February 14, 2022
Feather plucking
My 2 year old male Indian ringneck has started feather plucking he’s been to the vet and he says it’s Behavioral what can I do for him ?his diet is pellets and nutri berries
Question:
Answer:
Hi Paula,
Feather plucking – Feather Destructive Behavior – is a very complicated disorder and diagnosis. It is not fully understood because there are so many possible causes, and not all cases have the same cause. It is most often a medical and behavioral disorder. There are a number of viruses that may contribute to it, as well as nutrition, infection, hormones and environment. Not all Avian Vets have a good understanding of it. Often it begins as a medical issue and turns into a behavioral issue because it becomes a habit. And sometimes it has a behavioral cause, and turns into a medical issue. Your bird is on a great diet that is nutritionally balanced as well as offering foraging exercise. The only way nutrition might play a role here is if you are giving him additional foods and either compromising his nutrition, or he is allergic to something extra he is eating.
Did your Vet run any bloodwork or tests? Sometimes it is necessary to get a 2nd opinion. A Board Certified Avian Vet is more likely to know the test to run and would probably also do a skip biopsy and check for infections on the skin or internally. It’s really hard to label this disorder as behavioral unless the timing matches up with a significant change in the bird’s life such as a new person or pet, new home, new cage or cage location, etc. If nothing has changed, then this could be hormonal or a medical issue. He’s on a good diet, so if he has plenty of toys to keep him busy, then it’s hard to know what to do other than putting a collar on him. But if this is medical, he will just start again once the collar has been removed. Unfortunately there is no one answer. The best thing t do is make sure the Vet has run all of the recommended tests and then go from there.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
