Feather plucking, also known as feather picking, is quite common in pet birds. Some birds excessively chew their feathers enough to damage them, while others resort to plucking their feathers out. Severe feather plucking in birds can result in permanent damage to the follicles, so the feathers don’t grow back. In the most extreme cases, birds will self-mutilate, causing bleeding, open lesions, and infection.
The reasons for feather picking are often complex and not simple to resolve. Although these destructive behaviors can be caused by a physical health condition, in the majority of cases the bird plucks feathers for emotional or psychological reasons. Here’s what you need to know about the potential causes and solutions to feather plucking in birds.
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What causes feather plucking in birds?
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Feather plucking can be caused by anything that leads to physical distress or discomfort in a bird, as well as negative emotional states like fear, anxiety, boredom, depression, loneliness, and a sense of loss. Because parrots are such highly intelligent and sensitive creatures who experience a wide range of emotions, they can be very prone to stress. The stress that causes them to begin to pluck their feathers can originate from many sources. But note that every bird is different, so what causes stress in one bird might not in another.
Simply being in captivity can be a major cause of stress for birds. To better understand the effects of captivity, consider how they live in the wild. (Also remember that parrots bred in captivity are still wild, undomesticated animals with many of their natural instincts intact.) In the wild, parrots are extremely active. They live in flocks; fly many miles each day; and spend hours foraging for a variety of foods, socializing and communicating with their flock, and nesting and raising their young.
Most parrots in captivity have a very different life. They don’t fly back and forth from a nest. Instead, a cage becomes their safe space. They don’t exercise to the level of wild parrots, as companionship, security, and resources are provided for them. And often, they don’t live in groups of the same species; instead, some might live with species native to regions on the opposite side of the world.
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Moreover, most captive birds haven’t lived out in the wild. So even though they have the same natural instincts as their wild counterparts, they have no equivalent outlets to express those instincts. As a result, neurotic behaviors (e.g., pacing, twitching, excessive screaming, biting, feather destruction, and self-mutilation) can result.
Besides captivity in general, the following are some other factors that can cause feather plucking in birds.
Conditions in the home
- A home where someone doesn’t like the bird, even if this person is not actively unkind
- A home where there is stress or discord
- A home environment that is noisy, frantic, or unpredictable (e.g., with many visitors, many children, many other animals, or a TV or loud music blaring)
- A home where there is cigarette smoke or other pollutants
- A home that is a public place, such as a veterinary office or other place of business
Physical distress
- From improper or severe wing clipping — wings that are cut too close to the feather shaft can result in discomfort when the cut tips rub against the bird’s body, causing the bird to chew and pull until they remove the stub
- From being removed from their parents and subjected to the rigors of transport at too young an age
- From being passed around from home to home
- From the stress of hand-feeding when done by inexperienced people
- From not enough hours of rest, not being able to bathe, or not being misted
Fear
- Feeling threatened by a pet, child, or person who reminds the bird of someone who was unkind in the past
- Being afraid of an object or an animal (e.g., a grandfather clock with a loud gong, loud or violent programming on TV, or a cat who jumps up toward the parrot’s cage)
Physical environment
- Objects located directly overhead or higher than the bird
- A nearby cage where there is a larger or more aggressive bird
- Placement of another bird’s cage so that the other bird is higher
- A cage placed too low near the floor
- An environment where there is too much or too little humidity, too little natural light, incorrect lighting, or lighting that is too bright at night (try a very dim night light)
- Traffic noise or too much activity taking place nearby
Loss and grief
- Loss of a mate or a friend (whether the friend is a bird, a human, a dog, etc.)
- Loss of something that has been familiar over a long time: a cage, a favorite toy (usually this is a factor along with other causes), or a view out the window
Any other significant change
- Relocation of the bird’s cage, being relegated to a back room, or being placed in a room with too much noise or activity
- Changes in the family situation (e.g., moving, divorce, or grown children going away or moving back home)
- Changes in the bird’s environment, such as erratic room temperature changes
Consulting an avian veterinarian
A bird who already has a pattern of feather plucking, or who begins to excessively chew or pluck their feathers, should be seen by an avian veterinarian right away to determine whether any health, dietary, or environmental factors are contributing to the problem. Although feather plucking is not necessarily a sign that a bird is ill, your first priority is to rule out illness or disease as a cause of the condition. Some birds will attempt to self-soothe bodily ailments by feather picking.
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Category: WHY
