Feather picking in pet birds is one of the most difficult symptoms of all to contend with. A multitude of causes have been blamed for the frustrating condition, yet few of these prove to offer any consistent path to resolution. Essentially, any situation that produces a physiological or psychological disturbance can result in a bird plucking out its own feathers.
On rare occasions a cause may be easy to identify and correct. However, in the vast majority of cases a true cause is not identified and the picking is difficult or impossible to resolve. It is even possible that once the initiating cause is resolved, a bird may continue to pick from habit or for attention. In many cases, the owner’s frustration over the lack of resolution is sensed by the bird, making the bird’s anxiety, and therefore the feather picking, worse. Nonetheless, various approaches at managing feather picking have evolved.
Because many different conditions can lead to feather picking, in most cases your veterinarian will need to employ a number of different diagnostic tests to find the cause. Frequently, more than one factor contributes to the problem, so finding one possible cause does not mean that it is the only cause. However, being thorough offers the greatest assurance that resolution can be achieved.
A thorough history including your bird’s diet, the type of housing, typical toys and exposure to other animals is a valuable first step in finding the possible cause of a feather picking episode.
A variety of blood tests including a CBC (complete blood count), blood chemistries, antibody measurements, and tests for certain specific diseases or toxins will often provide valuable information.
Analysis of skin scrapings, feather samples, and skin biopsies can illustrate one of two things. First, these tests may demonstrate the specific type of inflammatory reaction in the skin, which in turn would lead your veterinarian to suspect certain disorders. Second, it may identify the actual causative agent, such as bacteria or fungi.
In some situations, imaging techniques such as radiography, ultrasonography, or endoscopy may be the only means of discovering a cause of feather picking.
Occasionally, an episode of feather picking is actually exacerbated by an owner trying to resolve the problem. Birds are much like children and will sometimes prefer negative attention to no attention at all. Your attempts to distract your pet bird from feather picking may actually become entertaining to the bird. Your first responsibility, therefore, is NOT to draw attention to the picking in front of your bird.
Poor diets can either cause or contribute to plumage problems. Ensuring that your pet bird is on an appropriately balanced diet is always critical.
You can experiment with toys and objects that the bird finds more appealing than its own feathers.
Regular grooming in the form of showers and baths may decrease a bird’s preoccupation with its plumage.
If true self-mutilation becomes a factor, immediate veterinary attention is critical. Birds, especially cockatoos, have been known to eat into the flesh of their chest during an episode of feather picking.
Self mutilation in birds can be divided into 3 separate categories but is usually referred to by the general term “feather picking”.
Feather-snapping involves the breaking of the feather shaft. The feather shaft might be snapped near the outer end, resulting in feathers ending in a “v” shape. The feather shaft might be snapped near the base leaving no feathers visible outside the down.
Feather-plucking involves pulling feathers out, sometimes resulting in the bird version of an “ouch”. This might be ongoing or a temporary response to dirty or damaged feathers and is especially common around the vent or the preening gland at the base of the tail.
Feather-chewing or shredding, the most common form of self-inflicted damage, begins with injury to the edge of the feathers. This might be related to: soiled feathers; boredom; falling; anxiety; feelings of abandonment; poor diet; or inadequate lighting.
Feather picking is not only one of the most frustrating of all pet bird problems, it is also one of the most common problems seen in avian veterinary practice. Published information on feather picking in pet birds suggests a number of possible etiologies (causes). However, in the majority of cases, a cause is never identified, no matter how dedicated or aggressive the diagnostic approach. Therapeutic trials utilizing antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants and tranquilizers have all produced inconsistent results. Unfortunately, bird owners are often left extremely frustrated since feather picking is incurable in a substantial number of cases.
Many different disorders can contribute to feather picking in pet birds. Causes can be broken down into three categories: external disorders of the skin or feathers, systemic (internal) diseases, and psychological disorders. Literature often reports that the three primary causes are mites, malnutrition and boredom, but in fact these are rarely the cause.
Disorders of the feathers and skin are the easiest to identify. Unfortunately, external causes of feather picking are not very common, and some of them, while easy to identify, are difficult or impossible to treat.
Systemic diseases as a cause of feather picking can be far less obvious. Although almost any infectious process or organ disease has the potential to cause feather picking, the connection between internal disease and picking is inconsistent. For example, sometimes the discovery and treatment of an intestinal infection may stop a bird from feather picking. In other cases, a bird may continue to pluck feathers despite the successful diagnosis and treatment of an intestinal infection. In these cases, either the picking became a habit that couldn’t be broken, or there was really no connection between the enteric disease and feather problem to begin with.
Possible causes of feather picking
Because so many different variables can influence feather picking, it is usually not possible to determine the cause through a cursory examination of your bird. In most cases, an extensive array of physical and laboratory diagnostic techniques must be employed in order to reveal all contributing factors. A veterinarian faced with the daunting task of finding a cause for feather picking must first determine whether or not a medical problem exists at all, or if the origin is psychological. Since psychological tests don’t exist for birds, one must go to great extremes to rule out medical problems. Your veterinarian will recommend specific diagnostic tests depending on how severe the feather picking is, whether other symptoms are present, or how long the problem has been going on. Any combination of the following may be recommended:
Therapy for feather picking depends entirely on the cause. There is no one therapeutic approach that works in all cases. If a medical cause is detected, treatment of the medical problem often resolves the feather picking.
Placement of an Elizabethan collar around the bird’s neck will prevent feather picking by creating a barrier between the bird’s beak and its feathers. However, many birds are extremely stressed by the application of these devices. If the feather picking is due to psychological causes, the application often exacerbates the condition. Birds with collars require careful monitoring, since severe injury may occur if these collars become caught on the cage.
When absolutely no medical problem is evident, the cause is often deemed psychological. Much discussion has centered on the use of antidepressants and tranquilizers. However, the response to these drugs is inconsistent, and treatment failures are common. The majority of the frustration and futility experienced over these patients stems from the fact that the owners fear that a bird’s health may be in danger if the picking continues. However, in most cases, the problem is only cosmetic, and the overall health of the bird is not affected.
The best means of managing a psychologically-based picking disorder is through behavioral modification. As with medical diseases, a proper diagnosis is essential to an effective cure. Several individuals across the United States have demonstrated encouraging success in diagnosing and treating these patients. Prevention is still the best means of controlling behavioral picking disorders, and that means that owners should educate themselves on proper rearing techniques before they acquire their birds.