Plucking

[Lyne]

My girlie bird stopped laying eggs 5 months ago, she was laying 4 eggs every month. She started plucking round her neck and chest, after she stopped laying. The vet gave a salve and vitamin A supplements that seemed to make things worse. She is mostly fed by my boy, do I need to give her D3? Their diet has sunflower seeds, which I know ain't good but they love them, they get fresh cress, fresh fruit and veg, millet, mineral bar and mixed African nuts, help!

[linda040899]

Hi and welcome to Lovebirds Plus Community!

Sunflower seeds are very necessary in the diets of African species of parrot. They have a higher dietary fat requirement than species of parrots from other parts of the globe. Adding egg or egg food to the diet will give Vit D. Full spectrum lighting is another good option.

You can try something called RxSoother and see if it will help. It's a cream and is safe for parrots. My avian vet recommends it. I've used it and it worked well.

Perhaps also try natural bamboo toys that she can preen/shred. Letting them forage more for food might help, as it will keep them busy rather than having food readily available all the time. In the wild, parrots spend most of their day time hours searching for food where in captivity, it's always readily available.