On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 11:18:12 +1300, 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.

Intelligent birds can suffer from the same mental illnesses that
humans can. Your bird might be manic-depressive or
obsessive-compulsive - parrots also apparently respond well to the
same antidepressants and tranquilizers as mentally ill humans.

I believe that there actually are bird psychiatrists - maybe you
should ask your vet for a referral?

On the other hand, she might just be lonely for another of her kind.
Or want sex.


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