My newly adopted Indian ringneck has feather loss and very thin quill

[Reena Jane]

Please help. I recently adopted this little angel from a cousin of mine, who rescued her from an abusive family. This birdie was locked up in a tiny cage with little food and no toys. She wasn't allowed out the cage either. Now after I adopted her, I took her to the vet and the doctor assured me that it's just a behavioral problem. But I'm worried because there's feather loss only on her body and neck. She is also missing her tail. Her wings seem okay. The newly grown feathers are very thin n fragile. But she's got a healthy appetite and is very active and eager to play. I would really appreciate any insight into the matter that you could provide.
P.S. she's getting a healthy diet of nuts, seeds, veggies and fruits.
I also have 2 other INR. they are 2yrs pls and very healthy n friendly

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue Reena

Thankyou for stepping in to help this sweet girl.

Did the vet run any blood tests?
For now, as her family member, all you can do is give her a good sized cage with toys, I see you have already given her a good diet, be sure she is eating well - weighing her is good if you can manage to do it.
Offer her shallow dishes of room temp water to bathe in often, it will help soothe the new feathers growing.
And on top of that, persue the vet to run the tests to rule out any diseases, namely PBFD, Polyoma and also giardia.

Have you quarantined this bird? As far away from your birds as possible, preferably with no air flow between the two. Wash hands between handling the birds, and change clothes too.

 

[Monica]

Beyond what Zara has mentioned, she may just need time and a better environment.

I've also taken in a ringneck that was in poor feather (although not as bad as yours) and over time she has grown in her feathers and looks wonderful now!

African Ringeck, Imports, Food & Damaged Feathers

I'm currently caring for an ARN (Sylphie) with an unknown history. First thread about her can be found here -> Pictures - Foster Bird | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum It seems that her leg band might be an import band after '92? Prior to '92, import bands were round steel with 3 letters and 3-4...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[Reena Jane]

Welcome to the Avenue Reena

Thankyou for stepping in to help this sweet girl.

Did the vet run any blood tests?
For now, as her family member, all you can do is give her a good sized cage with toys, I see you have already given her a good diet, be sure she is eating well - weighing her is good if you can manage to do it.
Offer her shallow dishes of room temp water to bathe in often, it will help soothe the new feathers growing.
And on top of that, persue the vet to run the tests to rule out any diseases, namely PBFD, Polyoma and also giardia.

Have you quarantined this bird? As far away from your birds as possible, preferably with no air flow between the two. Wash hands between handling the birds, and change clothes too.

Thank u so much yes, I have quarantined the bird. But the vet didn't run any tests. He only gave me a couple of antibiotics, immune booster and topical lotion.

 

[tka]

Thank you for taking this bird in! It sounds like you're on the right track when it comes to improving her diet and environment.

Did you see an avian vet? I'm worried about the advice you've been given. Antibiotics are useless if there haven't been any tests run. Different kinds of bacteria are sensitive to different antibiotics, and giving out antibiotics without establishing if a) they are needed in the first place and b) which one will be most effective contributes to antibiotic resistance. If your bird has a virus, antibiotics will have no effect. Some antibiotics can be hard on the birds' body (especially kidneys) so it really is important not to use them unless they are needed.

A topical lotion also isn't going to do much good and the greasy feeling can make birds more likely to damage their feathers. They like to be clean and will perceive the lotion as dirt to be got rid of through a lot of preening. Instead, you should offer her regular showers with clean water. You can use a spray bottle to gently mist her.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I agree with what Zara, Monica and tka have said, but will add that your baby appears to be not only neglected, but quite ill. It will take testing by a good vet (not just one that looks at the bird and say here give her these antibiotics). She will need a CBC and Chem Panel and throat and anal swabs and gram stains to start.

Please replace the seeds in her diet with pellets - long term feeding of seed can do irreversible damage.

Do you live in the USA?

 

[Reena Jane]

I agree with what Zara, Monica and tka have said, but will add that your baby appears to be not only neglected, but quite ill. It will take testing by a good vet (not just one that looks at the bird and say here give her these antibiotics). She will need a CBC and Chem Panel and throat and anal swabs and gram stains to start.

Please replace the seeds in her diet with pellets - long term feeding of seed can do irreversible damage.

Do you live in the USA?

Thank u everyone.
I'm from India. There's rarely any avian specialist available in the country. That's the reason why I am taking up my concern with u guys here.
There's no proper response from the local vet. So I'm doing what I see as best. I give her daily baths, Sometimes jus a quick spray mist. I spend quality time with her(She loves to snuggle under my neck). Anyways, I'll try n get the CBC done at the very least.

 

[Hankmacaw]

If you possibly can, the CBC and the Chem Panel are most important. The CBC will give a lot of information, but not some of the really critical values.

Can we help you find an avian vet? If you tell us the approximate area where you live we may be able to help.

 

[Reena Jane]

If you possibly can, the CBC and the Chem Panel are most important. The CBC will give a lot of information, but not some of the really critical values.

Can we help you find an avian vet? If you tell us the approximate area where you live we may be able to help.

I'm from Salem, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

[finchly]

Hi, the others are guiding you well but I wanted to say


Your baby is darling. I hope you can get some answers.

 

[Reena Jane]

Hi, the others are guiding you well but I wanted to say


Your baby is darling. I hope you can get some answers.

Oh thank u . u r very kind

 

[tka]

I think I'd be inclined to contact the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University: Welcome to TAMILNADU VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY (TANUVAS)

They're mostly agricultural but there do seem to be people who specialise in wildlife. Specifically, this member of staff has worked with parrots: Welcome to TAMILNADU VETERINARY & ANIMAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY(TANUVAS)

I would send an email explaining your concerns with your bird's current care and ask her if she knows of a vet with parrot experience who will do the blood tests, faecal testing and crop swabs your bird needs to work out what is wrong with her.

 

[Reena Jane]

Wow. I really appreciate this. Thank u so so much. I love this tiny angel n I would do everything I can to keep her safe. I'll look into the above link and do what's necessary. Thanks again...!!

 

[Hankmacaw]

Sorry i didn't get back with suggestions, but it looks like tka gave you an excellent recommendation.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[enigma731]

That looks very much like plucking to me (you can see the little bruises on her skin where the feathers were pulled) but I definitely agree you need more tests to rule out underlying medical causes.

 

[Reena Jane]

I really hope that it's just plucking (I know I sound rude) and not something like PBFD.
I'm a doctor myself, so if it's plucking I'm confident that I can make this right with time and love.

 

[enigma731]

You don't sound rude, I've had that exact thought process! I think you need to rule out PBFD to be safe but it doesn't look like it to me. Her beak is normal and the skin appearance is very typical for plucking. I'd be more suspicious of giardia as an underlying cause for plucking.

 

[Reena Jane]

Fingers crossed..!! I'll contact the vet soon and will let u know how it goes.

 

[Reena Jane]

@Hankmacaw @tka @Zara @Monica @enigma731
Update: I tried about 5 different vets. They all give me the same topical lotions n vitamin drops. They say they don't have facilities for a CBC in a bird. There's been worsening of the condition since I last posted. But on the plus side, he's still very active n has a good appetite.

Also, I've found a few things which might give us a clue, but the vets r dismissive about it. The other day I saw a fallen feather n playfully I offered it to this tiny one and he started to hiss n attack the feather... He tore it out of my hand n chewed it so bad. Almost like he's angry at the feather n he totally went for the kill. Ever since, I noticed how he attacks n hisses at any fallen feather. And how many ever toys I offer, he ignores them all n keeps preening n preening the whole day.
Pls do help me with some insight. I'm desperate..!!


Pic: Him with his siblings