Caique Severe Itching - Excessive Grooming

by Thomas
(Toronto)

Hi to everyone,

Thank you in advance for taking time to answer this question.

I have a 1 and a half year old caique and only recently he has suddenly started to act as if he is very itchy, constantly grooming himself to the point when he opens up blood feathers (and as a result makes them bleed).
He does this almost without rest at times... right now he has broken several feathers on his legs, belly and upper chest.

The only thing that has changed since he started is the following:

Fed him pistachio nuts.
Mixed a tiny bit of palm oil in his usual mix (Tropican).
Gave him a little it of Harrisons pellets to try.

The only other thing that comes to my mind is that I had a shower with him and he was on a ledge in the shower - there may have been (although very unlikely) a little bit of shampoo/soap there.

It started very recently and almost all out of a sudden, however he seems to have an appetite, his poop is normal and he still vocalizes OK every now and then... the only problem is that he is ALWAYS grooming and acts all jumpy as if he has an itch... and as a result opening feathers that should not be.

i posted something else a while back about dark rings around his eyes - but these have seemed to clear up after I stopped taking him for walks outside when it is sunny (I think it was UV exposure)