My little parrotolet continues to pluck feathers from her stomach,legs and back. Her skin looks dry and she scratches around her head. I give her a few drops of olive oil each week, rub Neosporin on bald spots about twice a week. Don’t see any mites, etc. Took her to an Aviary Vet – no advice. Only bath she takes is when I do it. She is the only bird in the house and I got her from a breeder. Any advice?
Hi Mary,
Feather plucking can be a very complex issue that often involves medical and behavioral issues. I am not sure if your Vet is an Avian Vet – one who specializes in birds – but that is the type Vet you need. There are test that need to be run and there is not always a definitive answer. But if the Vet didn’t have any advice, I would certainly seek a second opinion.
The area she is plucking leads me to think that this is related to hormones. There are a lot of things you can do to try to minimize hormonal behavior. In some cases, the Vet will recommend a hormone injection or a hormone implant. We just held a two part webinar on hormones in Pet Birds. I will give you the links below and I highly recommend that you watch these webinars. Hormonal plucking is discussed as well as treatments and ways to try to avoid triggering their hormones.
When you pet her, it is best to stick to her head and not pet her on her body as this gives her the signal that you are a mate. You can try limiting her daylight hours right now to 8-10, by covering her cage in the evening.
I would not put the ointment on her anymore. This can be toxic if she ingests too much and it can coat her feathers, interfering with her ability to regulate her body temperature. Unless there is an open wound, an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin is not going to have any benefit. If she does cause a wound, the Vet can provide a safer alternative if necessary. I also don’t feel the olive oil is needed or a good idea, For such a small bird, she can easily get too much oil. Bird’s skin does seem to be dry and they do scratch a lot, but this is normal and results in dander and flaked skin at times. And most birds don’t bathe a lot. They have oil or powder glands that they use to coat and protect their feathers. A light misting of water a couple of times a week is enough to refresh her and stimulate productive grooming.
Again, her best hope for relief is an experienced Avian Vet. They are making new discoveries with feather plucking and how it may related to certain diseases. One test you might ask about is for avian bornovirus. Meanwhile, I think you will also find some help in these webinar recordings.
Webinar: “Spring Is In the Air: How To Deal With Your Pet Bird’s Hormonal Behavior!”
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
