feather plucking 7yo lorikeet - Jack

by Jill Barlow
(Bracken Ridge, Queensland)

hi.. I have a 7yo rainbow lorikeet (green neck 1/2ring) - (male I suspect!!). He has started plucking out his chest body feathers - I suspect he has been doing this a couple of weeks or so... He has a bare strip along his abdomen which is only noticable if I have hold of him (gently of course)... He seems to be healthy enough but how can I tell if he may have a disease of some sort? He eats dry lori food and water.... he loves young milk thistles and sometimes eats the juicy leaves of my sunjewel potplants... He has his flight feather clipped so has to walk or climb everywhere he goes... When I am not at work he lives outside and between his indoor and outdoor cages... Jack has plenty of toys to amuse himself with in and out of his cages... He often"annoys" my small dog and my large black cat... (they generally all get along together). I believe Jack is male as he 'shags' anything soft and has never laid an egg...I have had him since I rescued him from crows, maggies and micky birds one rainy windy afternoon about 7 years ago... He talks too.. If you can please give me some idea as to why he is plucking his chest feathers (to the point of squeaking when he plucks a 'live' one out), I would be very gratful. thankyou ... Jill Barlow ---
PS--- If you require a photo of his bare chest I will endeavour to take one for you... once again thankyou for any help you can give me to stop him plucking out too many more chest feathers... Jill B

Comments for feather plucking 7yo lorikeet - Jack

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Jul 14, 2010
 feather plucking 7yo lorikeet - Jack
by: Linda

In addition to Tracie's request you take this bird to an Avian Vet, I wish to add that you STOP GIVING THE MILK THISTLE AS IT IS AN HERB USED IN TREATING SPECIFIC HUMAN AILMENTS and is not considered a vegetable for birds. All herbs have specific ailments they are used to treat, so do not give any herbs to birds. The other plant is also not safe. Most house plants are poison, and there is a list on this site of the safe and not safe plants and trees.

IN FUTURE, BEFORE FEEDING YOUR BIRD ANYTHING, FIND OUT IF IT IS POISON OR NOT BEFORE GIVING IT TO BIRD. As a bird owner, this is your job, and your bird's life depends on whether you do a good job or a bad one. If you have questions, always either look it up on the internet or ask BEFORE taking action. I also suggest you find some information on the internet including some books about your bird, so you can take better care of him.

The last thing is that bird needs to be eating organic pellets like Harrisions which Tracie carries out here plus various organic fruit and veggies. The organic pellets do not have preservatives, dyes, pesticides/fertilizer residue, and for just one bird is cost effective. Your bird also needs to be seen immediately by an Avian Vet in your driving area to see if this has a physical cause like an infection.

Linda
Jul 13, 2010
 Lorikeet plucking feathers
by: Tracie

Dr B always suggests that birds that destroy their feathers be seen by an avian vet. So many things can cause this, there is just no way to make suggestions over the Internet. Dr B asks that you read the Feather Damaging Behavior article for a better understanding.

If you need to find an avian vet, you can look at our list on our Find an Avian Vet page and also click one of the links to search on other websites.

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