Ask Lafeber

FDB – Dr. Tully Webinar Feb 24

Can psittacosis or the treatment for psittacosis cause plucking?

Hi Melanie,

Here is Dr. Tully’s response:

Psittacosis or the treatment for psittacosis are not recognized as the underlying causes for feather destructive behavior (self-induced feather plucking). But if you want to make sure your bird does not have the disease you can have it tested for Chlamydia psittaci, the organism that causes psittacosis in humans.