Lee wrote:
> Hi all.
>
> I'm sure this has probably been asked several times before, but I have
> done a search of this newsgroup and didn't come up with anything.
>
> I have a maroon bellied conure which strips her feathers from her
> legs, back, and belly (basically wherever she could reach). I've
> considered the idea of nutrition, the fact that it may be a normal female
> thing to do at some point in their maturity etc, but it seems to have
> become habit now and there's actually no real point to it that I can see.
>
> There's plenty for them to do in the cage, she's a happy bird, loves me,
> and seems to have no other reason to pluck other than it's something to do
> (despite that there is plenty to occupy them already - toys, food treats
> etc). She's not eating the feathers (just pulls and drops them), so there
> doesn't seem to be a deficiency issue.
>
> Any ideas anyone? Thanks in advance.


Feather plucking can be very difficult to deal with. The first thing I
would do is have the bird checked by  a Veterinarian to rule out any
possible medical conditions.  My U2 was plucking some feathers out and
was acting very agitated when she did this. We also noticed she had bad
breath. A trip to the Vet determined she had a yeast infection. With
treatment she stopped almost all plucking. I think it can become a bad
habit and be very difficult to stop. The following sites have some
interesting reading.
http://www.quakerparrots.com/qms/pluckingarticle.htm
http://www.featherpicking.com/
Debbie, Dusty(CAG) and Casperella(U2)


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