Timneh grey destroying feathers

Yeah I could do it myself. I’ve got all the papers from the dna to say he is male so I’ve never thought of redoing it until this week.
yeah they do share a cage and have done since 12 weeks old. They’re 13 years now and the hormonal behaviour is so infrequent that at the moment I probably wouldn’t separate because I think that could cause more stress because they get on so well. However, my cage has got a divider I can put in so I’ve got it on standby if I feel I need too.
a diary is a fantastic idea thank you. I think im going to do that as we easily forget don’t we.
yeah not sure what it is to be honest, ever since I got the steamer out on Sunday and double cleaned his cage he’s been a lot lot better. You don’t know how much I appreciate all the advice, ideas and help. X
 
Morning all,

spoke to the vet this morning about potentially taking Alfie for blood work etc. it’s a full day procedure, done on a Thursday and he has to be there by 9am. Not overly helpful as I work and live nearly 2 hours away. Anyho, I’ve provisionally booked him in for 22nd December. Still not sure how I feel about the whole thing and him being sedated etc
He still keeps having moments where he scratches as if something is bothering him. He also seems hungry all the time. Spending ages at the food bowl and dancing whenever I do the slightest rustle of a packet! I’ve given him some Harrison’s this morning , at first he chucked it but then he did sit and eat a few pieces. I’ve still given him a little bit of the food he’s used to. I’ve also put a mineral block in his cage, but in true African grey fashion he’s wary of it. I shall leave it in there this afternoon but remove if I feel it’s distressing.
 
Bless hopefully bloods will come back within parameters and it's just a behavioural thing.
when did you get that gorgeous puppy of yours? It doesn't coincide with you having puppy snuggles does it? A spot of that's my mum your cuddling!
 
Ooh yes maybe @DizzyBlue could have a point re the gorgeous puppy? I've a feeling there is some shananigans going on here relating to who Mum's cuddling. They miss nothing LOL. Have you tried hand feeding him hun, just a little one on one time? I have to make a point of giving Rubes some time to be with me, eat, or she won't some days.
Hormones and appetite = connection ?? Tried the mineral block on the cage outside in the first instance?

My take on the whole day thing is to help the AV surgery hun, poss get billed for a day's stay too? I did although it amounted to just a few hours and they did not feed her!!! Be sure to take some of your food that can be given after the tests hun? For him to be given strange food after is unlikely to go well and no food all day is too long IMHO. Be sure to mention when he last ate to them when you get there as they prefer two hours clear before sedation.
 
Hehe pup is 3 years nearly 4 now. We bought him home in Aug 2019. Birds are in a completely separate room so they don’t see the one on one puppy time!
yeah I did think of the hand feeding last night and I hand fed them all some porridge oats ( made with water) with half a banana mashed in. They all loved it! Lots of beak grinding again at bed time!
alfie had ventured to the mineral block outside the cage which is good!
I know I shouldn’t assume but I just have a feeling it’s not medical. Milo has barbered his feathers since he was about 18 months and he was all checked over and it’s just one of those things. He’s never plucked , just snipped at them which is what Alfie is now doing. Can they learn behaviours from each other!?
 
Sarah-Jane said:
Hehe pup is 3 years nearly 4 now. We bought him home in Aug 2019. Birds are in a completely separate room so they don’t see the one on one puppy time!
yeah I did think of the hand feeding last night and I hand fed them all some porridge oats ( made with water) with half a banana mashed in. They all loved it! Lots of beak grinding again at bed time!
alfie had ventured to the mineral block outside the cage which is good!
I know I shouldn’t assume but I just have a feeling it’s not medical. Milo has barbered his feathers since he was about 18 months and he was all checked over and it’s just one of those things. He’s never plucked , just snipped at them which is what Alfie is now doing. Can they learn behaviours from each other!?
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What a case of he's doing it so I'd better do it too! :thinking::nut:Good gracious, I don't think mine are that clever (I hope) and two are semi naked anyway. Can you fine mist him when he does it? It will take the attention of that particular area and poss divert to whole body grooming?

This is a hard reply BUT I think if you don't feel he is actually 'ill' then I would wait and see what is what in the new year. Obviously anything that related to being unwell then GO! x
 
@plumsmum you always make me feel better. For the last 9 days I have been so torn as to what to do for the best. I would always do 100% what is best for my birds in a heartbeat, but my gut is just telling me at the moment that putting him through all that at the vet is going to cause more stress that good. He’s perfect in every other way, I’m monitoring him very closely and behaviour, appetite , poop all normal. I’m going to keep the appointment as a ‘back up’ and see how it progresses in the next 2 weeks. I may end up cancelling if the changes I am making start taking affect. No feathers on the bottom of the cage today x
 
@Sarah-Jane Hun just a little query, do you weigh them? If not maybe worth starting. Keep some weekly figures whilst this ongoing 'thing' is happening. Some are not easy to weigh, can you teach for treats to step on?
 
Can I just say- I really appreciate you lot and you’re all amazing.
I know I don’t post as regularly as I used to due to other commitments but however long it’s been, whenever I turn up, you lot are there and willing to help.
The thing I love about this forum is everyone will use every bit of expertise they have to suggest a range of different things.
* I fully know and understand that seeking professional medical help from a vet is important if you ever feel your animal is not well*
However, it’s very easy for people to just say vet every time whereas actually, you all suggested so many things .


So a little update, for the last 6 months I have used a humidifier, air purifier, I’ve upped Alfie’s sprays and used a drop of Aloe Vera once a week, he’s got a range of new toys, the room is more ventilated, I’ve upped his out of cage time, he has a UV lamp as well as more natural light and I’ve changed his diet so it’s now heavily Harrison’s ( although this is combined with a mix of other stuff) and once a week I use nutrobol on wet food and we have come so far.
I will post a before picture and a picture from today.

It just goes to show- I’ve had birds for 14 years but I can still ( and I’m always willing) to learn to maximise their care. So thank you for your guidance and advice. It’s really appreciated.
 

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So lovely to see you back @Sarah-Jane and for an update on Alfie, goodness me a difference well done you and of course dear Alfie.
Also thank you for the kind things said re our forum xx
 
Nice work there! It's really not easy to turn a feather plucking habit around that much. Absolutely agree with you @DizzyBlue - Timnehs are great. I remember when imported ones were available very cheaply in pet shops and now here we are with hardly any left in the country. I understand that the species in also very rare in the wild now. An epic fail for aviculture there.
 
So, I don’t know if this is spooky or a little bit amusing ( you have to have a sense of humour with these birds!)

Alfies feathers came back and he looked as handsome as ever ( see photo).
Then, near to the very exact same date as last year, hes done it again!? not nearly as bad to be honest, and I’m not as stressed this time round. Does he just like undressing in November!? :risas3:
it’s really bizarre!
 

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Alfie is cute! 🥰

Hormones may well be something to consider. Apparently our birds are in a state of hormonal activity to a greater or lesser extent all year round according to Pamela Clark. (And Greys breed all year round in the wild I believe.)

I just had a consultation with Pamela and she is confident that the chunks out of Kobe’s flight feathers are FDB rather than, as I thought, something missing in the diet. A lot of FDB is down to hormones. I was told to reduce carbs (seed in particular), get rid of access to small dark places for all the birds. If one is showing hormonal behaviour it spreads through the flock like wildfire. I’m gradually introducing them to chop mixed with sprouts and cooked grains such as kamut; and pellets with the idea of fading out seed (use it as a treat). She recommends Harrisons, Roudybush, NutriBerries and Avicakes. Reducing carbs is more important than fats, although they do need some carbs of course.

Hope that might be of some use. 🙂

Editing to add: reduce/cut out shoulder time too, by teaching the bird to station for a treat of their choice.
 
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