I wrote about the canary yesterday with the spot on his head. I bundled him up and brought him home .?

Question

On the drive home I noticed he was pulling his feathers out with his beak &realized that the spot on the head was actually a bald spot. I drove to the vets office. While the doctor did not work with small birds,she did tell me that there is a good possibility that the bird is suffering from stress. My sister also mentioned the possibility of mites(?). Could this be? How would I treat them? & if the problem is stress will his feathers grow back once he gets settled down?

Answer 1

Over the counter mite medication is possible. Get a magnifying glass and take a closer look. They can be seen crawling around. Keep the temperature warm offer a great pellet food, chopped hard cooked egg with crumbled egg shell for extra protein and nutrients for healing.They are many causes for feather plucking. Calcium deficiency is one, stress another, low levels of zinc, excessively dry air. There are other causes. In the meantime, keep your bird in a draft free area, give it a healthy diet, try a humidifier in the room and a mirror. Usually, I'm against mirrors, but in this case this bird needs distraction from mutilating itself. Be sure he gets 10-12 hours of straight darkness every day. Birds need a lot of rest. Soft classical or jazz music wouldn't hurt. I am so sorry for your troubles. May things turn around very soon.

Answer 2

It's either stress, mites, or allergies. Talk to a vet about treatment for mites. I'm not sure if they make OTC mite treatment. You can put 1tsp of kid's liquid benadryl in 4 oz of water each day for itching. The bird will only drink as much as it needs, so basically, it will dose itself. As for stress? I can't think of too much to help on that one!

Yes, if it is treated, the feathers will grow back.

Answer 3

I think that the feathers will grow back because when you clip a bird's wings, it will grow back I think. You should go to the vet. I wonder why she didn't check him then. Good luck!