Re: feather plucking
Posted by Debbie on 8/23/08

I have a Macaw that plucks from time to time. I have found that making sure she
gets a bath or a good mist with a water bottle at least once a week really helps
her to stop. I think she's just really itchy sometimes. Also, she loves to preen a
cotton mop head. That alone will cause a full re-growth in her feathers until she
goes through a nervous or bored spell and starts again.

Her plucking is very minimal, though, and like you, hers was brought on by her
cage mate plucking the back of her neck for her. I don't know the sex of my two
birds because I don't have any interest in breeding. They have been together for
years with no egg laying, so I suspect they are either both male or both female.
They feed each other and act like a bonded pair, though.


On 5/25/08, Melissa wrote:
> I have adopted 2 blue and gold macaws from someone who
> didnt really spend a lot of time with them, due to work
> commitments. I have built them a huge outdoor avairy and
> they go to bed in the evening in an indoor avairy. They
> have a lot of attention now, but the female still
> continues to pluck her feathers. When she isnt plucking,
> her mate does it for her!!
> The vet insists there is no medical reasons for this
> behaviour, so it seems it is just down to habit.
> Any ideas for prevention or cure will be muchly
> appreciated!!

Posts on this thread, including this one

• feather plucking, 5/25/08, by Melissa.
• Re: feather plucking, 8/23/08, by Debbie.