Feather picking or over preening is a common concern among pet bird owners. There are so many reasons for this troubling behavior.
Preening feathers is a normal behavior. Molting is normal. However, if you see that your bird is dropping a lot of feathers or is picking out a lot of feathers leading to bare spots or asymmetry, this is a problem. If you're concerned or even unsure about your bird's feather picking behavior, call your veterinarian.
COMMON CAUSES OF FEATHER PICKING IN PET BIRDS
NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES - Birds need Vitamin A and protein to maintain healthy skin and feathers. If your bird's diet is all seed, you should consider introducing pellet bird food, which has all the vitamins and nutrients your pet bird requires. Learn more about bird diet and nutrition here:
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INFECTION - Excessive feather picking may be caused by bacterial, fungal, or viral infection.
BEHAVIORAL ISSUES - Sometimes over preening is brought on by boredom. If your bird doesn't have toys to keep it occupied in its cage, it can turn to picking feathers. Be sure your bird has ample stimulation in its cage, including toys and occasional bird treats and foods that encourage foraging around for their favorite bits.
STRESS - Feather picking can be a sign of anxiety. Have there been environmental changes?
A new baby, new pet, new furniture, new home, new cage, new noises, new people, change of schedule? Sometimes even a change that feels small to you could be upsetting your pet bird.
SEXUAL FRUSTRATION - Imagine being locked up all alone at the height of puberty! Sometimes hormone levels change as your bird matures. This can be addressed with hormonal treatments.
Keep notes about when the behavior takes place, anything that seems to trigger the behavior, and any changes that could have taken place.
Try not to reinforce the behavior - even scolding can be seen as reinforcement (negative attention is still attention!).
Again, if you notice over preening, talk to your avian veterinarian ASAP so they can help you get to the bottom of this.
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