This barbering is going to be the death of me

[Xoetix]

Isadora is still chewing her feathers.

It's still loads better than it was previously, but I can't seem to get her to stop completely. She's not plucking, thankfully, but she's damaging her shoulders and I can't seem to get ahead of it.

She's got loads of toys, plus two wood blocks for shredding. Blood work was glorious when we went to the vet, no mites, no parasites, etc. She's in amazing health. She barbers whether she's in the cage or not - I could have her out and we're doing stuff, and she's still at it.

Do I need to get her a collar? What helps with this? It's only at the tops of the wings (Her "shoulders") and no where else. We do a bath once every ten days or so, which she loves. She's otherwise acting totally normal. I just have no idea what causes her to do this, and how I can fix it.

This is what I mean by chewing - she just sort of nibbles at the feathers

 

[April]

@macawpower58 any ideas since Sweden has feather issues?
@melissasparrots @faislaq

 

[macawpower58]

I forget how old Isadora is, but I'm guessing mostly it's hormones.
My Goffin plucks also. She's right now a tattered white mess. It's worse when spring hits, and slowly subsides over the summer and her feathers start to fill back in.
She has better years, and worse years.
I just live with my naked Too. If she was mutilating, it'd be different story.
I do shower much more during her bad times. Lots of shredding toys too. Sweden also loves to makes her 'nest' in the papers on the cage floor.
I do allow her, one time I put in the grate to stop her, and she really went after her wing feathers. Better newspapers the herself.
It's very hard to impossible to stop the urge to nest. Frustration leads IMO to the plucking, chewing, etc...
During her worst years (a while ago) my vet had me put in a few drops of Aloe Vera juice and Benadryl.
It did help, but I had a sleepy Too for a time.
The Lupron shots some get I suppose might help if you're interested in going that way.

 

[Xoetix]

I forget how old she is, but I'm guessing mostly it's hormones.
My Goffin plucks also. She's right now a tattered white mess. It's worse when spring hits, and slowly subsides over the summer and her feathers start to fill back in.
She has better years, and worse years.
I just live with my naked Too. If she was mutilating, it'd be different story.
I do shower much more during her bad times. Lots of shredding toys too. Sweden also loves to makes her 'nest' in the papers on the cage floor.
I do allow her, one time I put in the grate to stop her, and she really went after her wing feathers. Better newspapers the herself.
It's very hard to impossible to stop the urge to nest. Frustration leads IMO to the plucking, chewing, etc...
The Lupron shots some get I suppose might help if you're interested in going that way.

She's 15 years old, and her previous owners said it's been a years-long and year round habit. I got her back in December, she and was doing it them as well. She's better than she was, but I can't seem to get her to stop completely.

Most of her toys are shredding toys - any other style of toy I've tried (foraging, plastic, SS, noisy) she's had no interest in. If she can't destroy it, she doesn't want it

I'd rather not go the route of the injections, I've heard that occasionally the side effects are horrific.

 

[macawpower58]

Same here, I'd not use the injections unless mutilation threatened her life.
I've had a naked Too for so many years, I don't even think about it most of the time.
She does love her bath tubs though! Ever seen a Too swim?
The bathing makes her look less ratty too, so lots of swim time. She uses a glass pie pan on a playstand near the cages.

 

[Toy]

My U2 was already barbing when I got her at 7 months old. She'll be 24 years old in a few months. I think she imprinted on the breeder, who clipped her. Anyway she chews her wing & tail feathers off before they are all the way in or soon after. I've tried diet changes, light changes, toys, more showers, etc. None of it really help. She has laid eggs. When she turned 4 her hormones kicked in & she freaked. I couldn't get near her or she'd freak like I was going to harm her. It was so bad I had to get her a depo shot, as she was super stressed & not eating. Since then I have not been able to handle her much, as she instantly goes into breeding mode (panting, etc.) & acting super afraid of me. If I put her in a towel (she loves towels) I can sit her on my lap. She will give me beak kisses while she's sitting in the tub on the shower perch. My husband can handle her, have her step-up, etc., without this happening. She used to sit on my shoulder, lap, chair, etc. I miss our time together. I considered lupron shots, but the cost & side effects keep me from doing it. She is happy without me handling her.

 

[Xoetix]

So is barbering just sort of... A thing that happens? I'm thankful she's not plucking or super destroying herself - Should I worry less since she's not doing any "major" damage?

 

[macawpower58]

IMO yes, feather damage is very, very common with cockatoos. If it stops, awesome! If not, that's okay too.

Just don't stress if possible. She will pick up on that so fast. You don't want her to connect her behavior with your stress.
You know Toos, any attention is good attention!

That is so hard Toy. I'd be heartsick if that happened to me. I do feel for you.
It's good to hear your acceptable as long as a towel is on you.

 

[Mizzely]

My thought is this - if it's not actually harming her, and you're offering good foods, destructive outlets, and health care... Then it's just a quirk. We can only do so much, and stressing about it isn't going to make it better.

 

[Shezbug]

Birdie goes through phases where every time you see him preen you know he will chew the tops of his wings or some feathers on his back between his wings, then just as fast as he started doing it he simply stops- as I can’t find a pattern to it and he doesn’t obsessively do it I figure it’s just a comfort thing he does for soothing or enjoyment.
I prefer his slight feather chewing habit to his odd tongue thing or head swinging and rocking habit he had when he got here- I hardly ever see the head or tongue thing any more and he isn’t chewing like he did when he first arrived.
One thing I have noticed with Birdie is if I try to redirect him, talk to him or otherwise let him know I noticed his chewing then it just gets worse. I guess it has to be a comfort or coping mechanism for stress.

 

[Toy]

That is so hard Toy. I'd be heartsick if that happened to me. I do feel for you.
It's good to hear your acceptable as long as a towel is on you.

It's hard, as she is super sweet. She has never bitten me. We have a parrot tower close enough to her cage she can get on it. I talk to her & she bobs, dances, jabbers. I drop treats into her cage dish, as she won't take them from me. She used to before all this began. I hand fed/weaned her after I got her, as she was still be hand fed weaning sticks. I trained her to go back to her cage on command when she was young, so I don't have to chase her if she gets off her cage onto the floor. When they are in the aviary, & its time to come in, I hold a towel down close to the ground. She climbs down, jumps to the ground & runs into the towel. I scoop her up, keeping her wrapped in the towel & carry her back into the house. She watches me like a hawk from her cage & even pulls her cage cover back to watch me. I know she'd love to come sit on my lap or shoulder again, but this fear she has prevents her from doing it. So I just keep my distance, don't push myself on her & just let her be. She steps up for my husband & he gives her head rubs. I can shower her, even lift her wings, as she sits on a perch in the shower. I just can't hold her, get her to step up, etc., for me since this all started all those years ago. I talk to her & can get her to dance when asked, etc.. I've tried many things to undo this fear & figured it best to let her be than cause her more stress.