Preening dust

[frogfoot]

Hi!! This is a parrot question in general. Ruby is my first "big" bird and I've never experienced a problem with this before with my parrotlets and budgies. Basically, she preens violently and constantly, especially when she's sitting on me (her favorite activity). It looks like she's got a terrible itch all over her body, but that may just be normal for her. The thing is, when she preens she leaves an incredible amount of feather dust, snow, flakes, shavings, capsules, barbules, etc. After a few minutes it's all over me and I can't even get up to shake it off without dropping it everywhere.

Her feathers look healthy and she has never plucked or mutilated (to my knowledge). But I'm wondering if there's an easier way to spend time with her without getting out the vacuum cleaner every time. She's not much for toys or games, literally her favorite thing is to sit on my shoulder and preen.

So my question is, is this normal to be such a "dirty" preener? If so, have you come up with anything creative to deal with all the dust? The best way to clean it, etc? Have you found any changes in diet or lifestyle to reduce feather droppings?

Thanks!!

 

[MzAnneThrope]

Hi - Ruby's pic is lovely, btw. Adorabelle is also an ekkie, and a big fan of very vigorous preening as well, but I haven't noticed what I would consider an inordinate amount of debris as a result. How often do you bathe Ruby?

 

[frogfoot]

Ruby loves to shower! She has a shower perch and I take her into the shower with me. Maybe the water is too hot and is drying out her skin? Usually she gets a good shower like three or four times a week. I've never seen her bathe herself in standing water. Thank you for your sweet words!

 

[MzAnneThrope]

You're welcome!
My girl isn't a 'showerer', but she loves to get a good soaking warm-water spray from a water bottle every time I vacuum; it's hilarious, she goes nuts.
Maybe part of the reason 'Dora's dust doesn't bother me as much is because she's not a shoulder-percher (I have long hair, and she doesn't like her feet getting tangled up in it), so I simply may not notice it as much as you do. But also, her preening is not constant, as you report Ruby's to be.
Maybe some other ekkie folks will address your question @ that; it could be due to dryness, but I'm not sure what a good solution to that would be.
I know you said Ruby's not much for toys or games - 'Dora's not either, but she does love to chew softer woods (like pine), so that occupies a lot of her day (when she's not bird-watching or coming to me for kisses.)
Good luck with your lovely girl!