Over Preening Parrotlet

[sageparrot]

My 9 month old parrotlet has begun to over preen and slightly pluck her feathers around her neck. I had to travel to NJ from Maine during the holidays and brought her with. I let her out of her cage for about 4-6 hours each day and provide foraging enrichment daily. I am thinking that the change in environment caused the self destructive behavior, and it got much worse one day after my dad watched her while I was visiting other family. I am traveling back to Maine in a few days and have a vet appointment booked. This is not the first time she has traveled with me though and has always been good about traveling. I have begun to offer showers more often (daily), started her on a molting and conditioning supplement, just ordered a larger cage for her (18.5 wide x 32 long x 36 tall), and I have been feeding more veggies and fruits. She is also getting a UVB light soon. I have been giving her a lot of attention and will try my best to distract her when I catch her preening her neck/chest. Other than that, she is her perky, mischievous self! Please let me know of how else I can support her and try to get her to stop causing herself harm. It is breaking my heart to see her like this.

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

Hopefully, other members can give you more input but, Sudden plucking could be because she's sick or the sudden change like you said. You've already done a great job by scheduling a vet visit and providing daily enrichment.