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What is Feather Plucking?
Feather plucking is a complex and challenging behavior observed predominantly in parrots but also in other species of pet birds. It refers to the self-destructive act where a bird pulls out, chews on, or damages its own feathers. This behavior can range from mild to severe, with some birds only nibbling at their feathers occasionally, while others engage in more aggressive plucking that results in bald patches across their bodies.
The causes of feather plucking are multifaceted and can stem from various physical, psychological, or environmental factors. Understanding these underlying causes is crucial for effective intervention and management:
Physical Causes: Birds may pluck their feathers due to underlying medical issues such as skin infections, allergies, hormonal imbalances, parasites, or pain from injuries. It's essential for veterinarians to conduct thorough examinations to rule out any medical conditions contributing to the behavior.
Psychological Causes: Psychological factors play a significant role in feather plucking. Birds are highly intelligent and social creatures that require mental stimulation, social interaction, and a stable environment. Stress, boredom, anxiety, loneliness, or changes in routine or environment can trigger feather plucking as a coping mechanism.
Environmental Causes: The bird's living conditions can also impact its behavior. Factors such as inadequate diet, lack of proper lighting, poor hygiene, overcrowded cages, or exposure to toxins can contribute to stress and potentially trigger feather plucking.
Addressing feather plucking requires a comprehensive approach involving both veterinary care and adjustments to the bird's environment and social interactions:
Veterinary Care: A thorough examination by a avian veterinarian is essential to identify and treat any underlying medical conditions contributing to the behavior. This may include blood tests, skin biopsies, or fecal examinations to rule out infections or nutritional deficiencies.
Environmental Management: Providing a stimulating and enriching environment is crucial. This includes offering a varied and nutritious diet, ensuring proper cage size and enrichment (such as toys, perches, and hiding spots), maintaining optimal humidity and temperature levels, and establishing a predictable daily routine.
Behavioral Modification: Behavioral techniques such as positive reinforcement training, distraction strategies, and environmental enrichment can help redirect the bird's focus and reduce stress levels. Building a trusting relationship through gentle interactions and respecting the bird's boundaries is key to promoting a sense of security and well-being.
Owner Education and Support: Educating bird owners about the complexities of feather plucking, its potential causes, and strategies for prevention and management is essential. Support groups, online forums, and guidance from experienced avian behaviorists can provide valuable insights and emotional support for caregivers facing this challenging issue.
In conclusion, feather plucking in birds is a multifaceted behavior that requires a comprehensive approach for effective management. By addressing both the physical and psychological factors contributing to the behavior, bird owners and veterinary professionals can work together to improve the quality of life for birds affected by feather plucking.
What Are Causes Of Feather Plucking?
While some birds pluck due to environmental or parrot husbandry issues, others, even in an ideal setting, pluck for seemingly no reason at all.
Sometimes feather plucking behavior can be related to an upsetting event such as the death of a flock mate or a significant change within the family. Also, the owner not giving the bird a specific food item, the perfect toy, or going away for the weekend.
Feather plucking may also be due to an injury that caused uncomfortable and painful inflammation or scar tissue.
Whatever the cause, feather plucking behavior is often progressive in nature unless steps are taken early on to manage the problem.
The parrot may start with one part of the body such as the chest but starts to damage other areas such as the legs, back, wings, neck, or abdomen. Feather plucking takes on an obsessive-compulsive nature.
Feather Plucking Supplements
Nutrition greatly affects your birds plumage. If your parrot pet bird appears otherwise healthy, but it keeps damaging its feathers you may try using feather plucking supplements. Here are 5 of the best feather plucking supplements that can support your bird.
1. FeatheredUp! Feather Growth Formula Biotin
Vitamins are very important for all animals, but they're especially feather plucking birds. A lot of people rely on seeds or a pelleted diet as the mainstay of their birds nutrition. Unfortunately, neither option provides for all of the nutrients that a bird needs to stay healthy.
Seeds are plainly nutritionally deficient. Even seeds that are vitamin fortified aren't good because the vitamin coating is on the seed hull, which the bird discards to get to the inner meat. All of the vitamins end up on the bottom of the cage.
Likewise, pellets, while better, are also vitamin deficient. The manufacturing process of most pellets cooks the vitamins right out!
A high quality, feather growth supplement with specific B-vitamins like UnRuffledRx FeatheredUp! supports feather growth.
Signs of vitamin deficiency include dull, tattered feathers, respiratory distress, digestive issues.A range of quality vitamins are needed to grow beautiful plumage, including vitamin's A, B, C, D, E, and iron, zinc, and protein.
Surprisingly, even if you feed premium pellets, a lot of vitamins are lost in the baking process. The best way to ensure that your bird gets adequate vitamins and minerals is to feed a premium avian specific multi-vitamins each day.
Your avian veterinarian can easily do tests to find out if your bird is deficient in vitamins and nutrients. A good multi-vitamin may be in order.
2. UnRuffledRx Bird Calcium Supplement
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body. It is necessary for bone health, muscle health, blood clotting, and it plays a major role in how the nervous system functions. Low calcium levels may cause nervousness.
Calcium also acts as a cellular gatekeeper, allowing insulin and other hormones to get into individual cells. So, you can see adequate calcium is really important.
Choose a bird calcium supplement needs D3 and magnesium to properly synthesize in the body. Make sure that you're picking up a complete Bird Calcium Supplement.
UnRuffledRx Calcium, Magnesium +D3 has high bioavailability due to the unique mix of magnesium and D3 which are required for the body to synthesize calcium. Read the package directions so that you don't overdose calcium and there is no need to add calcium if you are feeding a quality vitamin like FeatheredUp!
3. Bird Probiotics
Two well known facts about birds. First, many parrots don't get the proper nutrition that their exotic bodies need. And, second, birds are easily stressed. These two issues can cause upset in the gut. You can support your bird by giving it avian specific probiotics.
The gut is full of good probiotics and bad ones. When the body is under stress, the bad microbes flourish. Not any probiotic will do.
You need a probiotic that contains the good elements that are naturally found in the psittacine gut. Keep a jar of probiotics around to offer your pet when its stressed out.
Birds who are plucking their chest and abdominal feathers may have stressed digestive systems. Coconut Oil can help. The medium-chain fats may have a soothing effect on inflamed intestinal tracts and keep away bad microorganisms that often trigger further inflammation. This, in turn improves nutrient absorption and maximize their gut function.
Stressed parrots may have a reduced blood supply to the digestive system and this may lead to chronic digestive upset and many other complications.
Liquid or powder probiotic supplements can help to rebalance the digestive system which has a positive impact on feather plucking parrots.
4. Skin & Feather Supplements
Being from tropical climates, captive parrots are prone to dry skin While not a supplement, per se, FeatherSoft helps ease the discomfort of dry, itchy skin. This oat-based powder is mixed with water and sprayed on the skin.
Alternatively, if your bird scratches a lot, you may also use UnRuffledRx Aloe Vera Spray. Aloe Vera has unique properties that help heal and soothe rashes and abrasions caused by too much scratching. You can use Aloe Vera and FeatherSoft interchangeably.
Feather regeneration, whether due to a natural annual molt. or because of a feather plucking problem is very taxing on the parrot's body. The protein used to make feathers has a unique amino acid composition that differs from the proteins in the rest of the body.
Fortunately, this unique mix of nutrients is can found in uncooked plant-based foods whether it be seeds, nuts, fruits, or vegetables. Turn to an expert! Author, Karmen Budai knows which foods to combine to get the most bang for your buck. These books have dozens of recipes that birds love!
5. Parrot Calming Supplements
Feather plucking birds are often anxious and stressed. For this reason, we recommend avian specific parrot calming supplements. Nobody wants a drugged up bird, so we offer a variety of gentle to moderate calming formulas.
Chamomile based products are the most gentle solution for parrot anxiety and are recommended for birds with low-intensity anxiety.
Try our Parrot Calming Bundle to find which products can ease your plucking birds nervous behavior.
Stereotypical behaviors such as screaming or mild feather destructive behaviors respond well to daily doses of UnRuffledRx Parrot Calming Formula.
This formula is based on the active, calming component of green tea have been found to be very successful.
Intense Calming:
Bird’s that self-mutilate may require intensive, pharmaceuticals to cease self-injurious behaviors. There are a few bird-safe psychotropic medications that avian vet's commonly use. To start learning about what Dr. Jeffrey Jenkins has found success with, watch Cockatude 14.
However, there is a significant amount of research that demonstrates how self-injurious behaviors actually cause changes in brain chemistry making them very difficult to break.
In conclusion, providing your pet with a range of Feather Plucking Supplements can improve its health and disposition and support feather growth.
References:
https://globalnews.ca/news/725764/coconut-oil-a-fat-packed-gut-helper
