Feather Plucking

[Lululand]

We have a Double Nape Amazon. We have had him since he was 2. He is now 37. We originally lived in Hawaii, moved to Oregon and then Idaho. We never had a problem with feather plucking until the last two winters. We have been to the vet, changed foods, moved the cage, increased interaction, used aroma therapy to just name a few. The last two years he has started plucking about the middle to end of September. Last spring he let his feathers grow back out but started plucking again this September. It appears that he may let them grow back in this summer but it remains to be seen. A guest in our home who is the daughter of a bird breeder suggested that we may need to try a humidifier. We have purchased one but are wondering how much of the day it needs to be on. Are their any suggestions or "rules of thumb". I selected one that has both warm and cool mist. I didn't invest in an expensive one yet. We kind of wanted to see if this seems to work before we really invested big money. We have tried to many things already. Our vet said it is odd that they start plucking this late life and that something is definitely bothering him...the question is what but the humidity thing kind of made sense. Any suggestions?

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum. I don't think a humidifier can hurt. Depending on how dry your house is I would probably run it off and on all day. When my tiel's ceres kind of dried out I think I ran mine for most of the morning and then in the evening. Does you Amazon get baths too? That may help if it is due to dryness. How long have you lived where you are?

 

[hrafn]

What sort of aroma therapy did you try? Birds are highly sensitive. Are there any major changes that have happened since he started plucking? What tests were run at the vet?

My humidifiers run nonstop day and night.

 

[Lululand]

Thanks for the replies. To answer some of the questions: We moved to Idaho in the summer of 16 and lived in an apartment while our home was being built. He did not pick that winter. We moved into our new home April of 17 and that was the first winter of plucking and he did it again last winter. The vet is an avian vet and he ran all kinds of tests and everything comes back normal. He is fed Harrison's pellet diet, raw almonds (4-6 a day) and fruit. He prefers apples and grapes. Hawaii was humid and Oregon also was fairly humid but it is drier in Idaho. As for a natural and aroma therapy we use AviCalm in his water and Feather-in spray as well as Feathered Plus from EO for animals also in a spray. I admit that I am a little lax on the spraying. Even though I use a mister sprayer he really hates it and has had several falls in his cage. He hates being bathed and that is a real battle also but he has always been that way. I bath him spring, summer and fall by taking his cage outside and spraying a misting hose into the air over him. He will allow me to do that because he doesn't have any choice but forget trying to get him in a sink or shower. He has always sat by the windows in all of our homes and this home is no different. We have moved him around in the house, blocked air vents, etc. but he is still doing it. That is why we thought giving the humidifier a chance might do the trick. The vet says he is mad about something but we just haven't discovered what it is. We have 2 dogs but we have always had dogs and he rides on my shoulder twice a day while we feed the dogs and make his breakfast and dinner. He enjoys being around them and has a great time.

 

[Tracieb]

I moved to southern Idaho from western Washington about twenty years ago and the birds had similar issues with the dry air. I found the humidifier helped but there was no rule of thumb, just trial and error until I got to a setting that seemed to help. I have a lesser sulfur that loves the spray bottle and the shower and it wasn't an issue for her but my more sensitive flock members did not do well with the dry air.

 

[Rain Bow]

My first thought... Check w/ your vet on this please, I'm no expert...

Your house could have something that's gassing off (if you're still in the new build) that's possibly affecting your Zon or that he's allergic to.

My other thought is fresh aloe juice can help skin issues but I'm not sure exactly how to use it for your fid. Generally it's used in bathing... Or in the water bowl, but I don't know exactly how.

Lastly, maybe a food source/a change by a food source.

I'm tagging some other members that may know or know who to check w/ better then me. May have further ideas too.
@JLcribber , @Hawk12237 , @Unapproved Vendor's Dailies

Good luck! Nice to meet you!



Rain

 

[JLcribber]

The preferred level of humidity for a parrot is 50% or higher. They love 70% but that's hard to do in home. You can check the humidity level with a cheap hygrometer ($10) from the hardware store.

You went from living in an equatorial place that has relatively even photo periods (sun). 12 hours light 12 hours dark (give or take) that does not change much to a place that has extreme photoperiods (winter/summer). This is going to have dramatic effort on your bird's hormonal system. The fact that this always happens at the same time of year is another indicator.

 

[Rain Bow]

The preferred level of humidity for a parrot is 50% or higher. They love 70% but that's hard to do in home. You can check the humidity level with a cheap hygrometer ($10) from the hardware store.

You went from living in an equatorial place that has relatively even photo periods (sun). 12 hours light 12 hours dark (give or take) that does not change much to a place that has extreme photoperiods (winter/summer). This is going to have dramatic effort on your bird's hormonal system. The fact that this always happens at the same time of year is another indicator.

TY my knowledgeable John friend!

 

[Alliusis]

Humidifiers are a good thing to try. My little linnie, Jocy, came to me with a plucked neck. I got a humidifier and the skin on her neck turned from chicken-skin red to a pasty white (the same colour as the skin around her eyes), and she was letting many more of her feathers grow back.

I also worked with an Eclectus who would let his feathers grow out during the summer, and pluck himself bare in the winter, every year. Part of it was humidity as he got better when a humidifier was introduced right next to his cage.

I would say if it seems to change with the season, think seasonal things - humidity, the amount of light they get, how stuffy/clean the house is, etc.