My brother has a scarlet macaw that pulls all of it's feathers out on his body. He leaves the face and wing feather, but the rest of him is completely naked.
How can we get him to stop this?
2007-01-02 04:25:48 · 7 answers · asked by Pink Denial 6 in Pets ➔ Birds
I forgot to include this. Years ago, before my brother got him, he used to share a cage with another bird. Then they were separated, and he started plucking. Then they were reunited, but he still kept plucking.
The vet says he's healthy, and that it's a behavioral thing.
2007-01-02 04:34:05 · update #1
He's out of the cage quite a bit, unless my brother's dog is around (the bird tries to attack the dog).
2007-01-03 02:50:35 · update #2
Plucking started several years ago, when he was separated from his cage mate. The dog has only been in the picture for the past year. The bird attacks just about everyone and everything who isn't my brother and then laughs very loudly. He's a mean bird.
2007-01-03 03:26:27 · update #3
The bird is bored and frustrated about something. Get him some new toys, and pay more attention to him.
A lot of times when a bird starts a habit such as plucking, regardless of what you do to resolve the situation, the habit stays. Give him A LOT to do to distract him from plucking. He will stop as long as he has other things to occupy his time.
I hope he's not just left in his cage all day. He needs constant stimulation and attention.
ADDED...Sounds to me like the dog is what could be stressing the bird out.
2007-01-03 01:56:45 · answer #1 · answered by KJ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's upset about something, there is something around him that's bothering him. Try to change his surroundings, if you have another room to put him in that would be good. Also if you live near where they are doing construction, the noise will drive the bird crazy, leave the radio on for the bird so that he doesn't get bored and it might cover up any construction noise and make sure to spend as much time with him as possible. He's either bored or upset, or going nuts. Make sure he has lots of toys and things to keep his mind busy, if the mind is idle he'll also pull feathers. Bathe him often with a squirt bottle or put him in the bathroom with you while you guys take showers, they love the steam. Good luck, I'm sure he'll be fine.
2007-01-02 04:30:58 · answer #2 · answered by Amber S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That usually means that something else is going on. It may be bored or looking for attention. However, the first place to look for the answer would be a vet office. If you have one make a few calls around your area because an avian vet can be hard to find.
2007-01-02 04:30:19 · answer #3 · answered by georgiabanksmartin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My bird Vet says it is caused by nervous boredom. Buy your brother a book on Macaws. Be a sweet sister!
2007-01-02 04:29:28 · answer #4 · answered by Dovey 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's stress. Stress can be from many places--it can be any number of situations--something in the air (toxins, dust, too much light, not enough), excessive noise, too much activity around, etc. It would be tough to figure out just what, but it will have to be experimental and one thing needs to be changed at a time to see if it affects the plucking.
Good Luck!
2007-01-02 05:28:46 · answer #5 · answered by Kris 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try Pluck No More. We used it on our 8 yr old BFA and now she is fully feathered and doesn't even look like the same parrot. E-mail me privately and I will send you pictures. It is truly a miracle product and was recommended to us by our Avian Vet, Sam Vaughn.
2007-01-02 13:25:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The bird is changing wardrobe or it is a female Macaw that likes to strip tease?
2007-01-02 04:31:29 · answer #7 · answered by markos m 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋