Birds may lose their feathers for various reasons, such as molting, sickness, and plucking.
Having a viral infection or sickness is one thing, but plucking down feathers is also another behavior that should not be allowed among birds.
Have you ever seen your parrot losing feathers and having a bad, tattered appearance because of plucking?
It’s very important you keep an eye out for that
Why?
Parrots may pluck down either their own feathers or other bird companions’ feathers.
Either way, this is a bad behavior.
Your birds will do this due to many possible reasons such as health reasons, environmental factors, stress, or bad diet.
Plucking may cause severe implications like broken skin, injuries, skin infection, and more.
In a worse case scenario, if your parrot gets its skin broken or seriously damaged, feathers might not grow back.
Still, there are still certain ways you can help your parrot to minimize or totally get rid of feather plucking behavior.
Why Is My Parrot Feather Plucking? (4 Possible Reasons)
Once you confirm that your parrot is plucking its feathers or other birds’ feathers, you can seek help from a veterinarian to address the cause and treat possible injuries.
Commonly, feather plucking is a sign of distress and existing environmental problems to your bird.
Here are the possible reasons why your parrot is feather plucking.
1. Sickness
Feather plucking is a form of bad self-care or self-soothing among birds.
They are most likely picking their feathers to soothe themselves because they are not feeling well.
Some birds may also pluck their feathers if they have a viral or parasitic infection, so it would be better to visit your veterinarian.
2. Poor environment
If your parrot is living in an environment with poor condition, it could potentially cause them to feather pluck.
Poor conditions such as low humidity, heat, lack of natural sunlight and fresh air, and bad, dirty cages are common reasons.
3. Poor Lifestyle
Are your parrots gaining enough playtime and interaction with you?
Boredom, lack of activities, and isolation can cause your parrot to feel bored and anxious.
They will naturally pluck their own feathers as a form of entertainment or to relieve themselves.
Have a read of my article – How to keep parrots entertained?
4. Nutrition
If your parrot is not eating healthy and is becoming malnourished, it can also affect their skin.
Having nutritional deficiencies can turn their skin to become flaky and irritating, so your birds might soothe themselves through feather plucking.
How Do I Stop My Parrot From Plucking His Feathers?
Feather plucking can be stopped by consulting your veterinarian.
After all, they would be able to determine the reasons behind why your parrot is plucking its feathers.
Whether it’s because of a poor environment, underlying health reasons, or behavioral problems, they would be able to help you.
It is best, however, to also keep an eye on your parrot.
Check if they are placed and homed in a great and suitable environment.
Make sure they are getting enough attention and nutritious food.
Keeping your parrot as healthy and as happy they can be, the less feather plucking may happen.
Can Feather Plucking Be Stopped?
Do not worry if your parrot is always trying to pluck its own feathers.
They can be stopped if they are treated accordingly.
What you should do first is to figure out what is most likely triggering your bird to feather pluck.
Consulting your veterinarian will certainly help.
If your parrot is suffering from an illness, like infection, then the feather plucking will eventually stop once they recover.
Behavioral and lifestyle concerns can be addressed, and you can also ask your veterinarian regarding food recommendations for your parrot.
How Do You Treat Feather Plucking In Birds?
There are certain ways to treat feather plucking in birds.
The best treatment is to solve the underlying trigger or problem of your parrot.
If the trigger is from their environment, do something with their surroundings and cage.
Same goes with their diet, interaction, and lifestyle.
Still, these are some of the basics you can do to address feather plucking.
1. Minimize the stress
Another possible reason why your parrot is plucking down feathers is because of stress.
Keep an eye on your parrot and try to figure out what is the cause of their distress.
It can be they are seeing stressful or frightening animal or human activity outside, loud noises, and more.
2. Feed them a healthy diet
Malnutrition is also a possible reason.
If your bird is not gaining essential nutrients, its skin may become dry, flaky, and irritating.
Keeping your bird healthy can solve the problem of feather plucking.
3. Entertain or relieve their boredom
Birds can easily get bored, and if they do, they will entertain themselves with feather plucking.
Make sure they are getting enough playtime and interaction with you to relieve their boredom.
Engage with them in various fun bird activities or provide them toys that can give them mental stimulation.
Here’s something cool you can do – 7 funny things to teach your parrot to say
4. Provide them a good environment
Make sure your parrot is living in a comfortable environment.
Clean their cages, give them enough room or space, and make sure the surroundings are getting enough sunlight, fresh air, and are free from hazards.
Wrapping Up
Feather plucking is a sign of distress and poor-conditioned birds.
Your parrot will most likely feather pluck their own or other birds due to poor environmental condition, poor diet, illnesses, and boredom.
Consult your veterinarian to determine the possible underlying conditions and reasons behind their behavior.
It is best to treat feather plucking as soon as possible to ensure that your bird will have no injuries and skin infections.
Make sure you keep an eye on your precious bird and give them the best life they could possibly have!
