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Caique feather destroying

Sj25

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1/21/17
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Hi all,

I really don't know what to do anymore. Caique Freddie is about 4 years and I've had him since he was young. After about a year he suddenly started snipping off the feathers between his legs. I quickly went to a bird vet and he said it was stress because I went on a holiday for 1 week. I left him - and my cockatiel- with my parents (and he was getting all the out-of-cage-attention-and-love every night.) Freddie got some relaxation meds from that vet.
After a few days he was still on it so I went a different bird vet. He took some blood. All was ok, except he has polyoma. So no bird friends allowed, except for the cockatiel I already had.

:( Now 3 years later he still snips off his feathers 2 (maybe 3??) times a year, for about a week. Now he's at it again. He is out of his cage a lot now because I am forced to work from home, so that can't be it. He eats pellets and I give him fruit and veggies. I have stopped giving him tiny pieces of bread and all because I thought maybe that could be it, but no...Usually its only about a week, but now he goes on and on and on. It kills me to sit in the room with him, seeing him destroy his feathers and not beging allowed to react. It stresses me out SO much. I've put him in other rooms so maybe he'd understand that destroying feathers leads to being away from me, but that doesn't help either. Apart from the plucking he seems like a happy bird.

I don't know what to do anymore. I get him new wood and cardbord toys every week. I try to hide his almonds (but it takes him a few minutes to get it). Should I just accept that he's going to be bald forever? Is he not happy at my place? What am I doing wrong... Should I rehome him so he can be somewhere that he's happy and does not snip off the feathers? :sad9:
 

Sj25

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Forgot to say; alsor read somewhere caiques cant take dry air (not that The Netherlands is ever dry) but I bought tons of radiator "bins". That did not make a difference either.
Radiator isn't even on around feather mutulating time in march-april
 

Irishj9

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When mine started this i changed everything

read that again. EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!

The bird was almost naked from the head down and grew back all her feathers

It is very likely stress related
 

Sj25

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When mine started this i changed everything

read that again. EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!

The bird was almost naked from the head down and grew back all her feathers

It is very likely stress related
How do I find out what is causing the stress? (Sometimes I worry that changing things might CAUSE stress...)
 

ZekeZack

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Does he get enough sleep time every night? I would make sure he has at least 12 hours uninterrupted quiet/dark time to sleep. Also, because of his age, perhaps he is hormonal? Make sure there aren't triggers for that kind of thing (dark, enclosed areas). I think there are diet changes you can do as well to help with hormones if that's the case.
 

Sj25

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Does he get enough sleep time every night? I would make sure he has at least 12 hours uninterrupted quiet/dark time to sleep. Also, because of his age, perhaps he is hormonal? Make sure there aren't triggers for that kind of thing (dark, enclosed areas). I think there are diet changes you can do as well to help with hormones if that's the case.
I cover his cage at 21:15 and now that I don't have an office alarm (haha) i get up at 08:00. (Usually it is 07:00.)
He does have a tent to sleep in, but I think he'd be really upset if he had to sleep without it... If I would be sure that was the trigger, Id remove it right away but now I am in doubt; I have considered it before but then he stops barbering and I stop considering. Might have to now tho.
 

Sj25

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When mine started this i changed everything

read that again. EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!

The bird was almost naked from the head down and grew back all her feathers

It is very likely stress related
I really hoped something useful would come out of this not so very useful reply. But I guess you don´t feel like replying anymore.
 

Irishj9

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The reply above already says it all

NONE OF US know what is going on in that birds brain
NONE OF US have seen your setup in any detail

This feather destruction has challenged even the most experienced bird handlers

SO CHANGE EVERYTHING the bird experiences

or you can spend the next 5 years trying to track down the cause
 

Leih

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Head over to the Behavior Byway, there's a thread called Pluckers Parlor that has some really good articles to read. I'm struggling with this with my conure. He recently grew in a bunch of new feathers then yesterday morning chewed them off :( I'm making some changes in the bird room and he just got a new much larger cage.
 

Irishj9

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When my precious ( and extremely rare) Green thighed Caique began plucking, I was away on the other side of the world on a contract. The carer said nothing.

When I got back she was almost naked from the head down, Ill find the pictures.

I had a full bank of bloods done at the avain vet. No medical cause was found.

Therefore stress.

So I Pulled her and her partner from their flight in the avairy, gave them a new different cage with all different perches and nestbox, in the spare bedroom by a window

The plucking stopped in a few days. Shes fully feathered now.
 
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