Start of a plucking boy!

Lauraj

Regular Member
Good afternoon all, i have previously posted about Bo having roughage in his feathers around his neck. It seemed to spread from one side to the other but he seemed to have all his feathers just scruffy looking.

I have come home from work today and the boyfriend has pointed out Bo seems to have developed a bald patch on his neck throughout the day. I have looked and im so upset that he is suffering! I will attach photographs!

I know he needs to see an avian vet and im going to ring the vet tomorrow and get him booked in, just some help in the mean time would be appreciated..
What can i do to help my sweet boy?

He is eating, drinking playing and flying as normal. I don’t know if this is stress or something underlying but he is alone all day tomorrow due to both me and my boyfriend working and im super concerned 😟

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Hi, having been what you are going through the biggest advice and as hard as it is, try not to worry or show you are anxious/stressed to Bo. My grey was feather perfect until the age of 5 then out of the blue out came the feathers. One morning I went to wake him and the cage bottom was covered in feathers and I could have filled a small cushion. To look at him you wouldn't have noticed but it grew from there and worsened because I was worrying so much. I tried so hard to give him the perfect life, all the toys I could afford, all my time before and after work, etc etc. They are just super sensitive little guys and it didn't mean he is unhappy, it's a bit like us with nail biting, once it's starts it's a hard habit to break. My little guy still plucks 6yrs later but he is happy and well cared for and that's the main thing. Like me you have probably given him too much attention because you are really worried and he's cottoned on that he is getting lots more attention by what he's done. I really feel for you but try not to worry, plucked or not, he's still your Bo and is living his best life x
 
Looking at the feather snips it's over preening that's escalated
I own a nudist as you all know no feathers and unable to fly when she came here. On the upside she actually does have tail feathers these days when she arrived she had a couple quill sticks. I have to accept her as she is and not try to stop her if I do it when she had a collar put on her it escalated to insanity levels.
 
Skin looks a little dry and sore poor poppet I would be tempted to up the humidity in the house once the skin cracks then you end up with open fissures that allow little nasties to get in and cause infection.
I would say avian vet can rule out stuff and give correct guidance :thumbsup:
Bo is a snoggie monster :feel_loved::heart1::feel_loved:
 
Skin looks a little dry and sore poor poppet I would be tempted to up the humidity in the house once the skin cracks then you end up with open fissures that allow little nasties to get in and cause infection.
I would say avian vet can rule out stuff and give correct guidance :thumbsup:
Bo is a snoggie monster :feel_loved::heart1::feel_loved:

Thank you!
To be fair, i have had itchy eyes over the last couple of weeks and put it down to hay fever but it could be no moisture in the air in the house.
Would any humidifier be good to up the humidity?

He is super snuggly, he’s lovely and loves to cuddle🥰
 
Also the humidifier should i get a cool mist or would i need a warm mist? Having a google and going to get one for next day delivery 🙂
 
My Grumpy does this a bit at this time of year - when she moults she gets a bit picky and over-preens somewhat. It usually passes and she's immaculate most of the time. Unfortunately for her she's a very intelligent parrot and so boredom is a constant threat for her, even though she's in an aviary with lots of enrichment and her friend Clayton. So the task for you is to do everything you can to stop this escalating into a more serious habit. As per the advice above, stay positive and keep giving him the great care you do already - plus extra humidity and maybe more things to chew up, puzzle toys etc. Unfortunately greys weren't made to be alone, so it's a huge challenge keeping them happy if they don't have a flock.
 
Just thought i will mention there has been a increase in cases of red mite in a few areas this may not be the cause but it may be worth while checking with your vet, i think the hot weather last week has made them breed with vengeance.
 
Thank you all for your replies.
Bo is in the vets on Monday to see the avian vet, we had to wait due to him been on holiday.
I have taken all advice on board and made massive changes instantly, even down to not allowing my stress to come out when im around him.

He is so happy in himself, dancing, singing, flying and making a mess 😂
 
Oli Fry you are right, they absolutely do!
Luckily he is super loved and i think he knows so too. His cheeky character has not changed, he is aware of our camera in our house and i was upstairs and heard ‘mum, helllooooo’. Checked the camera and saw this!

Young chap was staring into the camera 😂😂

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Hello all!

I wanted to say thank you to everybody and their suggestions, i have followed all advice and so far so good!
Bo has paid so much less interest in his neck area, he is preening as normal but doesn’t seem over focused on his neck. I have upped his spray downs to daily now just in case that is adding to his itchy skin, we have also tried to up the humidity.. fingers crossed we keep going in this direction 🤞🏻

Mums dog has spent the last two days at my house, a few hours each day and this seems to have been a great distraction to him. He has sat watching the dog mesmerised and will whistle her, shout her and the poor dog doesn’t know if she is coming or going 😂 at least she has given him a distraction.

Got him a preening style toy too which i have noticed he goes to rather than pulling his feathers, got him a toy with loads of knots in and he is spending ages trying to undo the knots and get all the wood off.

I really appreciate all the help and support we get from this forum, thank you all!❤️
 
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