Hi I have a small quaker parrot and she has been chewing into her skins under the wings and neck any sugestion

she is approximately 7 years old. Come from a bad home but is ok. However she has been chewing and plucking her feathers so much that at the pit under her wings the bone is visible and although it is not bleeding profusely you can still see the blood. Also just noticed today that under her neck she has a really bad spot much worse than the wings... We haven't had her long and are really just getting to where she lets us move her around comfortably to find and look at these spots any ideas to make her stop plucking her feathers. We think her skin is just dry is there anything that we can use to make her not want to pluck anymore and give the wounds time to heal. Thank you for all your help, Trey
Hi I have a small quaker parrot and she has been chewing into her skins under the wings and neck any sugestion
There are four possibilities: Behavioral Plucking, the most common reason, can be remedied with a lot of intervention. This involves out-of-cage time, a varied and balanced diet, a lot of socialization, and plenty of toys. One-on-one time is one of the best things you can do for your new friend.


A less common answer is giardiasis, an intestinal protozoan parasite that causes pruritis (severe itching of the undamaged skin). A great toy/treat is willow twigs which contain lignine, an amino acid that inhibits plucking. Make certain the bird has occasional baths and plenty of time to dry completely in a warm place.


One more avenue to explore is maturity. The onset of sexual maturity (even in the most secure bird) can result in sexual frustration due to hormone flux. If this is the case, interrupt the plucking so it does not become a bad behavioral habit.


Mites is the fourth possibility. These are easy to control and eradicate. Limit your bird's access to other birds. Allow a lot of baths. Keep the cage and nest area very clean. If you keep it pristine, you will keep your bird Deranyssus gallinae- free. (I put this possibility last because it is least likely.)
Hi I have a small quaker parrot and she has been chewing into her skins under the wings and neck any sugestion
Well, it sounds like the bird has mites and/or a behavioral problem. I reccomend finding a qualified veterinarian as soon as humanly possible to try and treat this problem before it gets even worse. Try and keep her in a quiet place for now, but pay attention to her and try to keep her busy and her mind off of plucking. Also something like music or tv might help distract her. Feathered Phonics is a good thing too, teaches birds to talk. Also birdchannel.com may help or the magazine BIRDTALK could help. Contact me if you have any more questions.
Reply:This is an urgent situation. Email me at my photo and we can talk more. I have Quakers.





First how long have you had her? Do you have other birds? This is likely nutritional. With the skin broken and a bone showing you need to get some providone iodine solution from WalMart and dab it on the wound. Buy some cod liver oil capsules and snip one open and spread over whatever she eats. She needs to be eating lots of broccoli, carrots, scrambled egg, etc, to regain her health.





Some here will say Take Her to A VET. You can spend a couple hundred dollars there on tests, etc, that will likely not help at all. Also get a cuttle bone and scrape it onto her food to give her some calcium. You can introduce a warm mist of water to her. If she is fearful just one or two





This dear bird is not okay but with good care and good food


she will be a wonderful companion to you for many years.
Reply:Birds who pluck under the wings and around the neck and vent could have giardia. My lory has had it and treated of it. The problem is testing for it. It dosen't show up in tests that well. You need a three day test. You can look on line buy typing in Giardia bird test kit. A vet tests a quick one and misses more than finds it because the germ dosen't show in every poop sample. There are also other germs that can do this. But mites are rare unless the bird is kept outside.
Reply:I have a Quaker (also and African Grey and a Parakeet) she plucks her feathers out. Took her to the Vet and he said they (this species of bird) pluck for many reasons. Boredom, jealousy (they are very territorial) smoke, etc. He suggested that I either make (or buy from him) a cone. Just like what they put on dogs. I made hers out of the plastic from a milk carton. It really does keep her from plucking. You do have to pay attention to the bird to find the cause. They get stressed out just like people and do crazy things. Because the bird has hurt itself, you really do need to take it to the vet! They can die if not treated!
Reply:The first thing you should do is to take her to a good avian veterinarian. Call the vets in your area and see who they recommend and check out the AAV website. http://www.aav.org/





This is a medical problem and should be handled by someone who is qualified to make a diagnosis. It may be something simple that can be treated with medication or it may be something very complicated. I expect that a vet would draw blood, do a biopsy and take cultures. If these do not yield any results the vet might suggests x-rays.The symptoms you describe may have many causes, such as giardia, a tumor or a bacterial dermatitis to name a few possibilities, therefore a proper diagnosis is important and treatment cannot begin without knowing the cause of the problem.
Reply:Hi Reenee N has the answer. but its usually a few things that cause it bored ..bad diet..find out what other owner fed bird..but main reason is if has been deserted by other owner and it knows it these birds get very attached to it owners so find someone in your house it will tolerate and let them feed the bird give it baths and let it out for fly around it will get better.. have you sent lots on vet bills yet and have lots of creams and things for the bird and all it wants is its old place back and a cage it knows and a regular daily love and lots of it...allan