Why does Jordan the Grey Pluck???????

So what do we have here???? Earlier on this site, Jordan the Grey was introduced….a 15 year old female African Grey, who sadly started to pluck when she was 10 years old and never stopped, and some feather follicles surely have been permanently damaged.

So why does an African Grey pluck? Again there are a number of reasons African greys pluck, or for that matter, any bird that plucks. I thought to research this a little bit this morning and this is what I came up with.

Plucking is not an easy cut and dry answer and one has to be really focused on all possible causes a bird maybe plucking. Catching the cause earlier is much easier than trying to stop a bird who has plucked for over 5 years, but I still wanted to research causes and remedies further.

Greys are known to be very intelligent birds and this higher degree of intelligence, along with improper socialization or understanding their intellectual needs often leads to neurotic behavior resulting in plucking. Sometimes plucking is caused by environmental problems and are easier to address.

Improper diet, or imbalance can be a cause of plucking. Some birds have allergic reactions to some seeds or seeds contaminated with mycotoxins. Peanuts can be contaminated with mycotoxins. If nuts are not removed from the diet, I have read feeding a Planter’s type mix maybe be better. Some nuts are with bacterial or fungal growth when they are opened.

Changing a bird’s diet from seed to pellets without chemical preservatives or colors may help since some birds as humans are allergic to dyes and preservatives.

Zinc or lead poisoning can also be a cause for a bird to pluck and cages should be checked for peeling paint and stainless steel cages or links are safer. Having the bird checked by a vet will let the owner know if zinc poisoning is involved.

Dryness in the air is not good for a grey. A grey needs some humidity and spraying the bird in the summer and maintaining some humidity in the winter months maybe helpful.

Bathing a grey is important and helps if a grey has itching or has new feathers emerging, which could result in plucking. Aloe Vera gel or juice is safe and non toxic. Filling a spray bottle with four parts water, (do not use cold water on a bare skinned bird), with one part Aloe Vera. Strength of the solution can be changed as one sees fit for the bird.

Psychological issues resulting in plucking are sometimes more difficult to work with since greys being so intelligent often internalize these events and become self destructive. This is where the grey often becomes very stressed and neurotic. I have read various ways to alleviate this stress and hopefully the grey will explore other ways to develop self confidence.

Stress can be a result of being in an environment not comfortable to the grey such as loud children, banging on the cage, being in the presence of other birds or non familiar humans, out of cage time reduced, toys in cage being moved or added and a multitude of other reasons.

I know Jordan, the grey here was a perfectly feathered bird until she was ten years old, and the owner developed severe allergies to her dander and this resulted in Jordan not being able to be out of her cage and socialized with the owner as much and this resulted in the bird being in the cage for 5 years and less handled.. Sadly the owner sold her to me, and she is a very happy, talking grey, but still plucks some and some of her feather follicles are permanently destroyed. Jordan ended up being bored for five years, resulting in her plucking. Her environment changed and even though still loved and in the house, she was stressed.

A grey needs stimulation and even though owners have to leave the house or bird left alone, the grey can be provided with other forms of stimulation. Jordan loves to shred paper and I will give her empty toilet paper tubes to shred and sometimes slip rolled up paper inside the tube and this provides her hours of activity. There was a time her perch was too close to a kitchen roll of paper towels and she had fun with that until I discovered what was going on. She was a happy bird shredding white paper toweling and making a mess onto the floor, but I thought there was a limit to what stimulation was provided. I gave her something else to chew. Sometimes thick leather laces will provide the needed beak activity ensuring this activity is not drawn to plucking themselves.

Foods are always stimulation and I give Jordan different foods each day, where she has to use her feet and have very different tactile stimulations, bananas, oranges, salad greens. Different foods can be skewered together. I read a bunch of carrots or a head of celery may keep a grey occupied a long time.

Regardless of the reason any grey or bird is plucking, it is the owners responsibility to seek out professional help first to rule out any problems that can be identified. If the problem can not be identified immediately, then trying out some of the different ideas here maybe would help. There is a multitude of information and ideas out on the internet that one can use for their own bird.

Some birds never stop plucking, and some birds have permanently destroyed their feather follicles, but knowing and using some of the stimulation activities listed will provide the grey with a less stressful or bored existence.

smiles : )

Technorati : African grey, bird, feathers, lead poisoning, mycotoxins, parrot, plucking, zinc poisoning