Early warning signs of plucking?

[lunasalix]

When I first got my two lovies in early October, the male was missing all of his tail feathers and a small patch of feathers high on his neck. They have been housed separately in my home, but within view of one another so they can still talk. I usually let them out 3-10 hours each day, depending on my work schedule. I did not notice any new patches or worsening of the existing missing patches of feathers on my male, so I assumed another bird at the store was attacking him.
For the holidays, I am staying with my parents for 2.5 weeks. My little ones are not allowed outside of their cages here, so most days I spend extra time with them and I have been giving them new toys every few days to keep them occupied. I told the rest of the family to spend some time with them whenever they are able as well.
Today, I noticed about 10 down feathers around my male's cage. His neck patch has grown a bit larger. I'm worried that he might be plucking out of boredom or frustration. How can I curb this behavior before it gets out of control? Will he likely stop when I go back home and we are on our normal schedule again?

 

[JLcribber]

Change is a stress factor. New environment. Possibly different temperatures/humidity. Restricted movement. All definite triggers. Especially for an existing problem.

The best medicine is to get them home and back to familiarity/routine.

 

[lunasalix]

We arrived home yesterday and I stayed with them for about an hour before I had to go dog sit for my boss. I got home this morning to find about 2 dozen of his feathers on the floor and he's plucking more as I type. What do I do?
My room is covered in toys for them. I don't know how else to distract him when I'm gone most of the day.

 

[Applebutter]

There's Avicalm and Featherrific supplement you can give him. Might get him checked at the vet first to rule out any illness. How is his droppings?

 

[lunasalix]

His droppings have been the same since he arrived home with me, semi-solid and slightly green with clear-white urates. He's on a mostly seed diet right now, supplemented with carrots, greens, strawberries, and bananas. I'm going to try the advice in the posts on this forum before supplementing him with anything. I just ordered some pellets (no dyes) and a humidifier. I already have an air purifier that I use and he has varied perches and lots of toys (noisy, colorful, shreddable, and foraging toys).

 

[sunnysmom]

Does he have toys specifically for pluckers? I don't know how well they actually work on distracting them but I've seen them for sale. Have health issues been ruled out? Do you play music/tv for them when you leave the house? How much out of the cage time does he get?

 

[lunasalix]

I don't have any specific toys for pluckers, but I did put some shreddable toys at beak-level in some of his favorite perching spots around my room and in his cage. I didn't see nearly as many feathers on the ground today. Unfortunately, the closest avian vet is 3 hours from where I live. I'm thinking of asking a local vet if she would be willing to send off labs and consult with the avian vet. The TV is usually left on, but it randomly cuts itself off after an hour or so. He usually gets 3-10 hours per day out of the cage, depending on my day-to-day work schedule. I'm thinking of finding a cheap radio and getting a CD with jungle sounds to play on a loop for him.
I have another lovebird, caged separately but right next to him so they can still talk and play through the bars. She isn't particularly fond of him (snaps if he gets too close), so they have to stay separated while I'm not there.

 

[Chihuahua]

my plucker really likes balsa... it's the only thing he has chewed to any great extent. i also recommend a soft pluckers collar for him.

 

[lunasalix]

I'll find some balsa to buy online. I like to make toys, so I use a lot of newspaper, straws, popsicle sticks, and jute.
After reading all of the pinned posts on here, I'd rather not medicate or collar him unless he starts mutilating his skin or plucking to the extent that it may be detrimental to his health.

 

[lunasalix]

Update on Mango:
After running a humidifier, adding more shreddable toys at beak height around his favorite perches, and playing music while I'm at work each day, Mango has greatly reduced his plucking. I find about 2 feathers each day now. I'm still waiting on some samples to come in to find out which pellets he likes best and start the conversion. Hopefully I will see even more improvement then.
He already seems much happier and has even begun standing completely on my hand when I offer him treats rather than trying to reach over without touching me to grab them. As long as he is happy and able to fly, I don't mind a few bald or scruffy spots.