Ask Lafeber

Parrotlet feathers

My little blue parolet “Bee-Bee” is about two years old. I bought her from a breeder. For about a year Bee-Bee has been losing all the feathers on her body. (She has head and big wing feathers) I took her to a vet here who specializes in birds. They had no idea and gave me nothing to do. I have tried drops of olive oil (her skin looks dry and scalely) and Neosporin. It seems to help temporarily and then she loses the new feathers. I would appreciate any help you can give me. I try to keep her room around 72 degrees because she looks cold.

Hi Mary,

I’m very sorry Bee-Bee is having this problem. She is most likely plucking her own feathers out, a condition known as feather destructive behavior. Many Vets who see birds are not actually Board certified and only have a basic knowledge of Avian Medicine. A Board Certified Avian Vet will know exactly what tests to recommend as well as treatment. I will give you a link to our Vet search page which has links to the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners and Association of Avian Veterinarians. The ABVP is responsible for certifying Vets in specialty practices, and in order to qualify, the Vet must meet strict criteria which includes attending Veterinary meetings related to their specialty to earn continuing education credits every year. Most feather plucking begins due to a medical cause and ends up also being a habit. So first the medical cause needs to be determined and then the behavior part of it can be addressed, which may include putting a collar on the bird until the feathers have regrown. If Bee-Bee is truly losing feathers and not plucking them, there is a virus that causes this and she can be tested for that. Please do not administer anymore home remedies. Neosporin is toxic if she ingests it and putting oil on her can end up coating the few feathers she has. Neither will help her condition. There are sprays that are made for birds, but really these do not help at all because the medical issue that is causing this is still there. There is hope for Bee-Bee, but she needs to be seen by a real Avian Vet. In order to help her keep warm, you can cover part of the cage and even place a regular lamp or light near the cage to provide additional heat. Do not use a heat lamp. Here is the link to help you find the right kind of Vet

Find an Avian Veterinarian

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda