Ask Lafeber

Feather plucking greencheeked parakeet

Hi, I have a question about my greencheeked parakeet (Pyrrhura Molinae). He is 3 years old and started plucking at bis feathers last March (about 7 months ago). He plucks mainly on his back, untill it’s totally bold. Then he stops and the feathers gewoon back. What is most weird is that he does this every other 5 to 8 weeks. We have been to 3 different vets and asked a bird behavior expert. But nobody has a clue. Everthing was examined, even X-rays but he is very healthy. He acts also normal heen he does this and seems very happy. Does anyone have a clue why he plucks his feathers every time again. I feel so sorry for him.
Kind regards.

Hi,

To rule out a medical cause, the Vets needed to do a skin biopsy, run bloodwork, test for viruses, check for bacterial infections, yeast infections, etc. Imaging is also something that can diagnose an issue. There are so many possible medical causes. When it is in the same area all the time, it can be internal – that area could point to issues with his kidneys or testes, maybe a tumor? It could be hormonal and he does this when his testes are active. If you didn’t see a board certified avian vet, then that would be your best option. Discuss the possibilities of it being something with the kidneys or testes. Because it is in one area, I would not be inclined to think the reason is just behavioral.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda