Feather Plucking In Parrots

Has your parrot started to excessively pluck their feathers? Parrot feather plucking issues require immediate attention to prevent any further damage as it can lead to skin infections, and permanent feather loss as well as cause mental stress to your new friend.

Veterinarian Check

If your parrot has started plucking their feathers please take them to an avian veterinarian, or standard veterinarian if they have bird experience, as quickly as possible. Your vet should check them for Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), bacterial or fungal infections, spray them for mites, and they should also give them a bird worming treatment if they have not been treated recently.
Have a competent vet also conduct a thorough inspection of your parrots physical condition and weight as tumours in birds can also be a trigger for feather plucking. You should discuss your parrots diet with the vet also, as believe it or not, some parrots can be allergic to certain seeds. Read the Switching Birds To Pellets article if you would like to try your bird on pellets.

Environmental Causes

Having had your bird friend get a thorough check-up, its now time to look at their home and environment. If someone is a smoker in your house this will impact birds preening sessions and behaviour, so quit smoking – its good for you and for your parrot. Also consider air-conditioning settings and humidity levels, as a very dry environment can cause your bird to preen excessively. Try giving them a spray bath using a new spray bottle set to mist with clean water in it as it may also help reduce their urge to pick. The next thing is to give their enclosure a thorough cleaning as shown in my article Parrot Enclosure Hygiene and make sure they have natural toys and branches to entertain them. Don’t over fill their enclosure with all sorts of things as this may also cause stress. If you cover your parrots enclosure at night, please make sure this is not causing the temperature to increase for them. Parrots need their sleep just as we do, so make sure you do not disrupt them during their sleeping cycles.

Psychological Causes

Plucking can often stem from stress or anxiety and it can be tricky to figure out the exact cause, especially in a rescue parrot.
From my experience with parrots I would investigate the following:

• Is your bird lonely? Having a single parrot can be hard on them, especially when they reach breeding age and expect a mate and life companion. If your parrot is a single bird you should spend plenty of quality interactive time with them every day. If you are unable to do this parrots also seem to enjoy being looked at and spoken to by their human companions. Even sitting beside them watching them preen and play is better than no attention. Sometimes a radio playing softly in the background can also help calm your bird.

• Are you changing their surroundings or moving them too often? While some birds like a change, for others it can create stress. Moving or altering their enclosure a lot can be disruptive, as can handling them too often if they are not used to this.

• Are you their best friend? Sounds weird but some parrots (especially rescue ones) become so attached to a person that they stress when they cannot see them. If this is the case be careful if you place a covering over their enclosure at night, in their mind you have now gone, and they are alone. To check if this is an issue for them simply move them into your bedroom at night and ensure they can see you.

• Afraid of the dark. Yep, some parrots can actually be afraid of the dark. This is an easy fix with a dim night light plugged in nearby (make sure its away from their enclosure of course). Also make sure its a very low light LED one, as they still need to be able to sleep.

• Boredom. Often feather plucking is because of boredom or them feeling neglected. Try some bird safe forage toys, or engage in playtime with your parrot in a safe area more often. You could try placing a large towel on the floor with some different treats and toys, then laying down next to them encouraging them to play.

• Fresh air and sunshine. Everyone loves fresh air and your parrot is no exception. If you have trained your parrot with a bird harness you could use this or simply place them in an aviary/enclosure for safety. Stay with them the whole time and make sure it doesn’t get too hot and that they have access to fresh water.

There are other products like ‘Stop Pick Spray for Birds’ that you can spray onto the area to help prevent your parrot picking, unfortunately they are not a permanent fix and you should always address the root cause of plucking. It would be great to have our animals experience true freedom, however for rescued parrots or domesticated pets you cannot simply release them and hope for the best. You are their guardians and are responsible for their safety, health, mental well-being, and for providing them the best living conditions you can.