Bucky is Plucking.

It started about two weeks ago, right around the time we started him on the meds for his wormies. We cant remember if he was pulling before we dosed him or if it started right after, but it was within two days of his starting dose, and was at it's worst on the second day after we gave him the meds. He's been going at it the most under his wings. It started with just down feathers, but about four days ago I noticed he'd started pulling green feathers as well.

He's out of his cage almost all the time. The only time he's actually locked in is at night, the rest of the time he's out and roaming on top and along "cage row" (the three cages are in a row along one wall in the living room). He's rarely alone, either I'm here or my daughter (his chosen one) is here. My daughter takes him for a car ride every day/every other day and he's always loved that.

I can't think of anything that happened around that time except the medicine - and the trip to the vet's office that preceded it.
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So here we are now. I gave him his second dose of meds Tuesday, and Wednesday was almost constant plucking. Every time he pulled a feather out, he yelped. It was awful. It's causing my daughter tremendous stress even though I've told her she's got to relax because HER stress causes HIM stress. I'd been taking the attitude of "watchful waiting," thinking that if it was associated with the meds it would decrease over time and increase with the second dose. I'm not sure I saw a tremendous decrease, but I saw a definite increase. We've been keeping his cage filled with strings a paper he loves to shred, but Wednesday it made no difference. He wanted to pull feathers. He'd be sitting on the chair next to me, and pull feathers while I was talking to him and rubbing his neck. I felt I really had no choice but to put a collar on him. So now my poor Bucky is collared. I put it on last night and he's become somewhat depressed. He's not eating much, but I did mix up some hand-feeding formula that he LOVES and he's eating some of that. He's not vocalizing, he's not playing, he's not moving around much (he is a little) ... but he's not plucking his feathers either. I've ordered some Roudybush rice food incase he's developed an allergy, and have seen an ad for something called N0-pluck, or pluck-no-more, or something like that. It's by King's and is supposed to be a homeopathic remedy for plucking. I was curious if anyone had tried it.

I'm going to make an appointment for him to see the doc next week, but in the mean-time, what experiences have y'all had with your babies plucking? What remedies have you tried that worked?

I'm at my wit's end. And quite honestly, as much as I think I'm going to like my new vet, right now I have more faith in the combined experience of this group of owners than I have in him. Granted, he has training, the ability to lay "eyes-on" and "hands-on," do lab tests, and blah blah blah, but he doesn't own birds.
Besides, I've known you guys longer than I've known him.

So, bottom line: I need your help. Again.
Thanks!

Oh poor Bucky in a collar.i know he's sad, i wish i could help but i don't have much history with the plucking thing,thank goodness.Maybe it's the meds or the worms,does he stratch at all ,like maybe mites?Is the A/C on and the humidity lower? Does misting him help? Wish i could help,i know it worries you and your daughter.Does still do it when daughter is playing with him?

He doesn't do it near as much when LilBit is playing with him, but he does do it. As for the AC, we turned it on for the first time this season today, and rather than the AC y'all use in the south where it's humid, we use an evaporative cooler which actually adds humidity to the air (hence its aka, "swamp cooler"). And I don't think that dry air is the problem because we've been really humid here up until about 2 or three days ago. Misting helps, well... soaking helps temporarily until he's dry. Then he starts up again. And scratching? Not that I've noticed. JJ scratches her head all the time (she's got new feathers worming their way in), but I've never noticed Bucky doing it at all.

Thanks for asking the questions, I hope everyone does. I don't remember what I've done and what I've not done, or what I've read about what contributes and what doesn't. As I go through this, and GET through this (and I will!), I think I'll write something up about 1) Roundworms and 2) Plucking. At the very least, it might give other people a place to start if they run into the same thing.

Oh poor Plucky Bucky I have no advice. Just wanted to add my sympathy.

^ Samesies.. Sorry to hear

Julsiebean wrote:

Oh poor Plucky Bucky I have no advice. Just wanted to add my sympathy.

GlassOnion wrote:

^ Samesies.. Sorry to hear

Thanks guys, y'all are 's

Um - Don't know if this has any correlation to birds at all - When I got my horses I was told they were regularly wormed, but I really believe they hadn't been wormed in years. When I wormed them, one of them got weepy sores on his face and he was itchy. Turns out it was mass die off of worms near the skin's surface causing irritation (microfilaria). His face and itching cleared up a few weeks later. His face reacted the same way, but milder the next time I wormed; and after the 3rd or 4th worming he no longer has any irritation.

Maybe ask the vet if something like that happens to birds?

WEEELLL now, that's really interesting! I've never heard of that before, but I will be SURE to ask the about it because it could totally correlate with what I'm seeing...

If only we had Birdvet here to consult with...

Looks like we need a ninja. . .

hey Roz you aren't foolin us high fulution types, we know your "stirrrin the pot"

henpecked wrote:

hey Roz you aren't foolin us high fulution types, we know your "stirrrin the pot"

I might have done a little bit of myself ... but we'll never know for sure, will we?

My bird plucks a little too, under his wings. It also started with the down feathers and now he plucks to the skin under his wing. He is fully flighted and out a lot. He had the best diet, no meds, I use the lights, he has more toys than you can imagine, I rotate them, he chews them. He started plucking around his neck a bit you can't see it but when I preen him I can feel it. He bathes every other day......I too am frustrated. But.....my sister in law had a moluccan and used the collar,I am not a big fan but then again bald birds are less appealing. If you find the magic cure let us all know. I have actually tried limiting his time out of his cage and I have noticed his neck feathers are regrowing.......I'll keep you posted!

Vicki5280, I found out Pluck No More. I have no idea if there is real product, or some bul...., but maybe worth to check it...

You should check out avianfashions.com they have feather protectors that allow regrowth. Ive had a few friends who had birds that plucked and they used the feather protectors and saw regrowth within a few weeks. It basically looks like a tank top for birds. I noticed that the birds would chew the protector which would give the complusive satisfaction and prevent the bird from becoming entirely naked.

Or my world famous Fashion Sock!
http://staringatbirdsandgoats.blogspot.com/2011/03/bird-tip-sock-sweater-for-feather.html

He could be plucking because he's having a reaction to the medications. Though, I'm not sure if that's common in birds.

Honestly, that's the way it looks - like a reaction to the medication. Whether it's a reaction to the meds or the meds are just making him not feel well and this is how he reacts to not feeling well, the behavior is secondary to the meds.

I feel terrible for him, he looks soooo miserable. He keeps stretching his neck and trying to get his head down so he can chew on the collar. He can't even do appropriate preening which drives him crazier. The collar seems to constrict part of his crop so he's not able to eat as much as he usually does, so he's having to eat allllll daaayyyyy looonnnggggg..... and eating with the collar on is hard for him.

All in all, he's an unhappy little guy... and I'm a sad mom. I just wish I could make it all better for him.

I was going to suggest the same thing Roz did. I hope he stops plucking when the medicine and worms have cleared his system... my husband has a dread fear of plucking and as a consequence so do I. It seems like the functional equivalent of cribbing in horses.

Scooter is molting still and he dropped 4 large feathers during the time I was at work yesterday! 3 tails and a flight! It made me very nervous for a few minutes, although I don't think they tend to pluck those.