February 17, 2023
Plucking Location – Dr. Lamb Webinar Feb 10
Can where on the body a bird picks offer insight on what could be going on medically?
What if a bird is also scratching on one area of the body, e.g., one side of face and beak?
Question:
Answer:
Sometimes it can and sometimes it can’t. If a bird is painful it may pick over the site where it is feeling the pain and no where else. This can cause an avian vet to look more closely at that particular site or at areas of the body where nerves are originating from that lead to that site. For example, say a bird only picks its tail and no where else. That would cause a vet to not only look at the tail, but also at the bones in the tail and the lower spine where the nerves that feed into the tail are coming from.
When a bird is scratching one particular area, such as the face as you mentioned, it can sometimes mean there is a problem in that specific spot. For example, there may be a surface bacterial or fungal infection on the skin that is itchy that is making them bother that site. Or, day for example a bird had a sinus infection then it may rub the area over the effected sinus on the face because it feels discomfort in this area.
Dr. Stephanie Lamb
