• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here
  • This forum is for advice about initial treatment given to your injured/sick bird until a qualified avian veterinarian is available.
    THIS IS NOT MEANT TO REPLACE VET CARE

HELP! My bird has plucked his whole chest overnight!

Status
Not open for further replies.

tailsoflove

Sprinting down the street
Joined
3/3/10
Messages
345
Location
Suburbs, Illinois
Real Name
Dawn
So I woke up this morning to a pile of feathers in my Ekkie's cage. It looks like he had a busy night, picking all the feathers off of his chest. The only thing he left was the down feathers. All others..GONE! Now, he has gone through some picking episodes over the past year-year 1/2. And I've always pin pointed it to some change/emotional behavior. Like the first time he started picking in the 8 years I've had him is when we went away for over a week and a dear friend of mine watched him for me. He was so upset and angry that I had been gone, he not only pulled a bunch of feathers, but also tried to bite my face. Nothing has really changed here, except for the weather. It's gotten colder and I've been using the infrared heater that I use every year to add some extra heat to the bird room. Of course, it also makes it drier so I use a spray on him and also a humidifier in the room. I don't think this is an issue of being dry or itchy, because he did something very strange in addition to picking. He was sitting on the ledge of the food dish holder in his cage, in the very corner. He NEVER goes here..he is definitely a creature of habit and when I went in to say good morning, I didn't even see him at first..then I noticed he was in the corner sitting on this ledge..looked down and there was the pile. I am very upset and just want to figure out what is wrong with him. Last time he started picking I did have a bunch of tests and stuff run. Everything came back perfect. Should I have some tests run again? I'm racking my brain and the ONLY thing that was different that could have upset him was that I didn't bring him upstairs like I normally do at night for some tv, relax time. It was a bit of a stressfull evening and ended up being too late by the time I went up, so I just put him right into his cage. With him being as "emotional" as he is, I am thinking this could have upset him and this is why he decided to pick the feathers. He truly does get upset when he's out of his routine at all and I am hoping that is all it was. Any thoughts, suggestions, comments? Thanks everyone..



DSC00213.jpg
 

orphansparrow

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/2/11
Messages
2,130
Location
Santa Fe, NM
Real Name
Cara
oh no! i'm sorry about your ekkie, and i hope someone will have some advice for you. :(
 

Anne & Gang

Riding the Skies
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avian Angel
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
1,000,000
Location
Caledon, Ontario, Canada
Real Name
Anne
The first thing you have to do is eliminate any medical problems..I highly advise an avian vet visit with a full blood panel and gram stain etc (including a test for giardia)...(and parasites or mites as well)---once that is eliminated, you have to examine closely what has changed...anything different in your house? do you have a new hairstyle? new glasses? once all this is eliminated then you have to just make your ekkie as comfy as possible and pay as much attention to him as possible...even a little collar may eventually be needed to stop the plucking....it is often a behavorial issue though...if your ekkie was in a previous home and abused, or neglected, you may be in for a life long trend of plucking
 

tailsoflove

Sprinting down the street
Joined
3/3/10
Messages
345
Location
Suburbs, Illinois
Real Name
Dawn
Hi Annie. Thanks for your comments, suggestions. Just to address a few of your comments.. He had been tested for everything about a year 1/2 ago. Since then nothing has changed as far as his environment. I will of course, bring him again to get him checked, but I do truly believe this is once again an emotional reaction. He gets a TON of attention and I think part of the problem is that he didn't get his normal attention last night which he is so used to and dependent on. We had a ton going on last night and although he was out and near me, he didn't get time upstairs, sitting watching tv and his ice chips, which he gets every night! That is the only thing I can think of. I've had him since he was a baby so no previous neglect or anything. As a matter of fact, he has never picked a feather up until a year and a 1/2 ago when he came back from being cared for by a friend. She has another ekkie which he adores and I think the separation upset him (from us and from his buddy as well!) Anyway, I do think I will try a little cover up or something. Although back then I tried the sock buddy and he absolutely hated it. Perhaps something different, less restricting will work. We'll see..thanks Annie!

The first thing you have to do is eliminate any medical problems..I highly advise an avian vet visit with a full blood panel and gram stain etc (including a test for giardia)...(and parasites or mites as well)---once that is eliminated, you have to examine closely what has changed...anything different in your house? do you have a new hairstyle? new glasses? once all this is eliminated then you have to just make your ekkie as comfy as possible and pay as much attention to him as possible...even a little collar may eventually be needed to stop the plucking....it is often a behavorial issue though...if your ekkie was in a previous home and abused, or neglected, you may be in for a life long trend of plucking
 

Saemma

Ripping up the road
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
11/7/09
Messages
27,187
Bump for some help!:eek:
 

Screechless

Strolling the yard
Joined
10/9/11
Messages
82
Sounds like maybe he could sense the stress/tension in the house. I would def schedule a vet visit, maybe for a week or so. Is it almost time for your annual check up? He might need to be tested anyway. While you wait, try to bring things back to the way they usually are in the house and see if he's still plucking. If he isn't, then you know what the cause was. If he is, then maybe some underlying issues may be the cause.
 

Merlie

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
7,858
Location
NW 'Burbs of Chicago
Dawn ..

You may not like to hear this, but ... check around for mouse droppings. My Quaker, Ivy, went thru a plucking thing about 6 mos. ago, I couldn't figure it out for the life of me .. he's NEVER been a plucker. I decided to really started looking around the room for anything that might be bothering him. I moved all the furniture to one side of the room, and bingo, behind one of the couches I found mousey droppings. I set out a few humane traps, and ended up catching him. Sure enough .. once Mr. Mouse was gone, Ivy's plucking stopped. Mr. Mouse was coming out at night .. and really disturbing Ivy.

I know, I know .. it sounds bad to say "got a mouse in the house", but .. it happens. I freaked out at first, until I talked to a few neighbors, all who have had a mouse issue at some point or another.

It also could have been some type of outdoor critter. The skunks and coons have been super active lately. Maybe one was hanging outside and Treeko could see it?
 

tailsoflove

Sprinting down the street
Joined
3/3/10
Messages
345
Location
Suburbs, Illinois
Real Name
Dawn
You know, that could possibly be the cause.. We have had an overabundance of skunks lately, but even so, I recently put new blinds on the windows where they cannot see anything so it's completely dark in the bird room and we actually have the outside of the room sprayed with a bird safe, odorless pesticide twice a year (it was recently done). We have never had any issues with rodents or bugs so I am thinking it's not that , but I will pull the cabinets away from the wall and double check b/c you just never know if one of those buggers sneaks in! Good suggestion!!

Dawn ..

You may not like to hear this, but ... check around for mouse droppings. My Quaker, Ivy, went thru a plucking thing about 6 mos. ago, I couldn't figure it out for the life of me .. he's NEVER been a plucker. I decided to really started looking around the room for anything that might be bothering him. I moved all the furniture to one side of the room, and bingo, behind one of the couches I found mousey droppings. I set out a few humane traps, and ended up catching him. Sure enough .. once Mr. Mouse was gone, Ivy's plucking stopped. Mr. Mouse was coming out at night .. and really disturbing Ivy.

I know, I know .. it sounds bad to say "got a mouse in the house", but .. it happens. I freaked out at first, until I talked to a few neighbors, all who have had a mouse issue at some point or another.

It also could have been some type of outdoor critter. The skunks and coons have been super active lately. Maybe one was hanging outside and Treeko could see it?
 

JLcribber

@cockatoojohn
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Avenue Concierge
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
22,620
Location
Alberta, Canada
Real Name
John
The blinds in the room are a big change right there. Especially if he is not covered and can see them.

When a bird plucks so severely all in one night, that's a huge red flag that it "is" something medical and that needs to be checked first. It doesn't matter what kind of results there were 6 months ago.

Ekkies have such peculiar diet needs and it doesn't take much to cause some problems. Something else to analyze.
 

GG.

Enjoy the small things
Mayor of the Avenue
Joined
10/17/09
Messages
28,652
Location
gulf coast, alabama
Real Name
GG
I moved your thread to the 911 section for additional exposure and help/support
 

WingedVictory

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
1,435
Location
Pacific Northwest
Real Name
Gary
Hi, like other have said you need to rule out medical issues. In the mean time examine her cage and surroundings for clues, has the cage been cleaned with a different product lately? Cage location? Possible caused of noise during the night? Any food changes? You might think about putting a night light near her cage. Frequent showers or misting with clean water may help. More or varied toys may help.

Another suggestion would be to join the Ekie forum "Land of Vos"
 

ncGreyBirdLady

They call Me crazy like its a bad thing!
Administrator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/15/09
Messages
11,676
Location
Feathered Funny Farm USA
Real Name
Bonnie
I'm sorry that Your Baby is going through this:( All that I can add to what others have said-is because You mention that He was in the corner of his cage,where he never goes-is to check out his normal perch's toys to see if perhaps one is loose.That could have given him a scare,and made him seek safety in the corner.Just a thought:hug8:
 

65sunnyday

Biking along the boulevard
Joined
1/15/11
Messages
6,207
Location
Cleveland, OH
Real Name
April, aka 'SUNNY'
I bet you guessed it right the first time (I've never had an Ekkie) Birdies love their routine, & the fact there was something going on last night & he didn't get his usual cuddle-time w/you is probably the culprit. Did he look down at his pile of feathers before he looked at you from the corner of the cage? We also get mice here at this time of year sometimes. Maybe you might want to change up some of his routines so he doesn't get too dependent on them (easier said than done.) Good luck :)
 

birdlady

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
15,562
Location
NJ
Real Name
Leslie
I am so sorry your baby is plucking and I know it is so difficult to see:( I have a plucker here too....I hope you get some answers soon.
 

Birdiemarie

Feather Snuggler
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/14/09
Messages
42,502
Location
Ohio
Real Name
Marie
I'm so sorry to hear Treeko is plucking again. I tend to also think it may have something to do with the change in routine since you know he is an emotional boy. Also the new blinds may be part of the puzzle as well. I also think a vet visit is a good idea to rule out any food allergies since stress can exacerbate a dormant allergy. You may also want to listen to him at night for the next week for any sounds of wing flipping or toe tapping.
 

tailsoflove

Sprinting down the street
Joined
3/3/10
Messages
345
Location
Suburbs, Illinois
Real Name
Dawn
So I have a vet visit scheduled for tomorrow. He is still picking, now working on his wings. In all the years I have had him, he has never picked this bad in this short amount of time. I have him on a bland diet of just some organic grains and fresh fruit/veggies. I tried a sock buddy, but that really stressed him out and he ended up biting through it within seconds. If this is stress related I of course don't want to add to the stress. Hopefully I will be able to rule out anything medical shortly. In the meantime, I am trying to adjust things and trying to figure out what the cause is. Thanks everyone for your suggestions/comments.
-D
 

sodakat

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
3/11/11
Messages
3,297
Location
South Dakota
Real Name
Kathy
Wow. I hate to wish he has something medically wrong, so I hope he gets a clean bill of health from his vet tomorrow. Poor guy. Bella wore a sock buddy with her second owner without success also. She lost a LOT of weight really fast because she didn't eat when she had the sock on. They didn't realize it for a while and were pretty worried when they discovered what was going on. Some birds just don't like the sock apparently.

I imagine you already know, but this is the time of year that many seasonally barbering male Eclectus begin snipping their green feathers. I don't know the cause, but there seems to be a pattern of behavior.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top