Why parakeets pluck their feathers

Parakeets make great pets, but sometimes they may pluck their feathers. This behavior is not healthy and may be a sign of anxiety or an underlying medical issue. To stop feather plucking in parakeets, take your parakeet to an avian vet to see if the plucking is linked to a medical issue. If your vet rules out medical problems, try to reduce your bird's stress levels, since stress often leads to feather plucking. Additionally, place your parakeet in a darkened room each night to make sure it gets enough sleep.

You should also bathe your bird each day, which can also help it relax. For tips from our Veterinary co-author on how to treat feather plucking with behavioral modification therapy, read on! Did this summary help you?

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Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Take your parakeet to an avian veterinarian. As soon as you notice your parakeet feather plucking, make an appointment with your veterinarian. Write down a summary of your bird's living conditions, such as whether they are solo or have a partner, the size of their cage, the cage's location, their toys, their diet, and how much time they spend in the light or the dark. Look for an avian vet, as they have specialized skills and equipment for running diagnostic tests and treating parakeets.

Give your vet a full medical history of the parakeet. Sometimes stress from an underlying illness can cause your parakeet to pluck its feathers. It can also be helpful to tell the doctor about any ongoing health issues and related medications your parakeet is taking. Ask for a thyroid test. Hypothyroidism is a major cause of feather plucking in parakeets. To cure feather plucking, you will have to first identify what you think is the cause of the destructive behavior.

Putting a collar on your bird will only stop the plucking itself, and will not treat the underlying causes, and could worsen stress or disease. Consulting with your veterinarian will help you narrow down the potential causes. Here are some ideas for treatment, depending on what you find:. So, in fact not every bird whose body shows naked skin has to be a feather-plucker himself. If your bird has a bare back of its head, most probably another bird might have caused it.

Due to anatomical constraints, birds are not able to pick feathers on their own heads. Additionally, you might consider potential hormonal problems. In some rare cases birds lose their feathers on bigger areas due to a hormonal disturbance. Please contact an avian vet to get help. The considerable part of feather-plucking birds shows this self-destroying behaviour as the animals suffer from continuous mental pressure.

Here's an astonishing example: The birds of a friend's happy and healthy budgie flock changed mysteriously. Nearly all birds began plucking their feathers - not only their own but also the feathers of their fellows! The photo below shows budgie lady Paula who died some weeks after the picture was taken.

She suffered from a bad infection which had been reinforced by the mental stress the poor bird had been going through. Regrettably her owner had no idea of it. After a long research for reasons and some other dramatic deaths in the flock, my friend finally discovered the cause for her bird's self-destructive behaviour: Her animals have been extremely frustrated.

The birds were kept exemplary, with loads of flight possibilities and best nutrition. This is why the birds were in a breeding mood.

But as they had no chance to breed for years due to a lack of nest boxes and so on they became mentally depressed. The result of this depression was devastating. My friend changed a lot and her birds became happier, the stress disappeared. But regrettably most of the animals didn't stop plucking their feathers.