FEATHER DESTRUCTION
Most parrot owners never are faced with the heartbreak of having their beautifully feathered tropical treasure reduce itself to a sad and bedraggled-looking ghost of its former self. But when feather destruction does happen, this obsessive, destructive behavior pattern causes great stress to the parrot owner who must deal with it on a daily basis and wonder if they have failed their feathered friend.
Once a parrot discovers the pastime of feather chewing, plucking, pulling, stripping, barbering, clipping or otherwise destroying its own feathers, it quickly becomes a satisfying habit much like nail biting in humans. As difficult as it may be to understand the satisfaction derived from biting and chewing fingernails, many people do it. The nail biting habit in humans correlates well with the feather biting habit in parrots. Once this habit becomes established, it is extremely difficult to break.
The most important criterion in dealing with feather destruction is the determination as to whether it is a MEDICAL or a NON-MEDICAL (behavioral) problem. One way to make this determination is to note whether or not the head and upper neck feathers are involved. If there is a problem that involves the head and upper neck feathers, then I strongly advise a trip to a good avian vet. Since the bird cannot reach the feathers in these areas (assuming that it is not being plucked by another bird) the likelihood of a medical problems very real. Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) is the greatest cause for concern in this situation. PBFD is a deadly avian disease that attacks the immune system of parrots much as AIDS does in humans. If a bird that appears to be plucking its feathers has any signs of deformed feathers or of beak problems, a trip to an avian veterinarian is a necessity.
Many other medical causes may be suspected, such as bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic diseases, tumors, cysts, heavy metal poisoning, allergies, or malnutrition. An avian veterinarian can rule out these causes.
Feather lice are very rarely found in caged birds and are almost never the cause of feather destruction. It is a dangerous practice to spray birds for lice "just in case." Only an avian vet should do this, since many birds have been harmed by the indiscriminate use of toxic preparations marketed to control bird lice.
If the bird is plucked only in the areas that it can reach, but has normal feathering on the head and upper neck, more than likely it is a behavioral problem. Here are some of the possible causes of non-medical plucking, most of them in the general category of stress. Following each cause are some possible solutions.
Low Humidity
This is all too common in our dry and sometimes artificially heated homes. It is not a natural environment for most parrots; the lack of humidity can cause their skin to become dry, flaky, and itchy. What starts as an attempt to scratch an itch can quickly evolve into full-blown feather plucking, and once it becomes a habit, it is very difficult to stop. The easiest way to supply extra humidity is to provide frequent baths, and mist from a spray bottle. Birds seem to avoid picking damp or wet feathers. If this does not solve the problem, here are a few other suggestions.
Solutions
Humidifiers that are well maintained, and never allowed to become dirty and to pump dangerous fungal spores into the air, can help to create a more moist and natural environment for the parrot bothered by itchy skin.
If one does not wish to bother with this source of humidity, a handy spray bottle or a clothes drying rack in the bird room on which to dry the family's laundered towels works just as well. Otherwise, a sheet or a large towel can be wet and squeezed partially dry and placed on the rack. It may not secure a spot for your home in House Beautiful magazine, but it will work wonderfully well to moisturize the atmosphere for your parrots.
Feather Plucking Spray Treatment?
Aloe Vera is a thick-leafed perrenial succulent belonging to the Lily family and resembling a cactus plant. It is perhaps the best-known medicinal plant in North America and is also known as the burn plant. It has been used for over four thousand years all over the world for a great variety of human and animal ailments. If you apply the gel from the inner leaf to an itchy insect bite or a painful sunburn, you will get instant relief. Even cuts and bruises are instantly soothed by the application of the gel, due to the pain-killing action of Lupeol, Salicylic Acid, and Magnesium. A poultice made from this inner-leaf gel is highly effective on burns, bites, cuts, blisters, bruises, and blemishes. As a first aid-treatment, it can stop pain and reduce the chance of infection and scarring while greatly enhancing the healing process. Although skin cancer is a serious medical problem requiring medical attention, there are many reports of total cures by applying Aloe Vera gel two to four times a day for several months. Cold pressed Aloe Vera gel is hypoallergenic, has anti-itch properties, is a superior skin penetrant, and is an effective skin moisturizer. It's renewed popularity has not been lost on the cosmetics industry. Just read the labels of such products as moisturizers, cleansers, deodorants, lotions, suntan preparations, shampoos and conditioners for hair and quite often you will find Aloe Vera listed among the ingredients, sometimes as the main ingredient. Even "baby wipes" now contain Aloe Vera!
Many of us use this natural healing agent to treat our parrots' skin problems. Whereas chemical ointments may have toxic side effects in our birds, Aloe can be used to soothe and heal minor cuts, bruises, abrasions, and rashes with complete safety. There is preliminary evidence that Aloe gel spray is effective with some feather plucking in parrots. It is thought that this effect is due to the "anti-itch" properties of Aloe. The sooner treatment is begun, the better the chances of cessation of this frustrating problem, as the long-term habitual plucker is more difficult to treat. Try filling a spray bottle with four parts pure water and one part Aloe Vera. (Do not use cold spray on the bare skin of a feather-plucked bird). It can be made stronger or weaker as needed.
Aloe Vera spray is quite effective in soothing and moisturizing itchy skin, thereby preventing plucking. Feathers that are damp and that taste of Aloe do not seem to be nearly as appealing to a feather plucker. One of the purest ready-made sprays is George's Aloe Spray.
If you cannot locate a health food store that carries this spray, you can easily make your own with Aloe vera juice and distilled water in a spray bottle. Four parts water to one part Aloe is a good solution. It can be made stronger or weaker according to your needs. When buying the Aloe vera, look for the purest possible juice, not gel. Many of the gels are simply juices with added thickeners that you should not spray on your bird's feathers. If you buy the more expensive brands, you will get a product with no additional ingredients, which in themselves can create problems. The bird can be sprayed several times a day and sometimes this alone will solve the problem.
Boredom
Boredom is a big problem with domestic parrots! If they were in their natural habitat, they would spend a great deal of time playing, flying from place to place, foraging for food and water, bathing, mutually preening and grooming, building nests, feeding and caring for their young, and shredding tree branches and leaves for the sheer joy of it!
Solutions
Provide your parrots with a variety of toys and other objects with which to busy their beaks. Natural non-toxic unsprayed tree branches are a cheap and easy way to provide something other than their own feathers to destroy. Large pinecones can occupy a beak for a good deal of time. Food toys also provide a natural activity that can occupy much of their time. When we give our parrots food that requires little or no effort to consume, we leave more time for undesirable activities like feather destruction. Unshelled nuts require time to eat, and parrots seem to enjoy the challenge of digging out elusive nutmeats. For parrots that cannot crack pecans and walnuts, we can get the process started with a quick squeeze in a nutcracker. That will still leave lots of work for the bird to do.
Threading different types of food through cage bars can give parrots a natural feeding activity and tasty treats to boot. A millet spray can occupy a bird for hours. Carrot tops and the leaves of collards and other greens woven through cage bars near the perching area offer a natural foraging activity to caged birds. Clean and natural rawhide strips tied into many knots on the cage bars can keep a beak busy for hours.
Many "treat toys" are available from several parrot toy manufacturers too. Ropes and swings can provide excellent exercise and fun. Pieces of wood, such as pine, will be much appreciated by most parrots. Indeed, it is part of the breeding ritual of some birds to make toothpicks of two by fours, if they were provided a real nest such as a dead tree log, they would spend a great deal of time excavating the interior of the log. The least we can do is to provide them with an outlet to sublimate this natural urge by giving them pieces of safe, clean wood to chew and destroy.
For the non-breeding pet parrot, time spent by the owner interacting with the bird is important. One should not acquire a parrot as a single pet if there is no time to spend with it. Human companionship is the only social outlet for a single pet and therefore very important. And, isn't that why many of us want parrots? One should set aside a regular time to interact with the parrot. Even a 30-second session of sweet talk or quick snuggle first thing in the morning and last thing at night could make all the difference in the security level of a lone pet parrot. And what a wonderful way to start and end your day too!
Reprinted by Pretty Birds from American Federation of Aviculture By Carolyn Swicegood Hollywood Beach, FL.
Another Topical Aloe Vera Preparation Aloe Activator is virtually pure Aloe Vera Gel (99.6%) with just tiny amounts of plant-based substances added for stabilization, then filtered to remove the pulp. This clear Aloe Vera solution has powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and enhanced immune response properties. Aloe Activator can be poured into a small spray-bottle.
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