Help! Green cheek conure feather plucking.

Question

Help. I am a fairly new owner of a green cheek conure. We have only had him about 6 months. In the beginning it wa a little rough with his biting but, we seem to have that somewhat under control. Every thing seemed fine, but he has started to bite at his tail feathers. He has lots of toys to play with but prefers to sit and bite his tail. I've read several articles that say it could be several things. boredom, lack of attention, and infrequent bathing. Like I said he has lots of toys and now I try to move them around so hes not bored with the same old thing. However, he doesn't seem to LIKE to play with any of it. I try to give him a bath every other day, sometimes he takes one sometimes he does not. he is very lovable and LOVES to be petted. He is just not very active and seems to be obsessed with this tail. Does any one have any more suggestions he is down to one feather and that even looks like that is going to be gone soon.

Answer 1

Lots of things can cause feather picking.  Does his cage give him lots of room to move around in ???  They need a lot of room so they can play and flap their wings. Give him toys to play with, but make sure it does not make the cage crowded.  What kind of diet does he have?  A pelleted diet is recommended for all birds because it has all the nutrition they need without having to have vitamin supplements like they need with seeded diets.  (give regular pellets, not the fruited, as there can be a lot of wasted pellets when birds eat certain colors and not the others)  He should also be having fruits and veggies at least 4 times a week.  He can have table food, as long as it isn't too sugary or have added salt.  They enjoy meats.  Does he get enough sleep each night?  All birds should have at least 9 hours of undisturbed sleep each night in a darkened, quiet room, with the cage covered.  There should not be a tv or radio on in his room when he is put to bed.  Now, to possibly make him forget about picking his tail feathers, a peacock feather (purchased at a pet store) hung in his cage, can some times get them to stop picking their own feathers.  Feather picking can be very hard to stop, and some times impossible.  Take him to the vet for a check up to make sure he does not have a skin problem or mites or other parisites.  Medical problems can also cause feather picking.  You can take him to a regular vet, as long as he will treat birds.  They are very capable of treating birds.  I know this for a fact....please read my profile.