crazy african grey

aaliyah226 · 06-29-2008, 08:22 PM

Some days I feel like I live in a zoo. Today is one of those days. The problem is one of the pets is having a problem and wonder if anyone has a solution. My african grey is pulling his feathers out of his chest. I know that I have been told that things like that happen when they are a little bored or lonely. I am wondering if anyone has had an experience with their bird and if so did they have a idea if there is any was a medication or what they did with their bird to fix this problem. He is 15 yrs old and this is the only problem except for a problem getting his beak clipped we have had with him and we got him right out of the egg.

beezwing · 06-29-2008, 08:28 PM

Well rule mites, vitamin deficiency and skin issues before you decide it is just behavioral, but at his age and this time of year you may be dealing with a love sick bird that really wants a mate..

k

Ferronsgranny · 06-29-2008, 08:47 PM

I had that problem with one of my big birds. We had everything checked out. He was even put on prozac for a while. Had all kinds of toys and wooden blocks for him to tear up. What worked for us was letting him out on a big playground we bought. Of course he did have to go tear up the blinds and window sills before he finally decided to play on the playground.

Every once in a while he will start picking at his feathers so we will put a collar on him for a couple of days and then he is fine. The vet did say that once they start pulling their feathers out it becomes a learned habit over time and they will continually do this especially when they are bored.

aaliyah226 · 06-29-2008, 09:01 PM

thank you for the information he has never been out of the house so I dont know how he would aquire mites but i am headed to the feed store to see if i can get a spray for him and if i wear out all of that I guess I will have to take him to the vet he has not been to one since we moved to Fla guess it is time need to clip the beak anyways

Just_Another_Love007 · 06-29-2008, 09:18 PM

you can put things like pawn frons in the cage thats what we did while our neighbors were out of town and their african grey was pulling his feathers out and he immeditly stopped and tore up the pawn fron instead. if you dont have pawn frons (which im sure you dont) put something in there that he can tear up easily and that is healthy.

ThatsAlly · 06-29-2008, 09:21 PM

That is always something I worry about with my 5 year old Grey babe CJ. He spends most of his time out of the cage when we are home. His cage is in the living room (main room of the house) as well as a smaller 'sleep' cage in the den. The sleep cage is small, has food, water and a perch. When he goes there, it's bed time! It works great for him and ensures 12 hours 'on', 12 'off'. It's like a crate for dogs. We also rotate his toys every few weeks. Then it's not the same old toys in the same place. We also do things like give him empty brown paper bags with nuts/notecards/chewables. It's a bird party! Does your bird know he's part of the flock? Does he get one-on-one with you, as well other people in the house? See if you can teach him something new, a word, a trick, etc.

grullatobiano · 06-29-2008, 11:44 PM

I'm sorry that I have nothing useful to ad, I just saw "African Grey" and wanted to check out the thread, I think they are the neatest birds.

I like the idea of using palm fronds or another "shreddable" material in the cage. Maybe it's like fingernail-biting, you just need to substitute something more satisfying.

Can we have a photo? Pretty please?

Maybe i am fitting in here after all!

mellowdane · 06-30-2008, 12:16 AM

Hm.. how often do you bath him? When the weather gets hotter sometimes their skin gets itchier and they will scratch and pluck more. Bathing can definately keep them more comfy. Mine loved to take showers on his shower perch with me. Also.. I've never found it in a store, but you can get it off a bunch of web sites.. Red Palm Oil. In the wild they eat a LOT of red palm fruit, and it has a ton of fat soluble vitamins and is great for them. The oil comes in jars and is about as solid as butter at room temp. It has a very light odor to it and wasnt sure how to get my guy to eat it.. well lemme tell ya.. he scooped it right off the spoon.. if I would have let him he would have eaten himself to insensibility. Mine also had a thyroid issue with made it difficult to grow feathers back.. meds and the palm oil REALLY helped him!

BklynCwgrl · 06-30-2008, 08:52 AM

The lady who owns my feed store has two birds...one of whom is a feather puller! She hasn't found anything that stops her. And she is our of the cage every day and has alot of entertainment...being in a feed store.

SueBee · 06-30-2008, 09:04 AM

Get a good ostrich feather duster (not a cheapy chicken feather one) and put it in with him. He probably needs something to preen, which is normal social behaviour. If you have to resort to a collar, do it only as a last resort, as they can sometimes make the problem worse.

breburtch · 06-30-2008, 09:07 AM

Birds will pull feathers when sick, bored, lonely, or stressed.
Before doing to much I'd eliminate the possiblity of a illness. If it's boredom allowing him out of the cage for a few hours a day helps. I also when I had birds had and old t.v set up in front of there cage that I would leave on when I wasn't home. Lots of toys are always good. For loneliness since he's older unless he's been with other birds before you couldn't really get him a friend so holding and interacting with him more would help this you could also get a mirror for his cage so he feels like he's got another bird around.
If it's because he's stressed there could be several reasons for it.
for example more noise in the house, new animal, new baby, etc.
Could be as simple as moving him to a quieter room.

FastHorses000 · 06-30-2008, 10:32 AM

Yes they will do it for a number of reasons. Sometimes a perfectly normal, healthy, sane bird will do it.

After you have ruled out any health or mental issues and he is still doing it...try coating his feathers around the area that he is plucking with something. I will have to get a hold of my dad to find out what it is because I cant think of it but there is something that you can put on their feathers that tastes bad to them and it will stop them.

I have never had an African Grey. We have Macaws, cockatoos, lovebirds, sun conures, parakeets and finches. I have never had a bird that plucked his feathers yet. Good Luck on figuring it out....Ill ask my dad what it is that you put on them....I think it is a homemade spray or something..not sure.

aaliyah226 · 07-02-2008, 09:31 AM

I went out yesterday bought him a new cage big enough for a Macaw and new toys and got some mite spray. The new cage is on wheels so I can move it anywhere in the house and outdoors around the pool with us. I have a friend that is living with us and she has a cat that she brought with her. That is the only new in the house where he has been with us for the last 4 months that we have had the house. Hopefully he will do some better because he looks like he is a baby just getting his feathers and I feel like we have done something wrong and we are a family that stops traffic to take the turtles out of the roadway

fuller_meadows · 07-02-2008, 10:28 AM

I have seen lots of replies about lots of toys, the key to the toys is to rotate them so that they aren't bored of the same old, same old everyday. And as mentioned above maybe look into a mate for him or her or just a buddy. do not stick them in the same cage right away as you may provoke a war with them. set their cages a few feet apart at first them move them closer each day and see how they react to each other. And go from there. I have a friend who raises africans and has had really good luck with them, with out any feather plucking. I had one of his babies, but due to my daughter possibly having allergies I had to get rid of him. I miss him deeply.

Any ways good luck to you!!! Hope this helps you out a little.

aaliyah226 · 07-02-2008, 05:02 PM

I am afraid to put another one with him because the breeder said if we put another one with him they quit talking and this one has a great vocabulary. He sounds like a drunkin sailor to saying verses from the bible with the gbaby

mandelyn82 · 07-05-2008, 09:41 AM

He may also be looking for interaction from you. Do you let him sit on you and "fix" your hair, talk to one in whispers, make him feel special for atleast an hour a day? They need social interaction more than they need toys. Being in the same room with him helps, but really he needs focused one on one attention if it's a mental/boredom thing with the feathers. They can have all the toys in the world and still pull feathers if they're left to play with their toys alone.

I had it easy with my Amazon, he'd track me down where ever I was to get his attention, saying "Com'ere Bird!" until he found me. He had his own seat and plate at the dinner table too, he demanded it. he had the giant jungle gym, which was completely useless unless I had music on and loud.. then he'd play on it and dance and attempt singing. But he didn't want toys, he wanted me. And if I didn't give him attention when he wanted it, he'd yell at me and get mean when I finally did go get him. He'd call me a bad bird.

I had to have entire conversations with him on a regular basis or he'd get sour.

Amy · 07-14-2008, 04:41 PM

Why do you have to get his beak clipped? Most birds don't need their beaks clipped- my quaker is about 10 and has never needed it done... that in and of itself can indicate either a nutritional problem or that he doesn't have enough to chew on....

aaliyah226 · 07-14-2008, 08:56 PM

his beak is as sharp as a needle and overgrows itself clear around almost to the neck so he has it trimmed every once in awhile but if it is trimmed right he doesnt need it done but once every 5 yrs

Amy · 07-14-2008, 09:15 PM

Have you ever had blood work drawn to check for a physical reason for that? Has your vet recommended anything?

I used to be a lot more involved with birds than I am now, I know that feather plucking is a problem for a lot of greys as they are extrememly intelligent and get bored easily, as well as being incredibly sensitive and (sometimes) neurotic birds. I would go to the vet to rule out a physical reason, then try behavior modification techniques.

My quaker will pick at her leg feathers a little, but never anywhere else on her body... I've been lucky there. Good luck with everything, It sounds like the new cage is a really good start.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
did someone say GREY???	cowgirlspurs	General Horse Advice	29	07-12-2008 04:52 PM
should I put my African Grey outside?	horsemom4	Other Animals	9	04-18-2008 03:24 PM
Shades Of Grey	Awesome Paints	Breeding & Genetics	19	07-22-2007 04:11 PM
Grey X Buckskin.	Amy76	Breeding & Genetics	4	07-12-2006 10:10 PM

06-29-2008, 08:22 PM
aaliyah226 Weanling Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: loxahatchee fla Posts: 312	crazy african grey Some days I feel like I live in a zoo. Today is one of those days. The problem is one of the pets is having a problem and wonder if anyone has a solution. My african grey is pulling his feathers out of his chest. I know that I have been told that things like that happen when they are a little bored or lonely. I am wondering if anyone has had an experience with their bird and if so did they have a idea if there is any was a medication or what they did with their bird to fix this problem. He is 15 yrs old and this is the only problem except for a problem getting his beak clipped we have had with him and we got him right out of the egg.

06-29-2008, 08:28 PM
beezwing Coming two Join Date: May 2007 Location: louisiana Posts: 1,738	Well rule mites, vitamin deficiency and skin issues before you decide it is just behavioral, but at his age and this time of year you may be dealing with a love sick bird that really wants a mate.. k __________________ “Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words.” St Francis

06-29-2008, 08:47 PM
Ferronsgranny Started Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Big Creek, MS Posts: 2,045	I had that problem with one of my big birds. We had everything checked out. He was even put on prozac for a while. Had all kinds of toys and wooden blocks for him to tear up. What worked for us was letting him out on a big playground we bought. Of course he did have to go tear up the blinds and window sills before he finally decided to play on the playground. Every once in a while he will start picking at his feathers so we will put a collar on him for a couple of days and then he is fine. The vet did say that once they start pulling their feathers out it becomes a learned habit over time and they will continually do this especially when they are bored. __________________ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

06-29-2008, 09:01 PM
aaliyah226 Weanling Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: loxahatchee fla Posts: 312	thank you for the information he has never been out of the house so I dont know how he would aquire mites but i am headed to the feed store to see if i can get a spray for him and if i wear out all of that I guess I will have to take him to the vet he has not been to one since we moved to Fla guess it is time need to clip the beak anyways

06-29-2008, 09:18 PM
Just_Another_Love007 Weanling Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: florida Posts: 404	you can put things like pawn frons in the cage thats what we did while our neighbors were out of town and their african grey was pulling his feathers out and he immeditly stopped and tore up the pawn fron instead. if you dont have pawn frons (which im sure you dont) put something in there that he can tear up easily and that is healthy.

06-29-2008, 09:21 PM
ThatsAlly Weanling Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Maine Posts: 257	That is always something I worry about with my 5 year old Grey babe CJ. He spends most of his time out of the cage when we are home. His cage is in the living room (main room of the house) as well as a smaller 'sleep' cage in the den. The sleep cage is small, has food, water and a perch. When he goes there, it's bed time! It works great for him and ensures 12 hours 'on', 12 'off'. It's like a crate for dogs. We also rotate his toys every few weeks. Then it's not the same old toys in the same place. We also do things like give him empty brown paper bags with nuts/notecards/chewables. It's a bird party! Does your bird know he's part of the flock? Does he get one-on-one with you, as well other people in the house? See if you can teach him something new, a word, a trick, etc. __________________ "I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual" =House=

06-29-2008, 11:44 PM
grullatobiano Weanling Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Red Deer Posts: 288	I'm sorry that I have nothing useful to ad, I just saw "African Grey" and wanted to check out the thread, I think they are the neatest birds. I like the idea of using palm fronds or another "shreddable" material in the cage. Maybe it's like fingernail-biting, you just need to substitute something more satisfying. Can we have a photo? Pretty please? Maybe i am fitting in here after all!

06-30-2008, 12:16 AM
mellowdane Long Yearling Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bainbridge Island, WA Posts: 1,090	Hm.. how often do you bath him? When the weather gets hotter sometimes their skin gets itchier and they will scratch and pluck more. Bathing can definately keep them more comfy. Mine loved to take showers on his shower perch with me. Also.. I've never found it in a store, but you can get it off a bunch of web sites.. Red Palm Oil. In the wild they eat a LOT of red palm fruit, and it has a ton of fat soluble vitamins and is great for them. The oil comes in jars and is about as solid as butter at room temp. It has a very light odor to it and wasnt sure how to get my guy to eat it.. well lemme tell ya.. he scooped it right off the spoon.. if I would have let him he would have eaten himself to insensibility. Mine also had a thyroid issue with made it difficult to grow feathers back.. meds and the palm oil REALLY helped him! __________________ Has is occurred to you that there's a certain inefficiency in questioning me on things you've already made up your mind about? - Spock

06-30-2008, 09:04 AM
SueBee Weanling Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NW suburbs of Chicago Posts: 419	Get a good ostrich feather duster (not a cheapy chicken feather one) and put it in with him. He probably needs something to preen, which is normal social behaviour. If you have to resort to a collar, do it only as a last resort, as they can sometimes make the problem worse.

06-30-2008, 09:07 AM
breburtch Coming two Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ennismore, Ontario Posts: 1,903	Birds will pull feathers when sick, bored, lonely, or stressed. Before doing to much I'd eliminate the possiblity of a illness. If it's boredom allowing him out of the cage for a few hours a day helps. I also when I had birds had and old t.v set up in front of there cage that I would leave on when I wasn't home. Lots of toys are always good. For loneliness since he's older unless he's been with other birds before you couldn't really get him a friend so holding and interacting with him more would help this you could also get a mirror for his cage so he feels like he's got another bird around. If it's because he's stressed there could be several reasons for it. for example more noise in the house, new animal, new baby, etc. Could be as simple as moving him to a quieter room.

06-30-2008, 10:32 AM
FastHorses000 Weanling Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Alabama Posts: 482	Yes they will do it for a number of reasons. Sometimes a perfectly normal, healthy, sane bird will do it. After you have ruled out any health or mental issues and he is still doing it...try coating his feathers around the area that he is plucking with something. I will have to get a hold of my dad to find out what it is because I cant think of it but there is something that you can put on their feathers that tastes bad to them and it will stop them. I have never had an African Grey. We have Macaws, cockatoos, lovebirds, sun conures, parakeets and finches. I have never had a bird that plucked his feathers yet. Good Luck on figuring it out....Ill ask my dad what it is that you put on them....I think it is a homemade spray or something..not sure.

07-02-2008, 09:31 AM
aaliyah226 Weanling Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: loxahatchee fla Posts: 312	I went out yesterday bought him a new cage big enough for a Macaw and new toys and got some mite spray. The new cage is on wheels so I can move it anywhere in the house and outdoors around the pool with us. I have a friend that is living with us and she has a cat that she brought with her. That is the only new in the house where he has been with us for the last 4 months that we have had the house. Hopefully he will do some better because he looks like he is a baby just getting his feathers and I feel like we have done something wrong and we are a family that stops traffic to take the turtles out of the roadway

07-02-2008, 10:28 AM
fuller_meadows Halter broke Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: kalkaska, Michigan Posts: 169	I have seen lots of replies about lots of toys, the key to the toys is to rotate them so that they aren't bored of the same old, same old everyday. And as mentioned above maybe look into a mate for him or her or just a buddy. do not stick them in the same cage right away as you may provoke a war with them. set their cages a few feet apart at first them move them closer each day and see how they react to each other. And go from there. I have a friend who raises africans and has had really good luck with them, with out any feather plucking. I had one of his babies, but due to my daughter possibly having allergies I had to get rid of him. I miss him deeply. Any ways good luck to you!!! Hope this helps you out a little. __________________ I wasn't dropped on my head as a baby, ...I was thrown across the room and bounced off a wall!!!(Larry the cable Guy)

07-02-2008, 05:02 PM
aaliyah226 Weanling Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: loxahatchee fla Posts: 312	I am afraid to put another one with him because the breeder said if we put another one with him they quit talking and this one has a great vocabulary. He sounds like a drunkin sailor to saying verses from the bible with the gbaby

07-05-2008, 09:41 AM
mandelyn82 Coming two Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Ft. Campbell, KY Posts: 1,962	He may also be looking for interaction from you. Do you let him sit on you and "fix" your hair, talk to one in whispers, make him feel special for atleast an hour a day? They need social interaction more than they need toys. Being in the same room with him helps, but really he needs focused one on one attention if it's a mental/boredom thing with the feathers. They can have all the toys in the world and still pull feathers if they're left to play with their toys alone. I had it easy with my Amazon, he'd track me down where ever I was to get his attention, saying "Com'ere Bird!" until he found me. He had his own seat and plate at the dinner table too, he demanded it. he had the giant jungle gym, which was completely useless unless I had music on and loud.. then he'd play on it and dance and attempt singing. But he didn't want toys, he wanted me. And if I didn't give him attention when he wanted it, he'd yell at me and get mean when I finally did go get him. He'd call me a bad bird. I had to have entire conversations with him on a regular basis or he'd get sour. __________________ "The more people I meet the more I love my German Shepherd"

07-14-2008, 04:41 PM
Amy Weanling Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Chino Valley, AZ Posts: 271	Why do you have to get his beak clipped? Most birds don't need their beaks clipped- my quaker is about 10 and has never needed it done... that in and of itself can indicate either a nutritional problem or that he doesn't have enough to chew on....

07-14-2008, 08:56 PM
aaliyah226 Weanling Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: loxahatchee fla Posts: 312	his beak is as sharp as a needle and overgrows itself clear around almost to the neck so he has it trimmed every once in awhile but if it is trimmed right he doesnt need it done but once every 5 yrs

07-14-2008, 09:15 PM
Amy Weanling Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Chino Valley, AZ Posts: 271	Have you ever had blood work drawn to check for a physical reason for that? Has your vet recommended anything? I used to be a lot more involved with birds than I am now, I know that feather plucking is a problem for a lot of greys as they are extrememly intelligent and get bored easily, as well as being incredibly sensitive and (sometimes) neurotic birds. I would go to the vet to rule out a physical reason, then try behavior modification techniques. My quaker will pick at her leg feathers a little, but never anywhere else on her body... I've been lucky there. Good luck with everything, It sounds like the new cage is a really good start.