Can anyone tell me why my parrot has started pulling out her feathers?

Question

shes 6yrs old doesnt live in a cage has full run of the house spends each evening on my knees has been doing it for a couple of months took her to vet he doesnt know whats going on just gave her anti histamin tell me how do you get a pill down a clever birds throat even crushed haha

Answer 1

yes i known what u mean my bird does that i dont known why.

Answer 2

my zebra finches sometimes pull out their feathers as well. theyve sort of been mating and stuff lately so i thought it was to make a nest or something, but its only every now and then and not for a certain period of time, so it could be related to stress or something.

ahh it breaks me heart to think that my birdies could be stressed...

Answer 3

She must be changing her feathers.

Answer 4

it must be changing its coat.

Answer 5

she is depressed i suggest you could put another parrot in there or either spend more time with her but don't put two of the same kind of parrot they will start breeding so

Answer 6

it board or its hot in the house

vet answers i went for my parrot and he told me!

Answer 7

usually parrots start pulling their feathers out when they are depressed. that's all i Know, maybe someone more bird-friendly can help out

Answer 8

One of the most frustrating and disconcerting conditions of caged birds is feather picking. Moreover, feather disorders rank as some of the most difficult and challenging conditions to diagnose and treat in avian veterinary practice. Bird owners frequently scrutinize their pets, and feather problems are usually readily detected. Other clinical conditions of caged birds are much less obvious and are, therefore, less frequently detected.

Most people purchase or otherwise acquire a pet bird because of their physical attraction to the bird, its general appearance, feather color(s), vocal abilities or its personality. Most bird owners prefer feather perfection. When a bird begins to pick at, pull out or mutilate its feathers, its physical appearance and overall attractiveness are greatly diminished, causing great consternation on the part of its owner. Some of the bird owner's frustration results from a lack of understanding of what motivates the bird to behave in this destructive manner and what can be done to stop the behavior.

Feathers and Preening

Feathers have a variety of functions: flight, temperature regulation, protection against environmental and climatic extremes, and courtship displays (colorful feathers, selective erection of certain feathers, etc). Without feathers, wild birds could not survive. Therefore, careful and regular attention to the feathers and their condition is vital.

The process by which a bird grooms itself is called "preening." It will use its beak to condition and waterproof its feathers and to meticulously remove the sheaths through which all new contour and flight feathers emerge. Birds use their feet and claws to perform this latter function on contour feathers located on the head. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for birds to rub against various objects in their immediate environment to perform this function. Mutual preening is common among cage mates. Normal preening behavior must be distinguished from feather picking and feather mutilation.

What is Feather Picking?

Feather picking is an obsessive, destructive behavior pattern of birds during which all or part of their feathers are methodically pulled out, amputated, frayed, or in some other way damaged. This behavior often prevents normal feather growth and emergence.

Molting is the normal physiologic process by which old, worn feathers are lost and subsequently replaced by new ones. The frequency of this event varies with the species and the individual, as well as with climatic and geographic factors. In warm areas, most caged birds drop a small number of feathers intermittently throughout the year and have 1-2 heavy molts each year. The process of molting must be distinguished from feather picking. Feather picking is not difficult to diagnose. Affected birds look very much the same. Regardless of the pattern of feather loss, damage and/or mutilation, and exposed bare skin below the neck, the head feathers are spared and always appear perfect and untouched. This is, of course, because the bird cannot reach its head feathers. The one notable exception to this is the bird whose feathers are picked by a cage mate. As mentioned, birds caged together often engage in mutual preening. This behavior can become obsessive and destructive, resulting in feather picking. In these cases, the head feathers of the "victim" are not spared.

Causes of Feather Picking

There are both medical and non-medical causes for feather picking. The major medical causes include changes in hormone levels, external and internal parasites, malnutrition, internal disease, and bacterial or fungal infections of the skin and/or feather follicles. Interestingly, and contrary to popular opinion, external parasites (mites in particular) are extremely rare among caged birds. The non-medical causes are psychological and/or stress related.

Feather picking is generally a problem of birds in captivity. Wild birds do not feather pick because they are too preoccupied with their own survival and with reproduction. Captive birds (pet birds and those in zoos and avicultural collections) endure stress not experienced by their wild counterparts. Captivity, malnutrition, solitary living, absence of a mate with which to fulfill courtship rituals and mating needs cause significant stress, in addition to stress associated with confinement within a home (noise, confusion, presence of other pets, such as dogs or cats, which represent potential predators to caged birds).

Like people, birds are creatures of habit, and changes (large or small) in their environment or in their established routine can often create stress for the individual. This stress often results in obsessive, introverted behavior, manifested by feather picking.

It is helpful to understand that feather picking represents one extreme of the feather care and maintenance continuum (see diagram on the next page).

In the middle of this continuum is normal feather care and maintenance, represented b

Answer 9

she probably bored or unsure about something. sounds like she stressing over something. try putting her tablet in a bit of her fave food.