-> Feather picking is a VERY complex problem, which can be caused by
-> anything from allergies to sexual hormones, to behavior problems, to
-> the bird simply not liking its owners. The FIRST thing you have to do
-> is take your bird to a qualified, knowledgeable avian (bird) vet, and
-> have a total physical exam done, complete with blood work, fecal exam
-> and cultures. You have to rule out physical causes before you can try
-> any other attempts at 'curing' the bird.
->
-> Has she had a thorough physical exam within the last couple months?
-> If not, start there. In the meantime, you can try some distraction
-> toys.
-> Get her some wooden toys that she can chew up, give her a clean
-> (unused) corn husk whiskbroom to preen, clean safe wood branches that
-> she can peel the bark off of, and lots of fresh fruits and veggies to
-> destroy (even if she doesn't eat them). Giving a feather plucker
-> textured items to chew on *may* help keep it from going after the
-> feathers.
->
-> If you don't know of a good place to get bird toys, a local friend of
-> mine has an EXCELLENT line of toys, many of which are designed just
-> for feather pluckers. Call Avian Antics at (313) 782-5270 to request
-> a catalog.
->
-> Once she's had that physical exam, let me know what the vet says. I
-> can probably suggest other things to try after that. Good luck with
-> her!
Thanks for the advice. I'll get her some toys and things to distract her
while I try to find a good vet. The one I was taking her to quit.
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