# plucking badly!



## rachel (May 31, 2008)

Hi there,im sure many of you have had a similar problem so i thought id ask for your expertise.
i live in the uk with my cockateil,smudge,who is a pearl male.ive had smudge for over a year now and hes always had a little nidge at himself but nothing as bad as wot hes done to himself over the last few weeks!to look at himyou wouldnt know but wen he lifts his feathers up hes bald and red underneath and he sits in his cage constantly plucking himself.i can see him with little feathers in his mouth and he actually carrys on pluckin despite making himself squeal.ive tried distracting him with food and toys but he wont stop and hes started ignoring me in favour of scratching himself.im out at work all day but he has plenty of toys in his cage and food and when i get home hes allowed out for the rest of the night till bedtime.hes stopped comin out as often because hes plucking and even me clapping,shouting,holding something up gets no reaction!
i havent taken him to the vets yet as im convinced its started through boredom and is now a habbit,hes not playing with any toys anymore despite my attempts at making his cage more attractive by moving them around and replacing them.
aside from the mess hes made of his body hes fine.still eating,drinking etc.he has been molting which i already realise has probably made it worse,but hes molted before and not mutilated himself like this and the fact that i cant distract him is the main issue.if anyone has any ideas id be very grateful and has anyone had sucess with the sprays that supposedly stop biting?
i do mist smudge twice a day and have liquid to put in the mister as advised by the vets but this is not making a difference or encouraging him to preen himself properly.


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## colorado4bjh (Dec 2, 2008)

I personally have never used this product so make sure you do your own research but I have been truly amazing stories about "Pluck No More". Here is the link that I have found so you can start. http://www.kingscages.com/pluck_no_more.php Good luck and I wish you and Smudge the very best!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

There is probably a reason for the plucking. Either mites or more commonly Giardia. It is an intestinal parasite. You should have him checked by a Vet.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would take him to an avian vet aswell, it is best to get him checked out. That way you know 100% why he is plucking and the vet will be able to help. I would give him shredding and preening toys and a trip to the vet. Good luck


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## colorado4bjh (Dec 2, 2008)

*Vet Definitely!*

I thought I read in your post that you did take him to the vet but after re-reading your post I see you didn't. I definitely would make that the first step!!!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Plucking in cockatiels is almost always caused by a medical problem - they rarely do it for psychological reasons. You need to take your birdie to the vet!


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## Angela2008 (Dec 18, 2008)

At your checkup, it may be a good idea to ask for a collar. They're similar to the dog cone. It's usually made out of light styrafoam, sometimes x-ray film. It'll stop em from being able to reach the plucking areas.


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## Cashs Cowgirl (Dec 31, 2008)

My little guy started plucking...we had him checked out and doc didn't find any medical conditions and was surprised that he was doing this since we took him out alot, was home most of the day (since I homeschool) and he went outside on the front porch where there are lots of things to see and hollar at, LOL.

We tried to do toy changes and more people time, but he still plucked...we did some birdie valium...he still plucked...he wasn't horrible about it, but it was enough that he was bare in a few spots...this went on for about 8-10 months.

Then recently came River...our newest tiel. Now Cricket is too preoccupied with fussing at him and watching him that he isn't plucking anymore, LOL. They sure are funny creatures.


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

Well,ive taken smudge to see an avian vet who told me smudge doesnt have mites and he definetly thinks the prob is behavioural.He told me he could put a collar on him to stop the plucking but it would only be temporary till it healed then hed probably pluck again.At the minute as the prob is still under control weve decided to see if any changes o his lifestyle stop him plucking,then go for the collar if this fails and he gets worse.The avain vet told me to search for behavioural solutions and lifestyle changes rather than drug treatments or products so if anyone has any ideas please can you let me know!?
We are currently tryin the idea of 12 hours dark 12 hours light to mimic conditions from australia by covering the cage with a cloth at night.ive also removed some toys to limit him to a few and moved a few things around in his cage.We had considered another bird but we dont know for sure wot sex smudge is,we just call him a boy.does anyone have any ideas on sexing a bird.also im not sure that would help as he may pluck more.i dont want another tiel unless they can be housed togeher.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I'm extremely surprised by that vets opinion. I took a friends bird who has been plucking under his wings and also his legs to see my boss (an avian vet) and he said that plucking in cockatiels is RARELY behavioural. 

What is your tiels diet like? That's the first thing most vets look at. Does he get good quality seeds/pellets/both as well as lots of fresh vegetables? Nutritional deficiencies are a top cause of plucking in tiels. After that, like others have said, mites or giardia are most likely. Mites can be seen in/on the feathers (i assume the vet had a good look?), and giardia can be detected under a microscope. Apparently most cockatiels have giardia in their systems, and it doesn't cause any symptoms, but an increased load of the parasite causes itchy skin and plucking.

I think a second opinion might be a good idea. Did the vet you see take any samples to check for parasites?


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

the vet didnt actually set me at ease as he didnt take any samples for testing.he did tell me he knew it wasnt a great help to be told its behavioural and when i questioned how he was so sure it wasnt mites he told me because the rest of his feathers werent tacky and hed only plucked where he could reach.wen i kept on probing he said ill show you a picture of a real plucker and proceeded to show me pictures of bald birds,although i did tell him i was trying to nip it in the bud before it got to that stage and i wasnt about to let him pluck until he was bald!The vet i took him to see was an avian vet so i kinda trusted what he was saying asuming he had experience.
When we first got smudge i took him to the same vet who told us to look at smudges diet as he was plucking a little bk then which was a year two years ago.we took the vets advise to put him on pellets instead of seeds but he refused to eat and a few days later i found him in a ball on the bottom of the cage,we weighed him and hed lost alot of weight so i decided at that point to ignore the vets advise and just let him eat.he now has a mixture of seeds and pellets ,and snacks on popcorn and bell pepper chips,seed sticks and veg sticks as he wont eat fresh fruit or vegeatables.He has a mineral block and cuttle bone and vitamin drops in his water and judging by how often he uses these items i wouldnt be suprised if the problem were related to a deficiency.
To be honest i dont know what else to do.if its food related i try to keep it as healthy as possible but if he wont eat it im stuck and hes proven he can be stubborn.I dont believe in starving him until he does eat it.And if the vets wrong there isnt another avian vet in our area so do i take him to a run of the mill vets and demand a blood test.Do i try to buy him a friend.As you can see im very confused but one things for sure the problems getting worse as the bald patch under his wings bigger.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Feather mites are big enough to see and they always lay along the feather shaft so I imagine it was easy for the vet to rule them out. As far as eating other foods...you can't just give up after a week. Some birds take months before they try it. It helps to stand where they can see you and make a big fuss over something you are eating, or at least look like you are eating. Then offer some to your bird. you can make a very small dish of something every day and put it in his cage eventually he will try it. If you quite offering it to him of course he will never learn. I always find the most effective way to get a bird to try veggies is to have him compete for food with a bird that DOES eat veggies.


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

The area under his wings is red and bald and getting bigger and hes also biting his feet quite alot but its more sudden than nidging out of habbit.I dont actually own any other birds and smudge is my first,i do put different foods in his treat bowl but if its not seed related he then goes to his main bowl and wont touch it.And if i put only pellets he wont eat at all.at the minute i feed him a mix of the two but i think he probably leaves the pellets and eats the seed.And im still not sure weather its food related or if hes plucking for another reason.im guessing as you say that it isnt mites as theres no visible signs but im thinking of taking him elsewhere as hes not been checked for anything else and it has been asumed that hes doing it out of boredom.Ive been reading variuos threads about the full spectrum lighting but this seems like it can be quite dangerous if you dont know what youre doing.
Any thoughts on weather another bird could help?i would have to house them seperatley as i dont know smudges sex.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I feed both seed and pellets. I also give them beans, rice and veggies. Variety is the key to a healthy diet. The feather loss you describe is common in birds with Giardia. I would talk to your vet about that. Giardia is very common. Check this out and see if it doesn't sound like your birds' symptoms: 
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/giardia.html


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

Here is a picture of smudge if anyone has any ideas on his gender or mutation.i think hes a pearl and mite be a she.
Thanks for the information.that does sound alot like what smudge has!he screams when he plucks and his skin is scaly and he definetly itches.The difficulty i have now is taking him to the right person to get him diagnosed.I cant believe i took him to an avian vet who didnt think to test for it.its kinda scary that he might also betested for it but the test could come bk negative and he could still have it!


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Sounds like your Vet isn't very experienced with birds if he missed that. Smudge's mutation is Pearl. Gray Pearl to be exact. Judging by her age she is female. Male Pearls lose their Pearling (the spotted feather pattern) by about the age of 1 year. Since you've already had her for a year it looks like she's keeping them. The other traits of males can be seen in various videos here and other places. They are very vocal and will make lots of different sounds in rapid succession. Males will also strut around and hold their wings out to the side slightly a.k.a. Heartwings. They also commonly drum on surfaces like the cage bars, their dish or a perch like a little woodpecker.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

To answer your question about getting another bird, i would say no until you've ruled out any medical reason for the plucking. You also have to be prepared to house them separately if they don't get along, it's never a sure thing that two birds will be friends. If you can't keep two cages and give two birds enough attention separately then maybe now isn't the right time to add to the flock.


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

I agree with that as i definetly dont want to pass anything like giardia on to another bird,and i certainly dont want him to pluck anyone else.
im trying to find another avian vet but its proving tricky where i live.im considering taking him to a standard vet and hoping they can handle him and have the experience as even i cant get hold of him to turn him upside down as he just nips me.


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## Plukie (Aug 26, 2007)

Have you tried giving her a bath? Just a large pan with a bit of luke warm water in and let her see if that will help. I know when my two are moulting, they love to have baths or be sprayed. It probably won't cure the pluking, but it might just ease it a little for her and she might enjoy a good bath!


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

i do provide smudge with a bath but he doesnt use it except to drink out of!because of this i have to mist him regularly,which he hates.he either runs off or sits with his head down so its hard to reach the area that hes plucking at the most as its right underneath the wing and he doesnt lift his wings when hes sprayed.I also use a sterilising liquid the vet gave me when i first noticed smudge had a problem.his feathers themselves are in good condition,but there are getting to be less an less of them!


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## bigmikey36 (Aug 5, 2008)

Well, having looked at the picture of the bird and listening to what you've described i'm almost certain your bird is molting. If it was plucking it would hurt like **** when it pulled feathers out. I think the feathers are already coming out but hey its just my 2 cents worth
Mikey


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

smudge has molted plenty of times since ive had him and i know wot that looks like.This is painful shreaking when he sits constantly pulling at himself and hes bald under both wings and his lines down his back where he has turned around and plucked himself.He has become anti social in favour of pluckin and despite attempts to alter his routine and changin his food he doesnt seem to be responding.Hes off to another vets next week for another opinion and hopefully some long awaited tests to at least make sure its not medical.


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## rachel (May 31, 2008)

also the pics of my bird dont show the damage hes done as you cant see under his wings or on his back.and i did describe my bird screaming when he picks at himself so im guessin it hurts.


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## Lola's_mommy (Nov 30, 2008)

That definitely sounds like plucking to me rather than molting...poor guy! Lola is molting right now but is occasionally screaming when she preens. I hope the vet can give you some answers this time. Good luck.


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## bigmikey36 (Aug 5, 2008)

Good luck at the vets i hope you find the answers to the problem
Mikey


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

It's starting to sound like Giardia. Ask your vet to check him for that. If that's what it is it won't get better on its own. It's a parasite. Here's something I found on-line:
The parasite may be detected during routine examination of an otherwise healthy bird. Those showing symptoms can exhibit signs of poor weight gain, shabby feathering, feather plucking, itchiness, or watery droppings. The most common presentation at our practice is a bird with watery droppings and ripping feathers out as if they were painful.


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## Lola's_mommy (Nov 30, 2008)

sweetrsue said:


> It's starting to sound like Giardia. Ask your vet to check him for that. If that's what it is it won't get better on its own. It's a parasite. Here's something I found on-line:
> The parasite may be detected during routine examination of an otherwise healthy bird. Those showing symptoms can exhibit signs of poor weight gain, shabby feathering, feather plucking, itchiness, or watery droppings. The most common presentation at our practice is a bird with watery droppings and ripping feathers out as if they were painful.


How does a bird come down with giardia? Is this something a solitary bird can pick up? And what is the vet looking for to detect it?


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Many birds actually carry Giardia and came remain asymptomatic for years. Then suddenly can come down with symtoms.


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