Feather plucking
I have been told that it could be one of the reasons below, but doubt very much...
His bored --- well i ended up taking him to work with me every day and nothing changed.
His diet ---- was told to take him off sunflower seed coz this could be a skin irritation, well i did that too and nothing changed
bath --- was told to bath him in a duluted mixed of detol and herbal conditioner, guess what that did not work either
toys --- he has his toys and if i leave the house, i make a point of putting the radio on for him as he enjoys music, his cage is open most of the time so his not locked away.
Please someone help, or do you suggest i must accept him as a problem child (feather plucker) :(
Hello!
First thing, take him to a avain vet. His plucking could be a due to a medical condition.
African greys can be a nervous bird. They do not deal well with changes, especially major changes. Did you maybe change his location in the house? Can he go back to the location he was at before? Any new additions to the family? Things like that.
seeds are ok to give, but make sure its not the main dish. They need friuts & vegetables, pasta is good to give. brown rice & beans (pinto beans,lentils, green split peas) I use a pasta & bean soak. Its called bean cuisine by L'avian, it has pasta, rice, & beans in it. Its excellent for them. I also give my greys chopped up zucchini, yellow squash, apples, & bean sprouts. I use a frozen bag of mixed veggies that I defrost in slightly warm water ( do not microwave or cook) that contains peas, carrots, corn, & green beans. I add regular cheerios to their food bowl. I also use roudybush" pelleted food. I do offer a parrot mix with the seeds so they can have some "fun" foods, but as you can see its not their main diet.
Some times if there something missing in their diet, that can make them pluck. Also, don't pay attention to the plucking, ignore it. Sometimes if you react to it, it will only reinforce the habit.
All in all, you could be "stuck" with a plucker, just make sure you give him lots of love & attention! Good luck & I hoped this helped. Let me know how it goes for you.
Read this: Avian behavior
Hello again,
Beatriz, that was an excellent article! Thank you!
Just for the record the roudybush pellets I use are organic, I shoul of mentioned that. For the calcium, I sprinkle crushed oyster shell on their food. I also sprinke Quiko which is made with real eggs over the food to. cause egg is also good for them.
