African Gray Plucking..?

Question

My 7 year old African Gray is plucking his feathers. I rescued him 8 months ago and he was badly plucking then. His old owners neglected him bad by putting him in a dark room all day with no toys. You can see why he was plucking then. He gets a lot of attention now, his volcabulary is AMAZING, and hes not bored. Can it be a habit now to pluck? Sometimes I think he doesnt realize he's doing it! Its driving me nuts!!

He has sooo many toys that i rotate everyweek. we play games a lot and he does a silly "hehehehe" laugh. when i'm home he's never in his cage. i have a mirror for him that he uses to admire himself and tells himself that he's "a handsome boy"...

Answer 1

the plucking is definitely a habit now, this is what he enjoys doing, it's comforting to him. if you don't have preening toys try those out, my Grey's love them. shredder toys are wonderful too, one of my Grey's sits and shreds that toy for hours. also, mist him everyday, it really helps my birds. by the way, they make a toy that looks like a feather duster, it's made out of real feathers and it is a parrot toy, because it is real feathers he might start preening that instead of himself. your also going to have to distract him when you see him plucking..... good luck.

Answer 2

I have seen many plucking birds and sometimes it is the constant change in toys or cage arrangement that is causing the plucking to begin with. Instead of changing everything all the time, leave them be and put him on a schedule of playtime/feeding time/ etc.
Many birds, especially the smarter ones (mainly cockatoos) pluck them selves raw for the stupidest reasons. At the aviary i work at, there is a cockatoo that plucks because his owner moved his cage 5 feet down the wall.
Go to walmart and buy a pack of the wooden letter blocks and other toys of this nature and let him rip these to shreds. try a piece of an untreated 2X4. also, you can take a strip of ace elastic bandaging and make a little sweater for him. just sew the strip into a cylinder and cut out holes for his wings. make sure it does not come so far down that his little feet will get stuck.
this sweater works great for some of the birds i have seen.
he sounds like he is in good hands and i hope that this information is helpful.
good luck with your feathered buddy!
jess

Answer 3

sounds like sexual maturity , they live along time and mate for life it is sad to think of all the long lived companion birds that develop mental problems when that part of there life is completely removed, toys and attention from their human mates just can't make up for the need to breed, there are alot of lonely grays out there that I feel should be allowed to have the companionship of another gray or even another bird. If you have a gray that has been rescued, you also might contact a vet that would check your bird for feather mites also, assess the birds health for a possible mate an start the search for a female if you want to really make the bird happy, But I have also seen same sex relationships work out just great too. they don;t seem to care there need to Keep house, and flock together is so strong males that are timid or females that are bold will assume the opposite sex role.Also the more varied the diet the healthier the bird. in nature they spend most of thier waking hours searching for food and socializing in the flock, in other word make dinner time interesting hide treats and chew sticks in ways that make them have to forage for their prize. but try not to spend a lot of time in the begining with your bird and then lose interest when the feather plucking grosses you out. or frustrates you, hang in there and keep trying different aproahes untill the behavior stops or aleast slows down, and I feel in some severe abuse cases this behavior will never completly dissappear, thank you for accepting a rehomed bird , I wish there were more people like you. good luck to ya

Answer 4

You've got the right idea. It's usually boredom; it can become a habit.

I've seen African Greys pluck themselves clean except for their heads. It can be dangerous for the bird, because the feathers protect the skin among their other duties. It's easy for him to get cuts on the bare skin. AND watch for chills and such....

Get him some toys, a mirror.... Rotate his toys so there's something new. Put his favourite treat in a hard to reach place.... Don't tease the bird but give him something to do, like try to get the treat.

Answer 5

Plucking usually starts when bird is stressed then becomes a habit that is near impossible to stop,Also be careful not to give the bird too much black sunflower seed as it has too much oil in that causes problems with skin and feathers...........just shower him with love and attention and hope for the best

Answer 6

plucking can be a hard habit to break. it can start for one reason and continue because they like the taste of the fluid that they get when they pull a feather out.

Answer 7

This could be a medical problem. Have you taken him to see a vet? There are several infections that will not cause them to be overly sick, but cause them to pluck.

Take him for a check up with an avian certified vet. Explain the situation and they will be able to advise you further, after tests.

Answer 8

He needs even more time with you. Quiet, cuddle time. Try it for a week or so. Something is bothering him....don't yell at him ever as he was abused. If this does not work you must take him to the vet.

Answer 9

It definitely can be a habit that will never be broken. Lots of info on it on the web. Lots of ideas to help prevent it. He's lucky to have found you! :)