Feather-Picking Problem Behavior
In captivity, a plucking dame can be a bless of veterinary or environmental problems. It is besides known as feather-picking. You might note your parrot chewing its feathers or going adenine far as damaging its own hide. Parrots can besides pick at the feathers of their early dame companions. You will normally see the damage to feathers on the breast and neck, which are easiest to reach with the peck.
Reading: Why Do Birds Pluck Their Feathers?
If you suspect that your bird has been plucking its feathers, the best advice is to get your dame to an avian vet deoxyadenosine monophosphate quickly as possible. If the vet determines your shuttlecock to be detached of psittacine beak and feather disease ( PBFD ) or early medical problems, then your bird ‘s pick is most likely due to an environmental consequence .
Causes
Birds that are stressed will pluck as a mean of pacifying themselves, and sometimes do it out of boredom or lack of interaction. There can be aesculapian causes due to diet, toxic exposures, and infections. Your veterinarian is likely to ask questions to try to get to the beginning of the problem, angstrom well as doing a physical examination and lab tests.
To determine if there is an environmental cause for the bird ‘s behavior, ask yourself the follow questions :
- Does the bird eat a healthy diet? A nutritional deficiency can stress a bird to the point of plucking and other self-mutilation. If you find that your bird’s diet is less than spectacular, try mixing it up a bit by adding some fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. If you have only been giving your bird a seed diet, it may be lacking in nutrition.
- Is the bird’s cage clean and comfortable? Birds are hygienic animals by nature, and a dirty, unkempt cage is detrimental to their mental as well as physical health. Check out your bird’s cage to see if better housekeeping is needed.
- Does the bird get enough attention and mental stimulation? Parrots are highly intelligent and social creatures. They crave interaction with their flock members, and will sometimes pluck if they feel neglected. Evaluate the quality time that you spend with your pet and make sure that you are providing your bird with enough socialization, interaction, and play.
- Does your bird get enough sleep? Birds need more sleep than humans and prefer a consistent sleep schedule. Your bird may need its own dark, quiet room to ensure it gets enough rest.
- Have there been recent changes in your household? If something has changed it can induce stress. This could include a move, a change in household members or pets, or a different schedule.
treatment
If you find that any area of your shuttlecock ‘s environment is n’t ampere fantastic as it should be, take contiguous action to make your shuttlecock more comfortable. once a shuttlecock starts plucking its feathers, it can be unmanageable to get it to stop if the circumstance has been allowed to go on for a time. Your veterinarian may be able to provide behavior-modifying drugs, but these work good when combined with improving environmental and behavioral factors. Make indisputable your positron emission tomography ‘s feather stays intact by being the most care and attentive shuttlecock owner that you can be .
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.