Posted by spusna84 on January 04, 2003 at 01:13:05:
In Reply to: Plucking Feathers posted by wally4398 on December 27, 2002 at 19:01:35:
:Hi, i have a 12 year old B&G macaw. in the last 6 months she has been plucking feathers. The last one was the first time she bled. can anyone tell me why and how to make it stop.
There are a number of reasons why a bird starts to pluck, and most of them are physiological. The first thing you need to do is to take your bird to a qualified avian vet for a full workup. Some things that can lead to plucking are aspergillus infections, skin infections, giardia, zinc poisoning to name a few. It's important to go to the vet as soon as possible after the plucking starts so that it does not become a habit which continues after the physical cause is gone.
Good Luck!
Sharon
