Urgent Plucker Conure

[haze]

Today I unexpectedly rescued a crimson bellied conure who is heavily plucked after his mate passed away. I felt so terrible for him and couldn’t leave him behind. He has plucked out all of his flight feathers and all of his tail feathers. He is not tame. Once I got him home, he was attempting to flap his wings and broke a blood feather.

How can I prevent him from accidentally breaking blood feathers while he is growing them back?

 

[haze]

Also, I think it is more of a feather chewing issue rather than a plucking issue. He has a lot of new feather growth, so I am hopeful. He had not plucked any feathers from his chest, just the wings and tail.

 

[April]

He's adorable,bless you for rescuing him.

 

[haze]

He's adorable,bless you for rescuing him.

I had been looking for an older rescue bird for a while, and when I stumbled upon him I felt like it was meant to be. The previous owner thinks he is somewhere from 6-10 years old.

 

[April]

I had been looking for an older rescue bird for a while, and when I stumbled upon him I felt like it was meant to be. The previous owner thinks he is somewhere from 6-10 years old.

I adore Crimsons,they were my dream species for 12 years. I had a sweet boy for about 5 months and he was perfect except for his non stop screaming issues. He'd scream 5 hours straight non stop and the final straw was when he'd scream past 10 pm at night and I had a panic attack. But aside from that he was absolutely perfect sweet,cuddly loved his toys and was a fabulous eater.

 

[haze]

Update: the bleeding from his broken feather stopped! He also ate all of his food and has pooped multiple times. I think I will be keeping him in a smaller cage with low perches to prevent falls until his wing feathers grow in.

 

[April]

Update: the bleeding from his broken feather stopped! He also ate all of his food and has pooped multiple times. I think I will be keeping him in a smaller cage with low perches to prevent falls until his wing feathers grow in.

Sounds like a good plan. I kept Tobias in a small cage the first week cause he was so clumsy

 

[haze]

I had a bit of a freak out wondering if he had PBFD, but upon further research I don’t think that is the case. I read that birds with PBFD always loose down first, then the body/contour feathers, THEN wing and tail feathers. Since he still has his down and all of the feathers on his chest and back, I’m thinking it’s just an overgrooming plucking/chewing problem, but I’m still going to call around and see if any avian vets near me test for PBFD just in case. Since I have other birds I don’t want to risk it.

I went to the pet store and purchased some toys that are specifically for shredding as well.

 

[Shezbug]

If he is falling and breaking feathers then I would make his useable space in the cage all low enough that he cant fall far- you may find sectioning the cage or using a carrier is easier for keeping him from falling, keep all perches and food lower to the ground. Pad the bottom with no pill fleece if need be for extra safety.

Any avian vet should be able to offer you disease testing, a wellness check would be a good start for you both.

Congratulations on your new friend!

 

[haze]

Exciting update on Mr. Charles!!

He has a new tail feather growing in, and ALL of his primary flight feathers on his right wing are coming in with pin feathers that are getting quite long!! His left wing doesn’t have any noticeable growth at the moment that I can tell without grabbing him and frightening him, but since the right wing feathers are coming in, I’m guessing the left wing is following and may just have smaller pin growth at the moment that I can’t see yet.
I’m so excited for this little guy. He hasn’t plucked or chewed any feathers since he’s come to live with me, and I’m very hopeful that he is going to make a full recovery. I can hardly believe he has come so far in just a few short weeks.