Question:
The most common problem associated with greys is feather- picking/chewing behavior. The very absolutely totally necessary first step is to get him to a vet and get him a clean bill of health. Test for giardia, aspergillis, and zinc toxicity. Eliminating any medical reasons, you can then start on the long process of searching for causes and ways to stop this behavior. 1. Check that you have an appropriately sized cage that is very very clean. Make sure you have ample toys, including toys that require parrot shrewdness to solve and undo. Greys often pick because they are BORED. Get him a long involved perch with ropes, branches, toys, links, etc. Try putting some special food on a birdy-skewer somewhere in this mess…in a place that will require ingenuity to reach. Challenge your bird! 2. Diet, diet, diet. There are tons of resources available on the necessary items in a Greys’ diet. I leave it to you to make sure you are feeding the correct foods. Get a book, talk to a breeder or a vet, surf the net…make sure he is getting ALL the foods he needs. 3. Daily, individual attention. Not just talking…but handling, training, special play time, cuddling, kissing, head-scritches. 4. Check humidity in your bird’s environment. Low humidity can cause dry, itchy skin. Make sure your bird is bathing and accepts misting. At the same time, over-bathing can cause excessive dryness of skin. You can simulate humidity, however. Run a warm shower in the bathroom and let your bird perch in their with the steam (although not to much, since we don’t want to hamper his ability to breathe well). 5. Do some detective work. Documented instances of feather-picking being caused by environmental change are MANY. Has your routine changed? People or pets been added or subtracted from the household? Are you feeling any particular stress from job, bills, relationships etc? Your bird will pick up on these. 6. Never use feathers as a toy. Remove feathers from the bottom of the cage before the bird has a chance to play with them. 7. Cover the bird’s cage at night. Sounds, movements, or flashes of light during the night can instigate feather picking. 8. Beware calcium deficiency in Greys!!!!!!! Increase leafy green veggies, almonds, oranges (peel and all! my pi loves the peel!), buttermilk, cheese, yogurt, oats, kelp, cooked beans and peas, sunflower and sesame seeds. A calcium deficiency could be leading to the strange brittle nature of these feathers and itchy skin. 9. Increase the "sunshine vitamin" (Vitamin D). Fishliver oil, egg yolk, and sunflower seeds are good sources of this. Also, if your vet determines a deficiency, they may recommend a vitamin supplement in the form of liquid or powder dusted over food. You really want to stop this behavior NOW, before it becomes more ingrained or spreads to the other feathers and to wings. If nothing works, consider consulting an avian behavior specialist. Before you buy.
Response:
my African grey parrot keeps chewing his red tail feathers in half while they are still in his back side, could someone please tell me why? He has done it with 2 already, this last one was very brittle and dried out, does anyone know how to stop this happening? If so please tell me and I will post pics of him with his new tail up here. Thanks in advance Andrew Thompson
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