bird smells like wet towel & plucking

[sanja8888]

Hi guys,

My fiery shoulder conure (zazzy) has started plucking two months ago, when we went to the vet they said its just behavioural, but today something occurred to me. We shower Zazzy and when he dryed off i was playing with him and wanted to kiss his tummy I smelled a strong smell of a wet towel that`s been left for a long time. Wet dog might be appropriate. So i thought maybe thats the reason his is plucking his tummy, because it smells? i am booking a vet appointment but of course it has to be holiday season, Christmas Eve, and they are closed. The reason this just occured to me is because I have just moved in with my boyfriend and Zazzy is his bird. I have spent a lot of time with him before and on times I thought he had a weird smell, but i never really thought about it until now.

Any thoughts ???

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[webchirp]

Full vet check for both but did your vet do gram stains? Also sometimes when they pluck, they get yeast infections on their skin. Giggie actually had feathers plucked and Dr. O gram stained the feather at the shaft. She finally had me spray her with 1ml of F10 to 250ml of water twice a day and it finally cleared up.

 

[rockybird]

My maroon belly smells like a wet towel after a bath also. She has had recent vet check-ups and is healthy. I think it is just how her feathers smell.

 

[Monica]

Did the vet do fecal and blood work on Zazzy? And skin/feather testing?

It could be behavioral, but it could also be medical.