How to stop your parrot from feather plucking

The first thing you notice on a bird is its feathers; however, there’s far more to these creatures than their beauty and grandeur. The state of your bird's feathers says a lot about its health and well-being.  Although some feathers may not fall out in the natural course of moulting, a bird who continually pulls them out is sending you a signal that something is wrong.

Reasons why your parrot may pluck its feathers

Even though some parrots like Cockatiels, Cockatoos, African Grey Parrots, Macaws and Conures, seem more vulnerable to feather picking than others, all birds are at risk of plucking out their feathers too. Here are some reasons your parrots may want to pluck out their feathers.

Health reasons.

If your bird is not feeling well, it may begin plucking its feathers as a form of self-care or self-soothing or because it is being irritated by an underlying condition. If you notice this behaviour in your pet, visit your veterinarian to rule out infections like bacterial, viral, and parasitic, allergies like pollen, mould, and specific foods like hypothyroidism and anxiety. We have some Parrot Healthcare Products that may help.

Environmental Reasons

Some environmental factors like heat, humidity, too noisy or too chatty surroundings, too little or too much access to sunlight, and stress can result in feather plucking.

Lifestyle factors

Many birds begin to pluck their feathers due to lifestyle conditions like boredom, lack of exercise or activity, sexual frustration, isolation or a lack of playtime with their fellow pets.

Nutrition:

Malnutrition and an unbalanced diet can also lead to feather plucking.

Stopping your bird from plucking its feathers

It is essential to schedule a meeting with a certified avian veterinarian as soon as you notice your bird excessively plucking its feathers to understand whether your bird’s habit is a result of an underlying medical condition or is a merely behavioural concern.

To stop the problem before it starts or manage the problem before your vet visit, here are some things you can do;

Maintain a routine:

Routines should be followed as closely as possible. Make sure your bird gets a proper amount of sleep, has plenty of nutrients and vitamins in its diet and receives a lot of love and interaction from you

Minimize Stress:

One factor that may make your bird feel confined in its habitat and frightened is stress. The bad thing about stress is that it can be unconsciously transferred. If you are feeling anxious or stressed, your parrot is likely to feel the same too. Moving your parrot to another stress-free location might help.

Relieve boredom:

Try rotating our Parrot Toys selection and choose from a variety of wood blocks, ladders, ropes, barbells and hanging toys and ensure that they are specific to your bird’s size and species. Don't forget to interact with your birds.  Simple games like playing peekaboo with you can be fun and encourage trust.

Please note that there is a big difference between your bird preening and plucking. Preening is a normal and healthy maintenance behaviour performed by birds for the removal of dirt, spreading of oil and adjusting feather position to keep feathers healthy. Plucking on the other hand is destructive behaviour.

We hope you have found this article helpful. Visit sections on our page to check out products for all types of parrots.