Plucking again!

[Jezzahbella]

I am having a problem with Bella plucking again. She stopped when got furbie but then she started to pluck herself and Furby! Shes also picking at her skin and has a nasty wound on her shoulder. All of a sudden she will start to random screech and eat away at her shoulder. The link is a recording of her doing this. She doesn't have mites or anything. shes been warming up to me and she'll only do this when in her cage. I have her out of her cage almost all the time but I obviously can't have her out 24/7.
http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/silvermagick/?action=view&current=137_4235.flv

[wilkiecoco]

:omg: I know very little about plucking, but it sounds like she is so uncomfortable, like something is attacking her skin and make it so irritable. Have you taken her to a vet to rule out something medical? Poor Bella! I hope you find a solution, for it seems obvious from watching the video that something is really bothering her.

[graushill]

Hi,

I'm really sorry about Bella :( . Plucking is very frustrating to go through and unfortunately the cases where the solution is relatively simple are few and far between.

I read you say she doesn't have mites or anything, so I assume that you've taken her to the vet. However my recommendation at this point would be to take her once more. I know it's not what anyone wants to hear and seems "been there done that" type of advice but the truth is most plucking is caused by medical reasons and sometimes it takes several tries to find out the culprit. I've read a case of a bird whose very serious plucking was caused by pneumonia, which was discovered by taking an x-ray for something completely different. I've also read about plucking caused by a parasite called giardia which is very, very difficult to catch, since the parasite can go into periods of rest where it's not active and therefore not detectable, and even when it's active it can be difficult to detect because it dies very quickly out of the body, so it may require very fresh samples of poop plus bloodwork to detect.

I'm sorry if I'm being a downer. It's really not my intention. I have a plucker myself and I feel always saddened when I read about other birds and their owners who go through that problem. I'm rooting for Bella and you and I hope she gets better soon.

Best of luck!

Gloria

[Jezzahbella]

^ I will be taking her to the vet soon. Thank you. :)
I just have one question, could she being doing this cause she hates her cage? She will only pluck when shes in her cage.

[Kirby]

How does Bella act in her cage while being away from Furby?

Does she seem to be very attatched to him/her?

And if so, is she constantly trying to get to him?

[graushill]

I just have one question, could she being doing this cause she hates her cage?

Well, I actually don't know. With plucking, almost anything's possible from what I've read. One thing connected to the cage which could be a problem apart from her disliking it, is if she could possibly be ingesting paint, or rust or metal from it? I only mention this because heavy metal poisoning is also a cause for plucking.

There's actually a very good post on the care forum by Jennifer (BuyAPaperDoll):
http://www.lovebirdsplus.com/community/showthread.php?t=3017&highlight=foraging

It discusses methods to teach parrots to forage. It's a way to keep them busy and interested and hopefully with less time in their busy beaks to pluck. While there's no guarantee that teaching Bella and Furby to forage will help with the plucking, it certainly can't hurt. Plus it's a lot of fun :) . I think Keltoth has another method for foraging, something to do with some type of mat where he puts seeds, but I can't remember exactly. I'll see if I can find his post and I'll try to link it later.

Gloria

ETA: Actually in the same post above you can find Eric's (Keltoth) suggestion :).

[michael]

Bella's picking response is very similar to Goofy's. The only difference is Goof does this inside and outside his cage. Initially it started with his tail feathers. Giardia was diagnosed, treated, and his tail has since grown back in. Because giardia distresses the digestive tract, usually, but not always, it affects the tail area by causing intense itching and discomfort. Other diseases are roundworms. feather mites obviously, and certain bacterial infections. All of which must be diagnosed and treated by a qualified avian vet. Its obvious your taking the right steps to rule out medical causes with Bella. I feel in the long run it will mean less frequent vet visits, and the comfort knowing you won't end up with more than one sick bird. Although recently Goofy was diagnosed with a minor yeast infection, both the vet and myself agree most likely its psycological in nature. Regardless if medical or not, the suggestions offered by Jennifer and Eric, and many others as well, are excellent methods used to help avoid this problem. Goofy reacts much the same way as Bella, and is damaging the shoulder area's as well. So far it appears their acting out of frustration. We've excepted the fact that it could take a long time to understand and alleviate this ever growing problem. Maybe in time we will eventually learn how to avoid it before it happens.

I'm very sorry to hear Bella's started doing this. Hopefully we can share better news as time goes by. Hugs for you and your feathered family.........Michael and Goofy