parrot plucking their feathers out

Question
i got a ecleptus parrot thats 3 years old.he has all his feathers pulled out on his chest.i read this is from boredom and poor diet.what should i use to get the feathers back?should i use mite spray maybe its mites.hope you can help

Answer
Hi,

This certainly could be through boredom. If your bird had mites, it would have bad feathers all over.

Firstly, give a variety in your birds diet. Also, get a selection of toys and change them over once a week so that your bird doesn't get bored with the same ones. Put your bird an a light area and get an avian lamp. Put a mirror in its cage as parrots love to look at themselves. When you go out, but a radio on for form of stimulation. Maybe, if its not cold or drafty, put your bird near a window so it can see birds outside.

You could treat your bird with mite spray or drops, but I don't think it would make any difference. I have had many clients ask me how to get the feathers back on their bird. they find that once they have changed things to make the bird happier, it doesn't stop plucking. Plucking is a habit, and so this I suggest to get a new misting bottle, and put a very weak dilute solution of TCP or some other antiseptic disinfectant. Spray the bird twice a day. the smell will put them off plucking. It wont harm the bird as long as it is very dilute, you just want enough so you know its there.

I hope this helps, and please let me know how it goes.

Charlotte