parrot behavior?

Question

My parrot keeps picking at himself and his back feathers have been gone for quite a while. He picks himself to a point where he's cutting himself. He has open wounds that he's created. What can I do to make him stop?

Answer 1

I'm going to bet you either have an African Grey or more likely a cockatoo.

If it's gotten to the point where the self mutilation involves actually causing wounds, you need to get him to the vet and have a collar put on. Period.

There are several reasons for feather plucking, and self mutilation, but a couple things you might think about are a possible vitamin A deficiency. You'll know because of the prevalence of a white ring in their droppings. You can boost his diet with vitamin A by giving him scrambled eggs drenched in margarine.

The next thing you'll want to look at is what does he have to do while in the cage? Does he have toys? By toys, I mean TOYS. Like one lone toy hanging in the corner isn't going to do it. In all of my bird cages here, the one with the least amount of toys in it has 17 toys. Give them things to do. Puzzle toys (get the treat out of it by solving the puzzle), preening toys (ropes, cottons, twines), chewing toys (wood, birdie pinata's, the sisal ball), and put his food in a container in which he can forage in.

My umbrella cockatoo, Oscar forages for his food. In the bottom of his cage, I put a glass baking pan. In that is his food, and on top of that is shreds of paper, strips of cardboard, and things to almost hide the food. When he's hungry, he goes down to the bottom of the cage and gets a piece and heads back up to a perch to eat it. It's great exercise for him, and I'm here to tell you that he will not starve himself. Eventually, he'll figure it out, even if you have to get in there and show him.

You can also put a flight suit on him (which you'll have to replace at least three times before he'll stop tearing it apart) to cover the areas that he's mutilating.

Good luck. Take him to the vet, and if you can do the flight suit and get him some suitable toys, don't let your vet keep that collar on him for a long time. Just long enough so that the wounds that are there can heal. If you leave it on him indefinitly, there will be more problems as a result of the collar.

If you need more help, email me. sdkramer76 at yahoo

Answer 2

Completely Cover Your Parrot,s cage at Night with a white cotton sheet.. If It Has small spots of Blood on it the next morning Your Parrot Probably Has Mites.. IF Not Then You Should Take It To A Vetenarian As He May Be Suffering From A Serious Condition. My Parrot Plucked Its Tail Feathers > . He Had Ulcers.

Answer 3

i have many parrots and 1 of my Grey's was messing with his feathers alot. i made him a bunch of toys he could shred and tear up. this did help but,he really enjoyed preening his feathers to the point he pulled some out. i started to bath him more often, i was told that maybe the air in my house was too dry, and the days he does not get baths i mist him often. the biggest thing for your bird is he enjoys doing this to himself, so this maybe something you can not stop. i would suggest taking him to your vet, you need t make sure he does not have a medical reason for this behavior...... they do also make these little cones that the bird wears on his neck to keep him from plucking because if he has started cutting himself something needs to be done NOW!!!!!

Answer 4

This is called Feather Picking and you must take him to a vet right away. The causes can include:
-depression/anxiety
-boredom
-disease
Are you challenging your bird with new toys and playtime outside of the cage? Do you spend time with your bird?
Do you provide adequate chewable and destroyable toys for your parrot (such as cardboard, wood, etc)? Is he clean and well-fed with good nutrition? Feather picking is a very serious habit that you need to address ASAP.

Answer 5

when it gets to the point that the parrot is causing himself harm..it usually called self mutilation and this is very serious. You and your vet (one that knows birds) need to figure out why your parrot is doing this. It could be from a parasite, illness, boredom or from a change in the environment that he doesn't like or is scared of. He could be missing you or a family member if he isn't getting the usual attention that he used to get because someone moved or got a new job. Parrots can be characters sometimes. I wish you lots of luck and hope you figure it out soon.

Answer 6

This is gonna sound really weird, but I swear it works. Here goes: Get a bottle of Listerine Mouthwash (the original formula), dilute with 4 parts water to 1 part Listerine, put it in a CLEAN spray bottle and start misting your bird. I have three birds and last summer, one of them began plucking her chest feathers. I ruled out medical issues and the other two weren't plucking, so it probably wasn't food or environmental. It just seemed to be a nervous habit. Someone on another bird board posted this remedy and I was skeptical, but it WORKED. She stopped plucking within just a few days of the first misting.
And it makes them smell really fresh. :)

Answer 7

Hmm, I'm no expert (but I do have a parrot) but I say you should go take him to the vet as soon as possible. My bird once lost feathers and wouldn't leave that area alone for a while. Have you tried anti-tick/lice spray(I wouldn't recommend using it now since he has already has wounds)

What kind of bird is it?

Answer 8

I would recommend you take him to a Vet that specializes in birds. Parrots get nervous conditions and all sorts of strange things.
I wouldn't rely on any answers you might get here, because it will probably be wrong unless it comes from a person like the one I suggest you see.

Play safe, take Polly to the Doc.

Answer 9

A lot of factors can contribute to feather picking:
1. Does he get enough attention?
2. Is his diet good? (Pellets, fresh fruit & veg, clean water)?
3. Does he have toys?
4. Is his cage big enough?

You should take him to an avian vet ASAP.

Answer 10

He is bored S**tless.He needs toys , attention ,different scenery ,something to stimulate his mind. Is he in a cage all day , If so is the cage big enough to stretch his wings, climb around in the cage and play.