Conure Plucking

Jazzy Bird

Jazzy Bird

Regular Member
Our conure, Gus, who we have had about four years now, has bald spots from plucking/grooming. The feathers that are missing, I think are the “down” feathers. Spots are on his back, chest and near his rear end. No changes to diet and no other changes in environment. Not sure what’s going on, but wondered if relates to dry air since we don’t have humidifier, or maybe bc changes in what is inside his cage. I changed cage and removed items I had added to see if that helps. Have vet appt 12/16. Any feedback is appreciated!
 
Hi hun re dry air you can put out bowls of water in his room, I needed to do this last winter. So his cage is back to how it was before the plucking? Good re AV appointment, they will do a raft of tests I expect as little to go on atm. You can offer a bath or spray from above with a clean spray bottle.

How has Gus reacted to changes in the past hun? Sometimes it is quite a small thing that upsets them. No changes to yourself, nail polish, hair/colouring?
 
@Jazzy Bird good to see you online :wave: been a while
Have you turned the heating on?
Other thought would be...how old could it be kicking in of hormonal behaviour?
 
Oh gosh sorry to hear that… we had plucking incident with Blu and it was deemed hormonal, it was her first breeding season as mature hen… we did lots of environmental changes and changed way we interact with her, we did ask vet about using pluck no more and some natural remedies (chamomile, mint, hormonal bliss tea etc) and he didn’t mind even helped us to come up with plan what when and how… Blu is not great with showering when she is hormonal so we often take her to have shower with us which mostly means sitting in steamy bathroom, we do of course make sure water is not too hot in case she would decide to join in… Hope it goes well at vets and you can get to the bottom of it
 
plumsmum said:
Hi hun re dry air you can put out bowls of water in his room, I needed to do this last winter. So his cage is back to how it was before the plucking? Good re AV appointment, they will do a raft of tests I expect as little to go on atm. You can offer a bath or spray from above with a clean spray bottle.

How has Gus reacted to changes in the past hun? Sometimes it is quite a small thing that upsets them. No changes to yourself, nail polish, hair/colouring?
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply. Just a bowl of water? Not boiled or anything? And yes, I removed a hanging toy I had put in a corner he was hanging in, and pooping, sometimes in one of his bowls. I put the toy there to block him. Then I put a rope back in there. I took out the snuggle hut. He had one of those and it broke. Then we bought others that were too small. I finally got one that fit him but idk if he ever got in it. It has little colour designs on it whereas the one he used to have and slept in, was a solid colour. He’s a really good bird. I haven’t noticed any behaviors of concern before this, no matter what changes.

Another change is that since the first of November, my husband and I are home much more.
 
DizzyBlue said:
@Jazzy Bird good to see you online :wave: been a while
Have you turned the heating on?
Other thought would be...how old could it be kicking in of hormonal behaviour?
Click to expand...
Thank you! Yes, it’s been a while. I appreciate your reply. We have had the heat on for a while now, about 3-4 weeks. We change filter monthly. We’ve never had a humidifier for furnace. He is 25 years old, as is our cockatoo.
 
Wera said:
Oh gosh sorry to hear that… we had plucking incident with Blu and it was deemed hormonal, it was her first breeding season as mature hen… we did lots of environmental changes and changed way we interact with her, we did ask vet about using pluck no more and some natural remedies (chamomile, mint, hormonal bliss tea etc) and he didn’t mind even helped us to come up with plan what when and how… Blu is not great with showering when she is hormonal so we often take her to have shower with us which mostly means sitting in steamy bathroom, we do of course make sure water is not too hot in case she would decide to join in… Hope it goes well at vets and you can get to the bottom of it
Click to expand...
Gus is pretty good about taking baths on his own. I have put him in shower a couple times recently to see if that would help. He still seems to be fastidiously plucking. What behaviors do conures exhibit when hormonal? He’s never been DNA tested. Is there a sure way besides that, to tell what the sex of s Conure is?
 
plumsmum said:
Hi hun re dry air you can put out bowls of water in his room, I needed to do this last winter. So his cage is back to how it was before the plucking? Good re AV appointment, they will do a raft of tests I expect as little to go on atm. You can offer a bath or spray from above with a clean spray bottle.

How has Gus reacted to changes in the past hun? Sometimes it is quite a small thing that upsets them. No changes to yourself, nail polish, hair/colouring?
Click to expand...
And no changes for me personally, appearance wise, clothing etc.
 
Hen birds in my experience seem more prone to plucking when they get frustrated want to nest and lay eggs :noidea: none of my males pluck but a couple of my hens do when they start getting broody.
Lots of people try to stop their birds laying me I let mine get on with it and get the hormones out of their system. They lay they brood they give up when nothing is developing and then normal service is resumed. My logic is .... It's natural.
@Jazzy Bird
 
Conures generally need humidity around them. These are South American species, so they come from areas that have high moisture content in the air (but some species come from very dry environments, so some research is need on your species to see what there habitat consists of).

You can achieve moisture in the air by using a humidifier, bowl of water around the cage area or a light spray of water on a daily basis, and a good soaking of feathers at least once or twice a week. Be careful not to let humidity get out of control if using a humidifier as it can lead to mold in the home if the air moisture content gets to high.
 
Hello!
I feel for you so much! I went through this randomally last year with one of mine.
I got a humidifier and put that in his room, I sprayed him every day and I bought him lots of chewing toys to destroy to keep him busy. It worked and by the spring his feathers came back. Now, he’s doing it again although not as bad and I’ve come to the conclusion it’s the heating
 
I agree ref heating. Bebe who is already a nudist had finally calmed down with the excessive plucking. We have a humidifier etc.... But the heating has gone on recently, and although their room is on the very lowest setting and kept pleasantly cool as per the vets recommendations due to the skin/feather/behaviour issues, I've been finding small groups of ripped out pins where she's been sitting. :(
 
DizzyBlue said:
Hen birds in my experience seem more prone to plucking when they get frustrated want to nest and lay eggs :noidea: none of my males pluck but a couple of my hens do when they start getting broody.
Lots of people try to stop their birds laying me I let mine get on with it and get the hormones out of their system. They lay they brood they give up when nothing is developing and then normal service is resumed. My logic is .... It's natural.
@Jazzy Bird
Click to expand...
Ok gotcha. Makes sense. Our confirmed female cockatoo has never plucked but has been hormonal and laid eggs. No eggs in a year or so.
 
Sarah-Jane said:
Hello!
I feel for you so much! I went through this randomally last year with one of mine.
I got a humidifier and put that in his room, I sprayed him every day and I bought him lots of chewing toys to destroy to keep him busy. It worked and by the spring his feathers came back. Now, he’s doing it again although not as bad and I’ve come to the conclusion it’s the heating
Click to expand...
Thanks! We got a humidifier. I was concerned about using tap water in it. Is that okay?
 
MJGB - MikeJenGaryBeckyBoo said:
I agree ref heating. Bebe who is already a nudist had finally calmed down with the excessive plucking. We have a humidifier etc.... But the heating has gone on recently, and although their room is on the very lowest setting and kept pleasantly cool as per the vets recommendations due to the skin/feather/behaviour issues, I've been finding small groups of ripped out pins where she's been sitting. :(
Click to expand...
Thank you! We boiled water for a couple days, a few times a day, and put in their room. Got humidifier but wasn’t sure if it was an issue that my husband put tap and not distilled water in it. Does it matter?
 
DanAndMarley said:
Conures generally need humidity around them. These are South American species, so they come from areas that have high moisture content in the air (but some species come from very dry environments, so some research is need on your species to see what there habitat consists of).

You can achieve moisture in the air by using a humidifier, bowl of water around the cage area or a light spray of water on a daily basis, and a good soaking of feathers at least once or twice a week. Be careful not to let humidity get out of control if using a humidifier as it can lead to mold in the home if the air moisture content gets to high.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Appreciate the heads up, re: humidifier. Gus is a cherry head Conure. Haven’t noticed if plucking is better. Hard to tell what’s what at times, bc it’s normal for them to groom.
 
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