You have to keep the bird occupied as much as possible when not around. Besides toys, leave a radio or some music on.
Also have plenty of mixes purches and keep the bird out of the cage as often as possible.
Make sure you clean the cage tray out on a daily basis, clean and sanitize cage weekly. Maker sure water gets changed every day, fiinished bottle or not.
Besides pellets and seeds, try fruits like appke slices, cantelopes, and bananna chips ( those were favorites for my Goffin Cockatoo I had)
My Goffin went through this and hers was due to combination of mites and boredom. After getting rid of the mites and conquering the boredom, it still took her a while, but she fully recovered. The plucking does become habit forming, and you have to find ways to break the habit.
Wish you the best if luck, and stick with it, as she will bond with you even more.
Daisy was a rescued African Grey and she did the same thing when she moved in with us. There are two things you can do - 1. Keep her busy. Natural African Greys spends most of their time during the day to look for food. Therefore, keep their brain and beak busy with toys, papers etc. I make at least 2-3 toys for Daisy per day, and these toys are made in front of her. She is aware that I hide seeds and treats inside and she has to look for them. 2. When Daisy was plucking her feathers, I took her to a parrot expert like you did to the vet. The expert suggested that it could be problems with her digestive system and asked about her diet. Once she finds out that Daisy's main diet was seeds, she told me to stop feeding her sunflower seeds and changed it to pelleted food. Daisy is really picky! She actually touches everything with her tongue first to see if she likes it and if not, won't go near it again. Finally, I found one brand that she likes, and now seeds are just her 'once a while' treat. The feather plucking situation has improved.
Out of curiosity, which one did she like? Its cost prohibitive for us (we are on a limited income) to try so many, they don't come in trial packages unfortunately at our store. Toby does the tongue thing too. I did change his food from what my uncle was giving him (it had too much dust) to a better brand, and tried mixing pellets in. He completely ignores the pellets.
I did read about the foraging and he does love to get on the bottom of the cage and eat from there. I usually core out a whole (small) apple or give him or a half or whole carrot. The last one of those he completely demolished. I read where you could give him Pine Cones (clean ones) He loved those almost too much and started attacking them before I could get them in the cage...so he is limited to how many he can have...maybe one a week these days.His feathers are slowly coming back so we are hoping for the best. We do keep boxes and cardboard for him to rip up. He is the best paper shredder I have ever seen, if it wasn't so much trouble I would take his cleanings to our compost pile.
Hilda Fok try getting a bird sweater maybe she won't pluck if she has a sweater or a cone?
Jean harris
Too bad they don't have something you could put on the feathers which would be harmless but deter her plucking
when you are at home, makes her used with carton boxes, my 48 years gray plays a lot with boxes, they need to keep busy
Hugs, hugs, and hugs, kisses, kisses, and kisses!! My grey was very serious bite boy when I rescued him 18yrs ago from an abusive home. Took almost 4 years to show and prove to him what what "love and kisses " really are (I have the old scars to prove it) . He eventually warmed up to me and is a "love mufgin" now....full of hugs and kisses. He spends the better part of my days off on my shoulder helping me w housework, showering, getting dressed, walking my doggie. Watching tv, on the phone etc. And believe it or not....he IS potty trained!!! He does a little potty dance and I run him to his cage, he poops and puts his foot up to be picked back up. He sleeps most nights w me and does not poop at all!! When the sun rises shines he awakes and wakes me up to run to poop.
It's just the 3vof us, him, my dog his brother and his so life is very consistent, safe.
Lots and lots and love of unconditional love goes both ways between the 3 of us.
Good luck.
She is happy now.... Foot up!!!!.. Takes a long time for them to break the habit... Time is the essence!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
You are doing a great job. I just don’t like the medication. When my first Grey plucked I did everything from food, to collar. Nothing helped him. I kept loving him and kept giving him attention he eventually stopped all by himself. Just keep loving him and giving him the attention he needs.
Hi Mike Here are some ideas. Drape a towel over his perch (soft on feet) watch reaction. I mostly do this for night pickers.
Purchase a Basket and run a piece of jute through the bottom ( no handle on it) and make sure it is clean. Wash it even if its new and totally dry it. Tie it to the side of cage for her to pick. Basket should be made of small reed so it is easy for her to destroy. Next Home Depot sells a roll of brown paper. Make a roll turn it about 10 times and cut it in half. Now you should have two smaller rolls. Squeeze each one in the middle and put them together like a cross and tie with a piece jute.Get your sharp scissors and start cutting down toward the center where the jute is. You are making long strips that wiggle. Do it to all 4 sides and it should look like an octopus.Now to make it more interesting take each piece and start folding it accordion style. You can crunch some and leave some plain straight. Tie the jute to the other side of the cage. You might want to add these toys one at a time. Because at first she will of course be afraid. If she likes wood toys but destroys them to fast make her a toy box with the pieces of clean wood and pieces of basket leftover like the handle we didn't use. She will love the cardboard to rip up. Also get her a stainless steel bell or stainless steel Measuring (4) cups to make noise and have fun with tie them together. Be the new owner she has been waiting for greet her with the same a wonderful upbeat voice each morning (Hi pretty Baby how is my pretty girl) .Can you whistle?? Pick a song like Pretty Baby and as you uncover her cage whistle it or sing it. At night before you put her in her cage pet her head and hum a song. mine is nighty night and good night. My guys after 16 years actually sing it back to me. You CAN really change her for the better. I have rescued birds and changed their lives for the better with love.
Ur amazing 😃
I have a CAG who just recently turned 7. She still chews her feathers (doesn't really pluck them, just shreds them in her beak so they look like downy feathers). Roughly three years ago my dog was hit by a car. This dog was best friends with my parrot. She loved getting the attention from her and would drop treats for the puppy. I am 90% convinced that the passing of my dog is what initiated this chewing behavior. As you may know, these types of parrots are extremely sensitive to change. I woke up one morning with the bottom of the cage completely covered in feathers. This stressed me out as I searched for a possible cure. I am part of several CAG groups on Facebook and after explaining my story, I was offered many different types of medicines or other solutions. When I took her for her annual checkup, the vet explained that I shouldn't stress too much about it because she will notice that I am stressed and this will make things worse. The vet recommended a simple aloe vera in liquid form (Lily of the Desert) which can used as a spray in spray bottle form. This has worked and she has since regrown majority of her feathers - but recently started to chew again. I believe this is simply because of the weather change.
I spray her multiple days every day. I offer her shredding toys to keep her preoccupied. I have a UV parrot lamp directed over her cage because supposedly the UV lamps encourage healthy feathers to grow back.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas and I hope Crash gets her pretty feathers back!
My Macaw has over preening issues too. Aka barbers her feathers. I am going to start the aloe vera spray ordering George's spray and going to make my own gel. I don't want added ingredients and I want all the oxalates removed to avoid skin irritation caused by some cheap aloe gels sold. UV lamp is good or daily sunshine. I cam get Leah to regrow feathers only for her to chew them back off.
This is heartbreaking, even tho the previous owner loved her, it seems he didn't do enough behavioural research to b able to recognise the plucking the moment it happened n take appropriate action to help her de-stress. This is a good lesson 4 all of us to keep educating ourselves on behavioral problems n how to fix em.
Give crash an xtra special kiss from me 😘
🐦 🐥 🐥 🐤 🐥 🐥 🐦 🐦
Hi Michael.
I have some experience with plucked macaws. I have a B&G which is now completely rehabilitated and have just gotten a Scarlet, who is completely bare. The "trick" I use to get them to stop is to give them a lot of sensory input, so they are too tired at night to pluck.
The scarlet, which I have had for 3 weeks now, have only plucked on day 1 and 3 and unfortunately for about 5 days during a diarrhea (I changed his diet too fast). He is now on day 5 without plucking since his diarrhea.
I take them out for walks outside (in a harness and now since it's freezing in Denmark, a coat aswell). There is bird flu in Denmark at the moment, so I can't take them out for walks. I then take them out for drives, where they sit in the car. I just remove the head rest of the passenger seat and put a towel over the seat to protect it from poop. They then sit there and watch the scenary go by.
The B&G is used to go for drives, but it's new for my 2 scarlets, so they sleep for a few hours after a drive and are really content when they wake up :)
And try to go to a drive thru restaurant with 3 large parrots in the car, that's hillarious :P
Hope it helps.
Sille
SilleIN - so tell us what you have done to stop the plucking???
@@QuantumOfSolace1 what he just said. He takes them out for walks and drives in the car.
Sandra Dalton -Oh thats what I have been doing wrong -I usually walk the dogs and I actually do the driving when going through the drive thru. I am not sure if my macaw can reach the peddles.
@@QuantumOfSolace1 lol. My neighbor walks her bird in a stroller while she walks her dogs. But I got your drift 🙄
I have a Greenwing Macaw that I adopted last year. Same issues, many setbacks. She is a habit chewer. Going to add organic aloe vera gel to distilled water to make a spray for her dry skin going to be more consistent with adding hemp seeds to her chop. More vitamin A rich food. More sunlight. I still do not think she gets enough of these things. She gets plenty of Calcium from her mineral Block and pulverized egg shell sprinkled on her food. She's been vetted and has macaw asthma.
Hi there! I have a baby Grey who's about 8 months old. She's my first parrot so I'm extremely paranoid about the possibility of her plucking and have done a lot of research on the subject. You're probably right in assuming that poor Crash's plucking is just habit at this point but habits can be broken!
It's great that you're weaning her off of seeds; strictly-seed diets are very unhealthy for parrots. I would also recommend introducing her to fresh foods; especially dark green vegetables. Breakfast time is the best time to try introducing those to her.
I'm not sure what your daily schedule is (Whether you're away from work, etc.) but if you are away for hours at a time, consider leaving on a TV with cartoons to act as a distraction for her and ensure that her foraging toys have great treats inside.
Some parrots will also wear sweaters and this can act not only as a source of insulation but also a way to keep them from getting to their newly-grown feathers and plucking them out as they grow in. Also, if she isn't able to have time outside in the sunshine you could purchase a full-spectrum lamp to keep on her. It isn't an essential product but it has been known to make parrots happier and more energetic.
I'm just throwing everything that I know out there, haha. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Where to get sweaters mayn i have naked alexandrine on it chest i want to fix his problem
You can use a sock. A UA-camr named marleen mcohen has a video on making a sock sweater. Be sure that it is not a material that can easily unwind if you use this method.
Hi Mike, I also have a CAG name Samantha. I adopted Samantha from a consignment store and she was also a plucker. Sammy was on an all seed diet as well, but when I took her to the Vet they recommended "Harrison's" pellet food. The Vet had her start with the HarrisonS high potency for six months and switched her to the adult lifetime. By the way... Sammy is 17yrs old🙂. Sammy too was a seed junkie, but little by little I removed the seeds and she's happy with her pellets. Also, I give her veggies, chicken, dark leafy greens and whole grains added to her diet. The Vet also placed her on "Haldol" meds for anxiety and plucking. It helps a bit, but changing her diet was the key. I think what you're doing so far with the forging toys is great!! Also, I give her bath everyday or more like 3x a week and a spray here and there. It helps her preen only to clean her feathers. And last but not least, I have an avian sun lamp for her that goes over cage. I live in an apartment and I can't safely take her out in the sun, so this was the next best thing. And you get that from this site called m.drsfostersmith.com/. My apologies for writing so much, but I do understand your pain seeing your beautiful girl suffer. Hope this helps a bit!!
I can tell you really love your bird. Patience and love. That's all you can do
This video sums it all up. For Pluckers - there is no cure. My parrot - (Big Macaw) is in the same boat. I tried an apron over her body- which she worked on day and night to get it off. I spray her with different sprays- none of them has worked - changed diet - nope. Toys - seems like she hates them. Took her to the Vet - couldn’t find any problems. Try a pain killer from the Vet - she hates it and runs away. I put it in her water- she throws all kinds of garbage in the water bowl- just to mess up that plan.
Going to try a thick collar around her neck to prevent her from reaching her body NEXT!
Windy City Parrot is a great resource for helping solve these types of challenges with your bird. It’s an open forum with experts sharing their experiences and knowledge. Also, full spectrum lighting and resetting Crash’s circadian rhythm can be essential to some birds. It’s as inexpensive as $30 and I would recommend doing additional research. Lastly, add lots of toys in the upper third of the cage and create a canopy atmosphere found in her natural habitat. I followed Windy City Parrot’s suggestions on this and it has helped tremendously. Best of luck! You and Crash will work it out together. Love and constantly trying new things will get you there.
Thank you so much for rescuing her
Bless her and you ...Hard boiled eggs with shell and vegetables shower on a shower perch each day a must to make her skin less dry and bird vitamin in water
Thank you for posting that that is exactly the same issue I’m having with my African Gray
I agree adding calcium to the water helps. A round of injectable doxycycline with and antifungal has helped mine with the plucking. It just makes the irritated skin feel better and I give him atarax on his soft foods twice daily. His plucking is a habit after he was bitten by some " no see my " bugs in the evening in my patio. Then he just kept on. I have had him 21 years with no plucking til this incident happened. His part time out door cage had a leaky water bottle and watt was looking in the bottom and attracting the pesky bugs! Good luck. Yay for you and your kind patience!
Pet Anything is a fabulous idea, you are just starting so take your time and slowly add to the videos and you will develop a following and create good discussions about how to care for pets, how to know if you are ready for a pet like a parrot and always rescue in my opinion, people will tell you about their animal family members or birds ect.. I am glad to see Crash has a happy caring home with you Phillip. Giving her toys to keep her busy is a good idea. I have seen this with other parrots where they have had a trauma in this case her favorite person periodically left thus her bond with him was unpredictable. My idea Phillip is to regularly reassure her that you will always be there for her and you are not leaving, creating a very secure, attachment with her. Thus the problem could be she is experiencing insecure attachment, so to feel some control over perhaps losing her bond with you which is essential to her well being she plucks as this is controllable.
Everyday saying hi to her, giving her good eye contact, just letting you know she is your forever buddy that she has a forever home with you, your wife and other pets and that she is loved and wanted. I think this is a key issue for her she needs lots of reassurance that she will never be abandoned even for a couple of days. If you travel I suppose it means taking her with you.
Hi mike I have an CAG parrot that plucked. I use a product called "Pluck no more" with my bird it worked wonders. I am NOT
a vet or med sale rep just someone who rescued one of these beautiful birds.with lots of love and fun time rash will be back
to her real keep up the good work
Hi Philip,
Thanks for your comment. What is this product? Is it a spray? Where do I get it?
+Pet Anything I did the same just go to a parrot store and show them the bird they will give you a spray call pluck no more and it really helps I did that to my parrot
Mike, did you try the pluck no more? and did it work? I am thinking about getting it for my bird. I inherited the bird from my Uncle who had him since birth for 20 years and it became too much for him as he became infirm. His wife died about 3-5 years ago and Toby plucked out his feathers, then let them grow back. We we got Toby, the separation anxiety made him pluck them out again...I saw the ad for pluck no more on this site.
bonkabirdtoys.com/categories/health-care-and-nutrition.html
Please let me know if you tried it and it helped. There is also a spray there that supposed to calm your bird, it may help better than the meds...or not, as I say I havent tried them but am think of doing it.
I've seen lots of great reviews for the "Pluck No More" . It's made and sold by Kings Cages guys. It's a bottle and you add it to your spray and in their water etc... It takes time though, but if you keep it up I do think it actually really works!! I of course got a rescue, plucked African Grey too, but she's still petrified of water and the spray bottle too. So I have yet to use my bottle of the 'Pluck No More' sadly!
I never tried it but wanted to.
Hi. I see that you struggle with your parrot Crash. She simply look so adorable :) I also have an 9 year old African grey called Sheila, and she is also a feather plucker. The last time I took her to the wet, the wet decided that I should put Sheila on antidepressant medicine for a month and watch the effect. Sheila was very fine at that time, and she got a lots of new feather, and she seemed relaxed, but almost straight after she stopped take the medicine, the feather plucking habit began again - So after this experience, I don't believe so much in antidepressant or neither a cone on the head, because I think the habit will start again when you take off the cone also. What I think you should do is to fix the problem with other things, and I am going to give you some tips that I used on Sheila. Let the bird be outside the cage for a couple of hours every day, and while she is outside play with her and start to make her learn some tricks. The parrot love to feel that they are in focus, and this is a very god way of letting them feel that. Have the cage in the middle of the room and not beside a door. This is a way to let the parrot feel secure and a member of the family, because then she can see everything that is happening in the living room, and feel that she also is a part of it. Give your bird 10 - 12 hours sleep every night, and try too give your bird a bath at least 2 times a week. Do like this: after the shower/bath put some organic aloe vera (like Jason's Aloe Vera gel) in 500 ml distilled water and spray her with that and then let it air dry. Your bird also need a UV lamp, but because you have other bird as well I think that you have that. One other very impotant thing is to not pet your bird in a sexual way - like too much rubbing on the back or scratching on the neck and head, because then your parrot will get sexually fustrated since you are not mating with her. A tip that I use on my bird is too punsh her when she is plucking her feather. The way I do it is whenever I see her pluck a feather I go straight to her cage, and then I am making her step up on my finger by using "step up command". Then when she is on my finger, I grab her around the head so that she is forced to look at me, and then I say: "NO" in a angry voice. Now when she is plucking a feather and I am in the room, she know that she have done a bad thing, and she will start to kiss me when I am coming to get her. But this is very risky, because you have to take action at the exactly same time she is doing the wrong ting. Anyways I hope that I gave you some ideas, and good luck with Crash ♡
Es adorable..necesita AMOR
Hi,
Billie is our Amazon yellow nape parrot. We have her since she is 6 months old and she is now 20.
She eats only fresh food : sprouted seeds and beans, fresh fruit and vegetables are always available in her cage.. She hates pallets. She loves chicken bones and carrots. She eats what we eat for dinner since she spent that time with us (on her own perch). You must be able to eat what your bird eats, and it must taste good.
Good luck
Hi Mike, I have African grey that plucked feathers on two different occasion last year. Both times she plucked all feathers apart from wing ones. On these two occasions I introduced high calcium + vitamin and mineral preparation which helped her to stop plucking within a week. These two products are ones which my vet recommended to me since I fed my bird only with seeds and she said its not enough. I did realized that seeds only cant be enough since these birds eat load of fruit in nature. Since then I feed her with variety of fruit and vegetables. Some stuff I steam to make her eat in case she doesnt like raw. Definitely try calcium stuff (I use Calci-Lux) and multivitamins for feather growth (Mutavit) and introduce many different veggies and fruits.
Love, caring, toys, companing, keeping her busy .......maybe helps...
Hi Mike.....I am sure that feather plucking is linked to stress of some kind. We rescued our Grey a few years ago......he had escaped from his previous owner, who couldn't be located. He was found on his back in the wild very sick after gorging on blackberries which had given him severe diarrhoea He was taken to an animal sanctuary and the vet gave him a couple of days, but thirteen years later he is still with us after we adopted him. He had a small scruffy patch on his chest, which progressively grew larger and balder and he is now bald down to his legs and across his shoulders. Feather plucking becomes a habit with them like us nail biting and I think the stress of him having to survive in the wild started him off. I have tried Pluck no More, Calcivet and various other meds, but nothing works. We now have to accept he is an oven ready parrot who is very happy and always has company and attention, but has a habit we can't break
Nice guy. Good luck to you and your baby.
You have a lot of dietary, vitamin, foraging and engaged interactions suggested to distract her/ him. I would suggest a sweater or a collar until more feathers grow back. Good luck. This bird is blessed to have you as a companion.
I am babysitting an African grey and I've been giving the bird fruits and carrots. Also when she's in her cage I play Einstein videos. It's also another African grey that's on UA-cam. Just keep loving her and pray for her. Poor bird
All I can think of is soothing music. Does she have playmates? You're doing so well w her.
Lots of baths, showers, a large outdoor aviary.. with natural branches and things to destroy.. natural sunshine and breezes, companion bird friends and a good diet... plus lots of parrot toys.... and the feathers will grow back!!
It's that for real she pull a feather and swing it to his owner? Lol that so interesting are they that smart and sensitive. I have one from a friend traveled back to Europe and he's a tuff to learn and be gently, he bits everyone but me and then he doesn't stand on my fingers or hand only I carefully grap him he's like a baby. Interesting video thanks for sharing I was looking for Information about these amazing birds
My African Grey sits a lot on my shoulder. Due to the poo thing I always wears a specific gown.She starts irritating me with the biting of my gown...(I was still in the learning process by that time).... so a took a piece (about 30 cm) of cotton thread and roll it very loosely around her.Ahhh...what a joy to see her working with the cotton thread!(Just start with a small piece)
Then she start plucking the neck feathers.Something told me she need "cotton thread" treatment. It works wonders for her. She is now capable of handling about a meter of cotton thread. No, I am not cruel to her. I can tell by her behavior that she really enjoys being so "busy".
I would alternate the cotton thread with a old piece of cloth /rag which I will tie from the top of her cage.Needless to say ...the cloth/ rag do not last very long....now and then she get a bunch of old keys on a ring to play with. Even a stainless steel teaspoon.Pieces of tree branch. Let your creative juices flow when it comes to animal toys. Don`t need to be all the expensive toys.And the feather plucking? (hopefully) a thing of the past!
Kobus Grove - watch the tree branch if grey chews. They can be poison. Apple branches are ok.
Years and years ago, one of my neighbours took in an african grey from her friend because he was so neglected he pulled out a lot of feathers. Since she was working all day, she asked my family if we could look after him for a few weeks. We did and those weeks turned into months and he got so much better, feathers growing back and talking over screeching. The neighbour then took him back and handed him straigh to the abusive owner and we never heard anything again. Still feel gutted even if he was her bird, but these birds are too sensitive for many people!
what she eats makes a world of a difference. Are you offering her fresh fruits and veggies daily in addition to the pellets? I use Zupreem(pellets) and Brown's (contains whole nuts, dried fruit, and seeds). You can find it at any large pet store or online. Also, I always leave a TV on so my Bird doesn't feel like she's alone. I hope she's doing well. Good luck!
I'm pretty sure in my place, they put a cone on the head..so the bird cant reach out to pluck those feathers. but yeah, seriously i know so little about birds.
You could try those mop string yarn type of toys. They preen those instead. Also more spritzing with water weekly 3-4x week. Some days spritz a lttle and 1x a week a deep spritz. Then blow dry but be careful how hot and close the dryer is. My grey loves warm water in a pan. He would climb in and out of for half hr. Coconut oil is good. Just a tiny bit a day. Pea size. Empty plastic water bottle with pennies in it. Let her on the floor and chase after it. My grey got lots of energy out that way. Another bird in room calms them a lot. My bird love preening leather laces. Ones made for birds only.
A good thing to use for anxiety is some camamile tea. Just a pinch of "spice" in their food. You have to make a big deal like it's great and then they want it. LOL Also I have used paper towels and cotton rope placed around the cage as something to shred other than himself. It started out of sexual frustration. But then became a habit. So he is almost grown back in then the female amazon gets hormonal and rejects his trying to feed her, and all his other flirting. Then he gets upset and plucks. Poor baby!
I am getting a African Grey Parrot for free from someone and the owner has told me that she is plucking her feathers and this video really helped thanks!
Forevergeo isa
My CAG is a feather plucker. She started with her tail feathers and then started mutilating her bum. So badly that it bled I brought her to the vet and she's been on antibiotics for the past 6 weeks. The vet also put a collar on her. I clean her bum twice daily and spray her daily with pure Aleo Vera juice. It looks great now and the tail feathers have finally grown back. I'm not looking forward to the collar coming off just in case she starts plucking herself again !
hey Mike, I have a Goffin cockatoo, she plucks her feathers as well,the only thing that works for is I take a treat that she likes * peanuts*hehe and crumble it up in news paper so she has to found it in the news paper and that's seems keeps her attention for awhile,plus she enjoys it :) hope that helps........Becky
I know they do make sweaters for birds, wondering if putting one on it if it would prevent her from plucking and give the feathers a chance to come back. Also while she's in the vests / sweaters, find something she enjoys chewing / playing with as a substitution for the bad habit. That way she learns to do something different since she can't get at her feathers.
I always thought this habit was interesting! My dad has an African grey and as long as I remember she has plucked her feathers but it has gotten progressively worse. A few years ago she was diagnosed with a seizure disorder that was probably the root of her plucking issue. I assume now that she is on medication and her seizures are controlled that she plucks because it is habit and it calms her down like activities such as picking at fingernails does for humans.
Aww shes so cute. I hope she is better
She is. Not too long after I rescued her, she went to a family in Northern Utah, and they were able to rehabilitate her and help her grow her feathers back.
Aww nice to hear a happy ending . I rescued 2 of my birds and 1 I had since he was a baby. I rather rescue then go to the pet stores way to many needs homes.
I bought Avicalm on Amazon. It’s powder form. I put a pinch and stir it in or water. It seems to be helping my cockatoo and I cut down on the peanuts. I think he has an peanut allergy seems to be working for me.
My green cheek conure. Who's cage is in the kitchen/family room area where people are constantly sitting. We always feed/talk to him. He plays with his toys regularly. He's just started plucking his chest feathers. Maybe an area .5 x .25 in. I don't know what to do. He's 13 years old I think. We rarely travel and if we do it's not all of us. One of us is always home as we have 2 cats and a dog. I'm curious to hear your input. Same cage as the day we got him. Never changed foods.
It is hard to do but keep them busy.
Including picking them u alot even if only for a few seconds, talking to them from a distance because they CAN hear you and mostly understand you. Speak nicely and calmly, and also lots of blanket burritos. That straight up stops them from being able to pick their feathers and they seem to absolutely love being wrapped up in a blanket. Just be around if they want out because it can cause them to stress out if they cant get out fast enough.
God bless you and it sounds like you are doing all the right things. We have a rescue Grey who was also eating nothing but seeds. We got her on pellets fresh fruit, veggies and even hard boiled eggs with the shell. Have you ever heard of Marlene McCohen? She has the #engagednotcaged UA-cam show. Try asking her about Crash's plucking. She has a rescue Cockatoo who also plucked.
Get the bird some mop toys. They have a big part that is lots of string. They will preen that instead. Also get her a uv light that is not a heat lamp but ones for birds. My African grey would chew all natural leather toys too. Lots ofvtime out of the cage. Least 5-7hrs. My bird was trained to stay on a perch at night. He loved the yellow light above the stove. A plastic water bottle with some times in it for as rattle noise. Bird can chase it around the floor and get energy out that way. Bird vitamins that go in the water.
Hi I've had an african grey for 26 years. His name is Darwin. And over this time he has had feather plucking issues. This is usually my bad where I don't spend enough time with him. What I have found that works really well is feeding him a teaspoon of hemp seeds a day an spending more time with him.
I have owned parrots for over 30 years and unfortunately some birds once they get into the Habit it is very difficult to get them to stop it sounds like you're doing everything right so if she doesn't stop plucking sometimes it's a habit as I said a moment ago especially the ones that go for their tail and many of their contour feathers some will even be bald after the plucking they'll get every feather they can reach unfortunately as I said a moment ago some birds just it's a bad habit that's really hard to break but good job it sounds like you're doing everything right for your bird
Kings Cages sells a product called Pluck No More or similar name. Just a thought😊 Is Crash then five years old? Just curious. Hope things go better.
My African gray parrot eats burger rice boiled potatoes boiled eggs fruits chocklets bread chips etc lol I mostly feed her mouth to mouth which she likes it the most
You have your hands full. You are basically gonna have to take her everywhere with you. Spending time with her is the key. Draw her attention away from her plucking. I am sorta dealing with this now with one of my parrots. He came from a abusive home. He was put into a cage and never taken out. I have worked with him so much and progress is good. The plucking issue is a tough one though. You pretty much have to make it all about them all the time. After a while they will lose interest in plucking and you won't have to spend as much time as you were before once they start to heal. The saying some scars cannot be covered up is the truth. They will always wanna pluck after they do it the first time. You are the preventer!
Ha.. I just went to see your video and heard you introduce yourself.. my African grays name is Crockett. 🙂
Lol. That’s cool.
Give her more wood toys and those take out chopsticks (make sure they're WOODEN, not bamboo). Also start feeding her about one very cooked drumstick bone. You'll have to take most of the meat off and learn to pre-crack the drumstick lengthwise, so that she can finish biting into it to get the bone marrow. Oh and I think she'll need more toys in her cage.
We have two Congos, and they are healthy as hell. Good luck.
hi Mike, you wrote that she is on medication...so she had complete health check done by avian, is that correct? Also, would you know or can you find out when she started plucking and under what circumstances whether there were some changes in her life etc...you prob wont be able to find out from previous owner....anyways, as long as you had her checked by vet properly, meaning full blood tests, xray, feaces samples taken for tests as well as feather sample taken for possible skin disease....
had she had all these done? I know too well that those procedures are costly, but she is worth every penny....
Mike try and look up the sock buddy .com
Basically it's a sock that Is designed to fit over the actual body of the parrot to prevent plucking.. Hope that helps .. Also I read that when a parrot pulls a feather it feels pain and that pain causes the release of a stimulant that relaxes the parrot.. But like u say now that he's happy he's addicted to pulling them out .. Oh and try pluck no more .. Good luck buddy
Hi Alan,
Yeah, I came across the same information in my research.
U can even make ur own sock outfits 😜
Hi there, my macaw started plucking his tummy feathers about 2 years ago. I think its now a habit :( the vet said to me recently that my parrots plucking isnt so bad that its reason for concern. My macaw is in excellent condition. The vet said parrots need direct sunlight at least 1hr a week is enough. Its essential for well being even for humans., so I put my macaw out from 8am to 10am OR from 3pm to 5pm when the sun is not that hot. I also put a shade cloth ontop of his cage so if he wants he can go under the shade. My macaw is not in a closed cage- he has a whole enclosed patio with glass sliding doors so we watches the wild birds, the dogs and other activity outside and the patio leads into the kitchen so he sees me so many times a day and I spend time with him daily BUT unfortunately if he roams around in the house he does chew cupboards and other furniture so his place is in the patio with his cage and lots of perches and toys. The vet said Im doing the right thing BUT need to give him direct sunlight too. Ive only just started doing this so Im really hoping he will kick the plucking habit.
Keep em busy when you're not playing with them,with of course the regular toys,but also foraging toys! Make em work for their food,just like they do in the wild. The more thought put in to looking for food the less thoughts they will have for plucking out feathers. KEEP THEIR MIND BUSY.
⚠️PLEASE READ THIS⚠️
Edit: nvm guys it was molting, I didn’t know animals molt lmao
Mine is going head bald and I don’t know why the problem is that it’s in his head and he can’t pluck his head feathers and can u please tell me what’s going on? I am searching and I can’t find anything, I think it’s bc he keeps scratching his head and what he wants is that we scratch it for him but why dosent it grow back? Most of them came back but there are some that are growing slowly and some never grow,
hi.have a african grey that started plucking just after we moved home.she gets a lot of attention(in winter even climbs in under my jacket ).big cage. fair amount of toys.plenty of fruit.mostly on pellet diet but only thing i think we do wrong is feeding her (human food)but that we have done since we got her 16 years ago.so cant see how that can be the problem.we have tried meds/spray/conditioners for birds.still very playful.dances with us to muzic.even baths with me.(.no before i use soap)...exetra.truly cant be a attention problem as even our friends joke ( they have to feather themselfs to get attention from us)would realy need info on what to try next
My female grey when I got her was all plucked. I provided her with a series of nests or dark hide aways around our room where she can retreat too and feel safe. All her feathers grew back and now she's very pretty
Just be careful in the long term because dark nesty areas can make them hormonal and they will be very nesty and broody and prone to biting.
@@JM-ym8mm That snot true all female get broody for like a week a year no matter what they have my female is a million times more relaxed now that she has a safe place. Parrots will be as good as they are treated people who denie them basic rights like a safe place dont deserve them
Hi, same problem with my African Grey, Gracie. I was told powder calcium... she is still plucking even after her wings and tail Feathers. My dog which was her friend ideas head to the home and I have Became seriously L recently.
hiya .I have a african grey .he started to pluck .the first time we went on holiday ..now everything we go away he will have a go .especially if he not having enough attention..we have started spraying water on him now it he starts doing it ...he is so used to it he always goes for the same area ..try sparking him ..this is Alfie xx
We have an African Gray that plucks as well. We bought a coat that helps him not pluck. We do have to watch him when he wears it.
Mine likes to walk around and follow throughout the house. Then I follow him with wet wipes😒 he loves doing that, and he's very cuddly. Lots of people time😊
That's cute.
I forgot to mention he has his own tv and favorite movies he likes, plus his own room. So when we're not home or just busy he still has some entertainment 😊 it's funny hearing him in their talking with his movies lol
@@angelacordova3622, Oh my gosh, that's awesome. I tried to do that with Crash while I had her, but it didn't seem to have any effect. Maybe I just hadn't found her jam.
@@petanything I'm sorry you don't have her anymore, I hadn't realized that this was a post from a couple years ago until after I posted the second time. If you ever get another bird I would suggest movies with bright colors, he's loves musicals and rock music as well as Icelandic music, strange I know, I think it's all the different sounds they use.
I would add more toys besides the foraging ones. Toys that she can substitute her need to pluck. Get some that have feathers or the woven palm leaves that she can " preen " and pull apart. Parrots need to chew. Hard and soft wood toys as welll. You really need to work with her to keep her stimulated. My grey gets very emotional if she doesn't get enough attention. Clicker training is a great way to stimulate her mind and help you guys bond. ( You can also teach her some fun tricks!)
Have you given her saying she can't read like a ball of twine or something wicker so she still can't look at something just not herself?
Avian experts have tried different psychiatric meds such as Haldol, Prozac and others with success but obviously the treatment has to be prescribed by an avian veterinarian expert since exact dose and check-ups have to be given exactly taking into consideration weight and response of the parrot. Check In your area
Hi Mike i have 2 gray parrots. The older o e louie a girl she pluck to bit I give her bottle water and put pluck no more in the water my bird stir send shod grow back she still.plucking. but don't know wy. Hope you can get this. Pluck no more is sold buying cage. Hope this help you
Hi, spray her with warm salt water all over like you are giving her a bath. This seems to have stopped our African gray from plucking his feathers.
Well this was a year ago I wonder if her feather's grew back?
I have a moluccan cockatoo and he is a plucker I bought bird collars which have been very helpful and he got his feathers back.
I realize this video is older but..first off good job getting her onto a pellet diet. Parrots should have a veggie( look up bird chop or bird mash) and pellet diet with fruit and seed as treats. Second, birds who pluck should not go hungry. Tho I understand where you’re coming from, food should be readily available for her with treats in the foraging toys. With the combination of the medication, a healthy diet, regular showers and plenty of stimulation you should see a significant improvement. Good luck
poor thing shes in good hands now
Hi Mike. How about putting a plastic collar on. Like the ones they put on a dog when they get fixed. She won't like it but I think it might work. Myself, I love animals and my favorite is my 7 month conure who is very demanding and attached to me but beautiful. I also have a 2.5 year old ball python in another room lol whom I dearly love as well. I'd really like to follow and see how this turns out. I know it can be heartbreaking
theres a anti plucking spray you can use its a bit like the nail biting stuff for kids bitter tasting it may be mites there spot or spray treatments ive not tried them myself yet i just ordered some mite spray for my grey she plucks her neck area hope this helps thats the worst case of plucking ive seen
have you tried keeping a stuff parrot in her cage for her to preen
Is she recovered?
She's beautiful anyway
A lonely bird will pluck its feathers.I used a plant squirt bottle to get the bird to stop pulling feathers.it works.a deterrent to stop pulling out feathers. Left the TV on for the bird when I went out.
Hello Mike, did you witness any improvement with your parrot. If yes, please let me know what worked for you.
Not too much improvement yet. Some people have suggested a calcium supplement that I am going to try. So it sounds like you have a feather plucker too?
Doesn't plucking her feathers hurt her?
How is your African grey? I love to see her
As the title of the video states, she was rehomed. Over 5 years ago, actually. Last I heard, she was doing well. The people who took her used a UV light to help her regrow her feathers. Who knew the solution would be that simple?
Good man.
She could be like I am...just naturally anxious and picky. I pick at my skin, my nails, everything. That's with medication, etc. Some of us are just born like that. We just naturally pick at our own bodies.
Consider what you'd do if you had a child who was cutting. It's a way to distract themselves from thoughts that upset them. One of which, may be a lack of physical affection. Try keeping her on your shoulder or forearm as much as possible maybe? If she isn't plucking while she's on you, that might be a clue. While she's there, eat stuff, and perhaps she will want some of whatever you're eating. My seed eating pionus would occasionally eat pizza with me. Even though I never managed to break her of her seed addiction, I did get her to eat some other things occasionally.
If Crash doesn't already have toys that stimulate boredom, I'd recommend that. If the vet has ruled out any skin diseases and she's on medication and isn't under stress, it might just be habit as you said, or boredom. My grey really enjoys a toy called 'ring around the rainbow' it's a toy with multiple stands of shoelaces with random areas bonded together like shoelace tips. This keeps my grey busy for hours chewing and meticulously unraveling the laces. It might distract from the picking of her feathers. I'm sure you may have noticed by now that greys can be afraid of things they haven't seen before, so if you do end up getting something, just keep it in the room for a while so she sees it and knows it wont kill her, and then place it in her cage to play with.
Hi sognametal,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, she does have toys that she likes. Unfortunately, she plays, then takes a break to pluck, and then goes back to playing. I did take her to the vet the day after I got her, and she is healthy. At this point, it really is just habit. I did, however, invent a toy that she seems to like. I say "invent," but all I really did was hang something in her cage that I knew she would chew on, that I no longer needed. And as I knew she would, she started chewing on it immediately. I know that birds are usually frightened by new things, but Crash seems to accept anything that I hand to her. I don't know if she learned to trust like that from her previous owners, or if it's just me. Anyway, I actually filmed her playing with it, and I'll be posting that video at a later time.
Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
Mike
i have two african grays my female started to pluck last year so i put them in an outdoor aviary and she stop,d doing it
The grey we got a week ago does the same thing. His original owner was a guy and had a seizure and sold him to the women we got him from. When she got him he was nice but she could never get him to step up on her hand or out of the cage. He started plucking. In the week I've had him he filled his cage with yours and he has 6 other birds to talk to around him. He's stopped plucking and I can pick him up and take him out of the cage easy now. I read they get bored easy and he does like talking to the other birds. I also spend a few hours through out the day playing with him.
'I filled his cage with toys'
Yes, I have read all of this as well. Unfortunately with Crash, nothing seems to help. I stopped using the medication, because it wasn't changing anything. She doesn't have anxiety, which is what the medication is for. I fill her cage with things to do, like foraging and toys. She uses them, takes a break to pluck, and then goes back to using them. It's just habit for her. Last week, I tried the cone of shame. It made it hard for her to climb, and just to function overall. She ended up falling several times and breaking feathers. Luckily, nothing serious. I took that off, and won't use it again. I'm still looking for ideas.
+Pet Anything My girlfriend is going order a soothing spray for ours. Today i got him to sit my shoulder. The last owner couldn't even hold him. In a week or two when he's use to being held I'm going to get a perch for my shower and take him in with me. I hope he doesn't start plucking again.
Sir, how long does it take for her feather to grow back?
I only had her a few months before she went to live with an older couple up north. I was only rescuing her. Her feathers would grow fairly fast, but she would always pluck them out again.
I live with a grey who has feather plucking issues. I can second the calcium supplement. This has helped significantly. I'd suggest a supplement with vitamin D if your bird isn't on a strict pellet diet. You might also want to switch to a pellet only diet. Harrison's makes a fully comprehensive pellet. We just pour some liquid calcium on his pellets, enough to coat all the pellets. I think the part of issue is the feathers are not growing in strong enough and merely break off. The calcium helps the feathers grow in stronger.
Thanks for this. I'll give it a try.
My bird won’t eat Harrison pellets. Try to find a good brand.
Do you add some water to calcium before you add it to pellet
I'm having the same problem.. And how does your parrot do it now?
We actually no longer have her. As explained in this video's title, this bird has be rehomed. The last I heard from her new family, they were able to get her to grow back her feathers using an ultraviolet light, of all things. It was something that they had used on another of their greys that had a plucking issue, and they found success with it. So, not only does she have her feathers now, but she gets to spend time with another grey as well.
I am happy to hear that the parrot is doing well.
And now I am going to buy UV light as well.
then wait and see how that goes