Ask Lafeber

lovebird dilemma!

I have a male lovebird who is hand reared, very friendly and affectionate. we had him since he was 8 weeks old and now he is 7 years. he is a happy bunny who gets out everyday for approximately 30 minutes, maybe more, and enjoys our company. he is spoken to constantly throughout the day by all members of the family so i will consider him living happily. He eats seeds mainly with various vegetables and fruits.
In the last year he started to develop a bald patch on the back of the neck. the vet thought it was stress and lack of sleep. followed the instructions to no avail. he was empirically treated for mites, infection and was given an injection to settle his hormones but nothing has worked. he bathes at least twice a week, eats and drinks normally and is very energetic. i cant see him depressed in anyway and his behaviour hasn’t changed since day 1.
what is going on? is he lonely and was it a mistake to get a single bird? anything i can do?

Hi,

It’s perfectly fine to have just one bird. If you have a tame bird like you have, then adding another bird is usually not good because they tend to bond with each other and stop being tame with people. The back of the neck is not a common place for plucking. Usually when this happens, the bird’s mate or another bird is responsible. Could he be rubbing his head and neck on something in his cage? It sounds like he has a busy, happy life. I’m inclined to say not to worry about the plucking unless it gets worse. He may stop on his own. The Vet can’t find anything wrong so it seems like you have done everything you can do. It doesn’t sound like a hormonal issue or boredom. from what you say, he has plenty to keep him busy and all the attention he needs.

In case it is hormonal, I would recommend that you view our two recent webinars on hormonal issues with pet birds.

Webinar: “Spring Is In the Air: How To Deal With Your Pet Bird’s Hormonal Behavior!”

Webinar: “Pet Birds & Hormonal Behavior: Part 2!”

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda