Why is my bird's feather falling out?

Answer 1

Not knowing more about the question there maybe a number of reasons why. Feather loss can be roughly divided into 4 catagories: spontaneous (without plucking) vs. self-induced (plucking), and pathologic (medical) vs. behavioral. It is usually simple to differentiate between spontaneous feather loss and plucking through evaluation of a detailed history and physical examination. Molting should be considered normal if there are new feathers seen and no visible bare patches or exposed down feathers. Feather loss can be caused by a cagemate, often noted on the back of the head as a result of over-preening. Once molting and cagemate trauma have been ruled-out, the bird is evaluated for plucking or poor feather growth. Once all possible medical conditions have been ruled-out, the bird can be considered a behavioral plucker and behavior modification techniques can then be used. Keep in mind that not all pluckers are "psychotic"; this is just a way of catagorizing these patients when medical conditions have not been identified (right or wrong, unfortunately). A little more info would be good but i hope it helps =)