Chewing Wing

[apsabo]

I have an 18 month old who chews his wing where it joins the body. The vet put a collar on him and after a week took it off as it appeared healed. The next morning he had chewed it open again. We put the collar back on for a couple of weeks then after it was chewed again, for a month when we were sure it was completely healed. Two days after it was off he had chewed it open yet again. Our vet said it was behavior he said some lovebirds have been known to exhibit but I wonder if there is a way we can discourage him (short of forever wearing the 'collar of shame'). Things haven't changed in the house to cause undue stress so we can't seem to pinpoint a cause. Any ideas would be truly appreciated.

[bird-brain]

is he only chewing the one wing and always in the same spot? when you say chewing is he gnawing through the feathers to get at the skin or is he plucking out the feathers but leaving the skin intact?

[michael]

.........Our vet said it was behavior he said some lovebirds have been known to exhibit but I wonder if there is a way we can discourage him (short of forever wearing the 'collar of shame'). Things haven't changed in the house to cause undue stress so we can't seem to pinpoint a cause. Any ideas would be truly appreciated.

Welcome apsabo to Lovebirdsplus. .. What we're finding, is feather skin abuse among lovebirds is becoming more and more common. .. All are companion birds, most are males, and there is often more than one reason why this occurs. .. The more common reasons are thought to be either hormones, or discrepancies in diet. .. Unless there's an exact medical diagnosis such as, viral, fungal, bacterial, folliculitis, or parasitic disease, then a search for behavioral/psychological causes must ensue. .. There are also times if a medical issue is not managed soon enough, then the feather/skin abuse ultimately becomes habit.

With respect to Ecollars, their use is basically limited to buying time towards finding a medical cure, or some sort of psychological cause. . They are also used in cases where wounds can become infected, or worse yet, life threatening. .. Sometimes though, you can manipulate their use to the advantage by applying it only when a bird is most likely to pick. .. That, is easier said than done.

Assuming that your vet found nothing in the way of any medical abnormalties, whats left is to determine whether the behavior has something to do with diet, housing, husbandry, or a little bit of everything. .. If you can, please share with us your birds current dietary intake, housing provisions, and the type of attention he receives. .. Also, how much time does he/she get to spend outside of their cage?

[apsabo]

Thank you Michael -
Initially when we took him to the vet, the vet determined he had injured his wing somehow. She put the ecollar on, gave me a painkiller to give him twice a day and antibiotics. We returned to the vet weekly to get it checked and at the third visit she took the ecollar off because it appeared to be healed. We were also told that some birds chew at the area where the wing it attaches to the body (he's our third bird and we've never seen this behavior before).

He had a cage that he's in at night and when we're not home. During the day when someone is home, the cage is open and he frequently hangs out with us - especially my husband with whom he's bonded most strongly. When he doesn't hang with us, he likes to sit on the windowsill or play with his toy.

I give him a quality seed mixture topped with fresh organic sprouts daily. He also had a dish of ZuPreem pellets. He will sample table food and is given the occasional millet as a treat. He enjoys his food and the ecollar didn't deter him from eating.

Nothing has changed since we brought him home when he was 3 months old.

[michael]

.........Initially when we took him to the vet, the vet determined he had injured his wing somehow. She put the ecollar on, gave me a painkiller to give him twice a day and antibiotics. We returned to the vet weekly to get it checked and at the third visit she took the ecollar off because it appeared to be healed. We were also told that some birds chew at the area where the wing it attaches to the body (he's our third bird and we've never seen this behavior before). .........

Having had to utilize a plastic bubble type ecollar for one of my own serious feather/skin abusers, truthfully, i'm not sure it made much difference. .. It was afterall, applied ONLY because of the risk of infection or ultimately the loss of a wing, otherwise, it would never have been applied. .. I know its frustrating, and at times frightening to think that our beloved parrots are capable of total self destruction. .. For myself though, I found it far less stressful on my birds without any added attention brought about by the picking itself. .. Funny how parrots can often sense exactly what your thinking about, especially if its their feather abuse!

Not to question your vets diagnosis, but how did she determine it was an actual wing injury? . Were there any broken feathers, or difficulty with flight? .. There are cases of polyfolliculitis, whereas depending on the cause, treatment may require a different approach. Sometimes the cause can be a feather cyst, or even scarring brought about by a parent hens previous attention that hinders the normal direction of feather growth. .. Even molting can instigate plucking behavior whereas employing a humidifier and/or misting with aloe and water may help alleviate any added discomfort. .. These are just thoughts, although might be worth a quick look into. .. .. With my plucker/s, the best I can do, is try keeping the picking at a maintenance level in hopes that the damage doen't affect the underlying skin. . So far, so good :). .... Best wishes for your little guy. ... Please keep us updated.