Ask Lafeber

Sun conure suddenly plucking

My sun conure has started plucking his feather on his chest and back he has ever done this before. Please help

Hi,

I’m sorry your conure is doing this. Feather Destructive Behavior is a very complex disorder that often is caused by behavioral and health issues. A lot of birds are hormonal this time of year, and this can cause plucking in some birds. Inadequate nutrition can also contribute. It’s important to feed your bird a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets as his main diet. If he is on a seed diet, this can be another factor. But the best thing to do is take him to an Avian Vet – ideally Board Certified – and have his health checked out first, to rule anything medical out. In the month of March, we focused on hormonal issues, and one of the presenters discussed hormones as a cause for plucking. I’ll provide that link below.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda