My quaker parrot is plucking her feather my avian vet said that She can do it because of the trauma from her „childhood” what do You think about it? She has a partner they are flying whenever they want , I keep their diet healthy with fruits and veggis but she is continuing plucking I dob’t know what I can do more about her plucking
Hi Ewelina,
Some cases of feather plucking are behavioral. But Vets are finding that more often there is a medical cause. Now it can become a habit once they begin, which is why the diagnoses can be so challenging. Treating the issue does not always stop the plucking. If a medical cause is found and treated, the bird usually still needs a collar until the feathers have grown back in. Any bird that is feather plucking should have tests run. Typically there will be blood tests, including screening for some viruses, and often a skin biopsy to see if there is an infection. If you are not satisfied with what the Vet said, I would recommend a second opinion from another Vet. We are working to schedule a webinar on feather destructive behavior, hopefully in July.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
