Eclectus Plucking?

[cosmolove]

Something I've noticed over the years I've been around birds is that eclectus seem to be one of the most common birds that I see plucked.

Has anyone else noticed this or have any idea as to why it may be?

I've even heard of severe cases where they mutilate themselves

 

[piercesdesigns]

I think it is a variety of reasons. In the wild, they live in a very diverse environment. They fly miles and miles every day. They are highly intelligent.
So, living in a cage causes them to get very bored.
Also their complex diet makes them more prone to irritation with their skin

 

[Abbie]

Totally just a guess, but I would assume that a lot of the time people get these birds without doing their research and not fully understanding their diet and needs. Since their diet is so different from other parrot species people just assume that they would eat what any other parrot would eat causing lots of issues for them, including some that would lead to plucking. I also see a lot of greys that are pluckers or that barber their feathers, but I would 90% of the time attribute that to boredom and how easily they are stressed which relates back to their high intelligence level.

 

[cosmolove]

Yeah I have a grey and a eclectus. The eclectus is a plucker, she slowed for a bit then went right back at it. The grey just seems to chew her feathers.

It does make sense about the wild what they do. I'm thinking a bigger cage may be in order for her for christmas. Hopefully that will help then I can try to keep her busier with toys and foraging stations.