Dusky Conure Feather Destruction

[Fritzy]

So, I know about feather plucking, but I’m curious as to how exactly one would define what this pet store Dusky-headed Conure is doing to his wing feathers here. I’ve literally never seen anything like it before. For context he is not mine! He currently lives at my local PetSmart at the town center.

It doesn’t seem like his main issue is plucking perse, because there’s not too many bald patches on him. What I’m looking for is the term/how best to define what’s going on in the following photos (the wiry nature of the wing tips, it kind of looks like he shredded off the barbules? The tips look like the tips of a dining fork).

Sorry for the informational nature of this post, obviously it is an emotional concern for me as well but if anyone would like more info about this bird I’d be more than happy to link my Reddit post about him (not sure if allowed). It’s heartbreaking. But my question does still stand, since I’ve been looking around and I’m having a hard time even finding any photos online of birds doing the same to their own wing feathers.

I’ll be attaching a Google Photos album of his Feather condition changing over the last few months, in case anyone needs a better look.

 

[Fritzy]

Google Photos Album for some extra reference photos.

 

[zERo/]

On that last pic it looks like he's removing all parts of the feather but the actual shaft? Poor guy!

 

[Winn]

I'm wondering if this is "barbering".
There's information on it on this thread:

What is barbering?

I have raised birds for over 30 yrs and bred birds for 15 yrs. In all that time I have never had a plucker or chewer. So, I hate to sound dumb, being that I'm experienced, but what is barbering? How is it different then plucking? What does it look like?

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[Shezbug]

I would assume from the looks of some of the feathers that the bird is possibly barbering.

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

Poor guy
Sadly, it does look like barbering

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

I can’t enlarge the photo enough to get a good look and there’s not enough of the flights for a good view. But… I am going to make a guess they clipped his flight feathers and did a very poor job. Next time you go in tell them you’re curious and ask if the wings are clipped/ trimmed.

 

[Fritzy]

On that last pic it looks like he's removing all parts of the feather but the actual shaft? Poor guy!

Yes that’s what it looked like to me too. I have never seen anything like it - so extreme and painful seeming. He can’t fly at all. He will just flap frantically and if he wants to reach a toy out of his way he will have to risk leaping to it and dropping like a rock!

ah yes, “barbering” that is indeed the search term I was looking for!

Although I would say this guy is less of a “barber” and more of a “shredder” if I were to define him

I wonder if the person/vet responsible for clipping the store birds’ wings is just doing a horrible job and it’s irritating the birds into overpreening and then eventually chewing off all the barbules, which could only serve to make them even MORE painful and itchy,which just creates a horrible vicious cycle of pain and frustration eventually resulting in leaving the feathers all bare and wiry-looking. They have a parrotlet there that just got there a little while ago and it seem like it has the same butchered wing tips.

 

[Fritzy]

my bad, he’s not a parrotlet! He’s a lineolated parakeet, lol. Also wanna apologize for the photos not being totally clear, it was really hard to get decent photos of this guy through the display glass and especially since he wasn’t as rambunctious or large as the Dusky. :/

I tried editing the colors a bit so the wing tips stand out a bit more, but it’s very easy to tell when you’re in person looking straight at them. Also took a screenshot of a video I had of him where he stretched his little wings for like half a second. Poor baby

 

[April]

Aw that Linnie looks even worse clipped than my Bosco whom I also got from a Petsmart with a pretty bad clip they didn't clip him evenly he's got 7 from one side and 5 on another. But thankfully he hasn't been chewing his feathers and he's even molted his first clipped flight last week. I'm suprised they have a Dusky especially since the larger Conures cost so must they don't tend to sell. I hadn't been in a Petsmart in years til I found Bosco(at the time I was birdless and I only went in to see a friend and look for a Harry Potter dog toy for Kovu) but I know from my friend working there that Greenies or smaller birds were all they'd been carrying for years.

 

[Winn]

I'm not sure if it's the pet shops (Petco or PetSmart) who clip, or if it's the supplier/breeder. Maybe it's a bit of both.

Some of my flock came from PetSmart. They weren't clipped and they had been offered veggies along with the store-brand seed/pellet mix.
However, the associate tried to sell me a variety of "appropriate bird toys" which I didn't see as bird safe. (I gave a hard "no".)

I don't know if there is a link between clipping and barbering but it wouldn't surprise me. My curiosity is piqued! I'm off to search it!

 

[Winn]

A quick response is that clipping can lead to frustration at being flightless, which can lead to self-mutilation (plucking and barbering), although there are other issues that can cause self-mutilation as well (boredom or health issues, or just "bad habit".)

 

[Fritzy]

Aw that Linnie looks even worse clipped than my Bosco whom I also got from a Petsmart with a pretty bad clip they didn't clip him evenly he's got 7 from one side and 5 on another. But thankfully he hasn't been chewing his feathers and he's even molted his first clipped flight last week. I'm suprised they have a Dusky especially since the larger Conures cost so must they don't tend to sell. I hadn't been in a Petsmart in years til I found Bosco(at the time I was birdless and I only went in to see a friend and look for a Harry Potter dog toy for Kovu) but I know from my friend working there that Greenies or smaller birds were all they'd been carrying for years.

In my obsessive searching for answers regarding PetSmart’s bird care, I found a super old Reddit thread (from 2014) in the PetSmart sub using the search keys “Dusky conure” and “PetSmart.” It was a store associate posting about how they received a message from corporate letting them know that they would no longer be selling any of the larger conures (Sun, Dusky, Jenday, Nanday). Many of the responses were from other employees who were happy about the change, since they didn’t believe they were allowed to give these birds the proper care they needed…

I assumed it would be a nationwide move, and the post did make it seem like it would be. I can’t find the post now, dang it! But I wouldn’t be surprised if they were able to get around the conure restrictions by flat out ignoring the species of conure and just calling them either “Fancy” or “Green-cheeked.” In fact, this Dusky’s price tag claimed he was a “Fancy Conure!”

That is, if they even really did implement those restrictions in the first place…