Jenday Conure feathers all gray now on chest
by Roberta
(Lake Jackson, TX)
Hi, Linda. I have a three year old Jenday Conure. She's a sweetie and is very attached to me. I spend most of the day with her on my days off. We have our little routine. It had been just my husband and myself at home except for the granddaughters coming every other weekend. My son moved in for a bit a few months ago. A lot of things seemed to happen at almost the same time. First, she started having fewer and fewer red feathers on her chest. I had been supplying her with a little birdie hut that she loved but she would tear the seam out of it and pull the plastic liner out and stick her head and shoulders inside to sleep. I worried about that so when it got to that point I would replace the hut. This happened several times. It never affected her feathers before, but I was wondering if by crawling into the torn hut she was rubbing those feathers too much. So, I just got her a different birdie buddy.
I wondered if she was getting enough full spectrum light on the days I wasn't home so I have one on by her cage during those days. It's been months now and still no red feathers. Otherwise she acts the same except at around the same time all this happened she suddenly developed an obsession with my older granddaughter who is 11. She flies to her constantly and doesn't want to be with me when she's around. My granddaughter doesn't want her on her and doesn't love on her when she with her but she is still obsessed. Then the other night, she decided that one of my other sons was The One. Otherwise she acts normal, loves to be with me and has her usual good appetite. So what's up with the odd behavior and the feather loss? I have never seen her plucking out those feathers. It's been months now and she shows no signs of illness. What should I do?
thanks, Roberta