Chewing feathers off until raw

[freefeather]

Hi I'm new to this forum but am desperate for help and information for one of my lil guys. The one in question is one of my lovebirds, and I noticed a couple of months ago he was making a "crying" noise at night. I handle him frequently and didnt notice anything unusual about him for a couple of weeks, but then when giving him a bath noticed a bald spot on one of his wings. I took him to see a avian vet, who seemed to know what he was talking about, and did swabs for different things, but said he didnt have mites, and may have a diet deficiency. I gave "Rainbow" the drops by mouth which was a real treat(hear my sarcasm?) and put the drops of yellow stuff in his water. I now have him on pellets 6 days a week and seed one day. He still refuses to eat veggies or fruit. He still cries at night and hte bald spot is now raw and appearing under his wings too...can anyone advise me???

 

[rockoko]

I'm so sorry for Rainbow's troubles. I can't offer any advice, but can you tell us what "the drops" are that you're giving him, so the next poster will be prepared to offer advice?

 

[TITANIS]

to the Avian Avenue.

I cannot offer medical advice at this point but people will be here to reply. If your bird is crying at night, it's very possible he may be experiencing night frights. Did you look into the possibility? Scares at night can cause emotional distress which could lead to other problems.

 

[atvchick95]

he is most likely "Crying" when he pulls out the feathers

and from the spots your saying it sounds like giardia

they pull out their feathers (and normally with a Screech or some form of noise) and it is a hint when Under their wings are being plucked.

Giardia in Birds

http://www.avianweb.com/giardia.html

[FONT=arial, Arial, Helvetica]Giardia. As has been described in detail on this list recently, Giardia is an intestinal parasite. It is a fairly large protozoa which, when inhabiting the intestinal tract of a parrot, also creates a histamine response in the parrot. The latter can cause significant itching. However, not all parrots with Giardia display discomfort. Giardia is not as uncommon as many people believe. For instance, in cities and towns that have high water tables and where homes use septic systems for waste disposal, an outbreak of Giardia will occur fairly regularly during years when there is a higher than normal amount of rainfall, causing the contents of the septic tanks to leach into the ground water. Giardia is quite contagious, and the reproductive cysts are extremely durable, able to live for years in the soil and still stay viable and capable of producing disease when coming in contact with moisture again. Giardia is also difficult to diagnose. The most reliable method of diagnosis is the trichrome test, when the sample has been obtained from the first morning's droppings on three consecutive days. (A vet I spoke to recently was of the opinion that it is preferable to collect a sample on alternate days, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday, rather than three consecutive days.)

Recommended Vet Tests

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Zoonotic (Bird-Human) Diseases: Giardia and Avian Influenza

there's a few sites about it.
[/FONT]

 

[Billie Faye]

AVT could be on the money on this one...
When at the vets did he do anytype of blood work?
Also just to let you know if you are putting drops of "something" in his water, this also could lead to feather picking...because they bath in their water dishes and "something" will get on their feathers/dry and make the bird try to get "rid" of it and start taking out the feathers when preening.
Here are some more sites for you to read about feather picking and reasons for it:
The Basics of feather picking
Parrots - Feather plucking in parrots - Learn causes and remedies for feather plucking and feather chewing.
Complexities of Feather Destructive Behavior
These are sites that explain about blood testing;
Parrot Physical Exam
Basic Avian Clinical Pathology Testing
New Bird Exam
Hope this information helps you...
please keep in touch and let us know how your bird is doing.
Also, are you in the US or outside of it?


Blood Work: CBC and Chemistry Panel - VeterinaryPartner.com - a VIN company!

 

[suncoast]

Can you please tell us if you saw an avian vet or a regular vet?

Ginger

 

[birdlvr466]

I'm so sorry your baby has been hurting. If you can tell us what city and state you are in maybe we can find a different vet for you to go see. It may be Giardia. Do you have any Grapefruit Seed Extract? This will not take the place of seeing an avian vet for treatment but GSE has anitbacterial, antifungal and anitviral properities. I put a drop in my birds water a couple times per week as a preventitive. Please update us and let us know.

 

[JLcribber]

I agree with BF about putting any medication in her water. There is no way to control the dosage and some birds will even stop drinking water if they taste the medicine in there.

If you are going to need to give him meds I would recommend doing it orally.

This thread will help you in that regard.

http://forums.avianavenue.com/healthy-highway/817-orally-medicating-your-pet-bird.html

 

[M.C Bird Rescue]

he is most likely "Crying" when he pulls out the feathers

and from the spots your saying it sounds like giardia

they pull out their feathers (and normally with a Screech or some form of noise) and it is a hint when Under their wings are being plucked.

Giardia in Birds




http://www.avianweb.com/giardia.html


Recommended Vet Tests

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Zoonotic (Bird-Human) Diseases: Giardia and Avian Influenza

there's a few sites about it.

Agreed! He needs some bloodwork done.
I would get him in right away and make sure to tell your vet everything he is doing.
I also agree about the water, stop medicating it until after you have seen the vet.

 

[ncGreyBirdLady]

I agree with what everyone else has said! It does sound like Giardia.Healing thoughts and Prayers for Your Little One

 

[Danita]

It is a terrible sound to hear them pulling their feathers until they cry

I hope you get to the bottom of it

 

[J*M*L]

I agree with BF about putting any medication in her water. There is no way to control the dosage and some birds will even stop drinking water if they taste the medicine in there
http://forums.avianavenue.com/healthy-highway/817-orally-medicating-your-pet-bird.htmlhttp://forums.avianavenue.com/healthy-highway/817-orally-medicating-your-pet-bird.htmlhttp://forums.avianavenue.com/healthy-highway/817-orally-medicating-your-pet-bird.html

My avian vet gave me Lafeber's Concentrated Prescription Vitamins for Birds. He told me to sprinkle a little bit on moist food. Try putting a little dash of cayenne on some warm peas and corn and see if your bird doesn't want to try it.

 

[dolldid]

For feather pulling id sugest vet testing and a coller i had a too that did big damage under wing when i was sick and another time when i was under presher $400.00 each time for surgery hope things get better for both of you
prayers

 

[birdlady]

Might be giardia....my senegal is a plucker...she has been tested and nothing showed up for it though...she does a lot of her plucking at night and doesn't always cry, but flutters around when she does it.

We seem to think with her it is more behavioral...

But definitely full bloodwork should be run....

 

[allison]

I'm just hoping that it's not Beak and Feather disease. That is pretty common in Lovebirds. Was this an avian certified vet?
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease, PBFD, Beak & Feather: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Options as well as Prevention

 

[f3ath3rs2]

I just wanted to say, I'm here for you! I have a little foster lovie who is a mutilator and has plucked his shoulder bear this summer and did it last summer too. Definitely could be giardia, I would take him to the vet, and have them do a microscope slide on a VERY fresh fecal dropping - this can tell them if it's giardia. They could also possibly treat him for it if they don't find it, I've read a lot of plucking issues associated with giardia. My little guy tested negative for pbfd fortunately and does well on a daily medication of metecam (anti-inflammatory) along with Avix Soother spray that I actually apply with an eyedropper. If I miss ONE day, he goes back to mutilating, but I've noticed that slowly he's improved and has some feather growth. Last year, he needed some baytril (antibiotic) applied to the skin as well... we haven't gotten to that point yet.