African Grey strange scratching

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African Grey strange scratching

My african grey has scratched her feathers very thin on the back of her neck,ears and throat. She also seems to message her throat with her claw. She is otherwise very happy. We don't know if we should be concerned or not.

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African Grey strange scratching

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Jan 18, 2012

Bird scatching and losing feathers
by: Tracie

I would personally still Find an Avian Vet to examine the bird.

Itching can be from an internal infection, allergy or dry skin.

If you are feeding colored pellets or table food, then allergy is a possibility. Switch your bird to Harrison's or Roudybush pellets if your bird is eating colored, high sugar or high chemical pellets.

If your bird bathes in it's drinking water, then bacterial infection is likely. Your bird should drink from a water bottle and only allow your bird to have a bowl of water for bathing for a max of 3 hours. It is preferable for you to put the water in, see it bathe and then remove the water. That way poopy water, water with spoiled food particles etc. do not get in it's eyes, ears and other body openings.

Please read our Feather Damaging Behavior article for more information.

Jan 18, 2012

update
by: Billy

The throat problem disappeared as quickly as it began. Before we even had a chance to get to the Vet. She must have had something stuck.

As for the scratching. We gave her a good bath and then somewhat of a steam bath while I was in the shower. This made a big differnce. The areas that she was scratching appear less irritated and her scratching has slowed considerably. We brought Kiki home Monday night and noticed the scratching at that time. We think maybe she hadn't had a bath in a good while. We are going to continue with baths every other day for a little while. Any other advice for the scratching?

Jan 18, 2012

African Grey scratching
by: Anonymous

Sounds as tho' she's got something lodged in her throat. Could be a numberof things, shell from a sunflower seed, splinter from chewing wood... could be a number of things.

Best thing is to have her examined by a vet who can physically look at her. He can also examine her skin to make sure she's not irratated her skin in that area.

Please Find an Avian Vet . Not a dog and cat vet, as they typically dont deal with exotics, and would just "TRY to guess" what was wrong.

Jan 17, 2012

Bird scratching until feathers are thin
by: Tracie

No, this indicates that something inside is bothering the bird. Please Find an Avian Vet to examine your bird right away.

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