Feather Picking, My Thoughts

As a bird, and people, watcher, I've never quite fathomed what causes feather picking. For a beautiful parrot to begin to mutilate its feathers, and sometimes itself, seems to be such an abhorrent concept. Yet, when you think of how we've taken our beautiful pets and placed them into human situations, it's understandable how feather picking begins.

Feather picking is an obsessive behavior pattern, where birds systematically destroy their feathers. These feathers may be frayed, pulled out one by one, or mutilated. No matter how the feathers look, if it is done in a precise and obsessive manner, then it is feather plucking.

Many novice bird owners worry when they see a feather or two on the cage. Birds normally lose feathers through a process called molting. This is where the old feathers are shed and are replaced with new ones. Usually happening during spring and fall, molting is nothing to worry about. Your bird will still look fully feathered, as it only drops a few feathers at a time. If, at any time during the molting process, or at other times during the year, your bird looks bald, then it is plucking and must be dealt with immediately.

There are many thoughts as to what causes feather picking. Simply put, one could state that feather picking occurs when the bird is under stress. Whether this is internal or external stress will remain to be determined, but a feather-picking bird is definitely a stressed bird.

Looking at birds in the wild, we do not see feather pickers. There are no half-bald robins returning to us in the spring, just as there are no mutilated starlings living free in our cities. (I would note, however, that if there are such occurrences, then a man-made factor must have caused them, for nature alone does not hurt her creatures.)

The first thing to do with a feather-picking bird is to take it to a vet. It sounds simple but, unfortunately, many veterinarians will not look at birds. A plucking parakeet, for example, is not seen as being a great enough monetary investment as to warrant vet care. If this is the response you receive, then look elsewhere for your animal's medical treatment. The lowliest finch is in need of a good avian vet, and they are in short supply in this country.

A routine, thorough vet examination can rule out any bacterial or viral infections, as well as assure you that your bird is in good health.

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