Any recommendations on helping a 28 year old Alexandrine stop barbering his feathers? He has completely severed off his tail feathers. He came to me through a rescue and little is known about his history. I have taken him to the vet and no obvious physical reasons for the barbering were found.
Hi Shelly,
Feather barbering is just as frustrating as any form of feather destructive behavior. It generally is not due to most health issues, as far as diseases go. It can be caused by a specific nutritional need. But sometimes that need can be caused by an issue with an organ, such as a liver issue. It is probably more commonly a behavioral issue. I’m not sure how long you have had him, but assuming you have converted him to a balanced diet, it can still take at least a year for his body to fully recover from poor nutrition or conditions. If you have had him on a good diet for over a year, then you might go ahead and try a collar. Most of the time, feather destructive behavior will have a health or nutrition cause, but by the time the issue is diagnosed and treated, the bird has developed a habit of chewing or pulling out the feathers. In many cases, if you can resolve the cause, and then collar the bird until he has all healthy feathers, he will be less likely to resume the damage. But, finding ways to keep him busy is also important. Foraging is the best activity for any pet parrot. Ideally, he should eventually have to forage in some ways for all of his food. Another good distraction is to work on tricks or trained behaviors. Focus on something he already does and teach him to do it on command. You can offer treats or attention – it depends on what he responds to. Offering other things to shred other than his feathers is also good. Since he is a male, you at least don’t have the worry of triggering egg laying behavior. I can tell you that our next series with Dr.’s Orosz and Dahlhausen will be on Feather Destructive Behavior, once we can get it on the schedule. Both do stay busy with their practices and lecturing at conferences, but are passionate about these webinars and we will do our best to start this new series as soon as we wrap up the current series. Meanwhile check out our foraging videos playlist for some ideas on enrichment for your guy.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
