Plucking and Stress

[JLcribber]

If there is no medical issue. The ultimate cause for plucking is stress from having to live in captivity and more so in a cage. It does not need to be any one specific stress although it can be but rather an accumulation of all the small stresses that the bird must live with. We may not recognize these things as stress but the bird most certainly does. Parrots are designed and programmed to fly hundreds of miles per day. To forage and work for their food. To have free will to decide where to go, when to go and who to go with. Making them spend time in a cage which is only a few steps in any direction even in a large cage is a huge stress factor. When the stress builds to the breaking point, that is when problem behaviors like plucking and screaming begin to show themselves. If our bird is plucking and there is no medical reason for it then it's time to start thinking outside the box, literally and start to provide a more natural way of living so they can move, explore and forage so they get that stimulation. A busy beak does not have time to pluck. Changing the way they live, sacrificing some real space and providing a large secure area where they can be the birds they are as much as possible will go a long ways to stopping the behavior.

All birds are born with a certain amount of built-in stress. As most birds have little defense against predators, their only option is to keep a sharp eye out for anything that might eat them. They know they're one of the main food sources for all other animals. They are under "normal stress" Once a bird is captured and confined, the stress level increases. Depending on it's new environment, this slightly higher stress level can also be within a "safe" range. However, start adding all the many types of stressful situations and soon the meter rises beyond the "breaking point" of stress. For instance... in the graph above there are all sorts of different types of possible stress related issues. One is not all that much more important than the other. (except for possibly health related stress). But when the different types of stress start adding up... your parrot is reaching the breaking point of how much stress he can handle. I believe this is the main reason for plucking & mutilation. For instance: I heard of a person who's cockatoo started to pluck. She took the bird to a vet and he did all the tests and asked all the normal questions. The tests came back pretty normal, so it didn't appear to be health related. The one thing that stood out above all others was that the owners smoked in the house. They were told to stop smoking in the house, and so they did. Within days the bird stopped plucking. For the next 3 months or more everything was back to normal. Then one day the bird started plucking again. Now the question was what caused this? What was new in the house or the birds life? What was different?


The point of the story is that there can be a combination of different stresses that a bird might contend with. But ONE MORE STRESSFUL SITUATION and the bird is now "over the edge" and one of the results is or can be plucking and mutilation. So your job is to try to reduce that level by figuring out what is new...different..or lacking. This
at times can be frustrating but the riddle must be solved before the bird gets any worse. Birds are not that much different than humans in this respect. We have nervous breakdowns and doctors must find out what caused it. Naturally, there is something wrong in your life and once that's discovered and changed, you can lead a productive life again. Same goes with your parrot if you catch it in time. The only problem is of course that he cant tell you what his problem is. So it's up to you to think like a bird and try to figure out what would cause YOU stress if you were on his perch. This isn't a page to solve all your problems. It's just something for you to think about the next time you suspect that there might be a problem developing... or to remind yourself that anything you add...change...or otherwise suspect might have an effect on your bird, probably will... at least on his stress meter.

STRESS LEVELS

Preening is a natural and hard wired instinct. Plucking is an exaggeration of that behavior and if not dealt with quickly becomes a habit much like chewing your fingernails. As a result of nervousness. The feather picking is a stress coping mechanism. There is an endorphin rush from pulling the feather and relieving the irritation which is a reward. Much like scratching an itch. The pain itself might even be reinforcing. When a feather is pulled, there is about a 2 week cycle before the new feather starts to stick out of the skin. The bird may not pluck for 2 weeks and then start again. This is a bad cycle. Don't make a fuss over plucked feathers. That is also a reinforcer.

What people often describe as a 'parrot behavior problem' is actually the result of a bird's natural behavior taking place in an unnatural environment. Flying miles a day; loud vocalizations, foraging for food, chewing and destroying wood and trees, and defending territories are perfectly normal bird behaviors in the wild, but unwelcome in the average home. So it's actually a 'people problem,' fueled by people's unrealistic expectations of a parrot's basic nature." Their needs can not be met in captivity. The larger and more intelligent the parrot is the more exaggerated the problems seem to be. JME&O

 

[Brigidt36]

Thanks for the very good information (as usual) John.

 

[LuvMyBirds]

Thanks John. You always have me thinking out of the box.

 

[Welshanne]

I know where you are coming from John and agree 100% Leroy started plucking her chest feathers when her blood calcium went low.
She continued when Scooby joined us, as until then she had been the only bird in our household.
Now we are five, and the plucking as all but gone.(one small area about inch in diameter left) Think by always putting her top of the pecking order and letting them all know she is the top bird in the flock, it suits her and makes her feel happier with her lot.

 

[Emmilyy]

Toc started because of the stress of fighting almost to death and being seperated from his brother

now i think it is a habit

 

[Saemma]

Thank so much John.

 

[J*M*L]

I can't believe the tiel I took in today isn't a plucker. The guy told me he hadn't taken her out of her cage but one time in 3 months. And there was absolutely nothing for her to do in that cage. Not one single toy.

 

[Birdasaurus]

Tango's old owner said he plucked when they left on vacation (they left him alone in the house, with a person to check on him once in awhile) and when they had windows replaced because he had to be covered most of the day (?????) First of all, I have to say NO KIDDING!!!

I'm happy to say that he is only a stress plucker, as he has almost fully kicked the habit since moving in with us. Now I've only seen him do it when he broke a blood feather and it was hurting him, so he starting plucking around it (yes, I got him into a vet that day....but he still had time to pluck a little) and now only when he finds a hurt feather, maybe from a fall or whatever, then he just takes it out and lets the new fresh one grow in. He has his own little play area with a lot to hang from, chew on, destroy, and rope perches are a somewhat costly yet highly effective way for him to take out any unrelieved stress that perhaps would be taken out on his beautiful feathers.

Tango then (his back looks the same way....his wings were almost completely gone)

Tango now

And it only took a few months

 

[JLcribber]

Outstanding Andrea!!! I also think leaving a bird alone without any company for any amount of time is a big mistake. Being alone feels like death to a flock animal.

 

[Birdasaurus]

Outstanding Andrea!!! I also think leaving a bird alone without any company for any amount of time is a big mistake. Being alone feels like death to a flock animal.

Thanks, John I'm very proud of my big boy!

That is probably one of the bigger mistakes and misconceptions people new to birds have. They think a big cage and lots of toys makes up for interaction and it's just so not true. Leaving them alone in a house is so stressful, especially for a week or two vacation because the poor creature thinks something happened to its flock I don't care how many toys a bird has...that doesn't replace flock nature.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Outstanding post John, as always!