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Male canary plucking obsessively. Help needed!

Oinker93

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6/29/22
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Hi bird folks,

Last week I discovered that my male canary, 3 yo., plucked bald a big area around his tail and lower back. I'm shocked since he's a very active bird, sings every day and chirps a lot, has a large (relatively to his size) cage, and doesn't seem bored. It was difficult to notice since his wings cover the area, and I realized that while trimming his nails and beak. Photos of the cage and plucked area are attached to this post.

There are two mirrors in the cage as he hasn't displayed any interest in other toys, including bells, one calcium brick, three natural perches, a water bottle, a food bowl, and a water dish (I keep them both at the bottom of the cage so he doesn't litter outside).

He has a quiet room where I spend time reading and hanging out in the late afternoon, but he doesn't like to leave his cage, and it's been like that from the moment I bought him in October 2021. I feed him high-quality canary seeds and add egg, apple, lettuce and other canary-safe fruits every second day interchangeably. There are also no other pets or kids in our house.

I really don't know what to do. His rear feathers were okay two months ago, but now it looks like a navy recruit's head. He seems sexually frustrated as he licks the mirrors anytime I play him bird sounds from the speaker. I also haven't noticed any lice or other bugs crawling around him.

Somebody experienced, please help! I'm so worried about him and dunno what the cause and solution are...
 

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expressmailtome

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Pixiebeak

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This looks like an issue with the preen gland? Possibly impaction. Can be caused by low vitamin A levels.. and other causes
 

Pixiebeak

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For your reference
 
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