How to Prevent Pet Bird Feather Plucking
All birds pluck their feathers as a normal part of their preening. Normal plucking will result in one to two feathers being plucked per week. Some birds, however, take plucking to the extreme and end up with bald spots where feathers used to be. Excessive feather plucking in birds is usually a sign of illness or stress. Once the bird is deemed healthy by a veterinarian, there are several steps you can take to prevent plucking due to stress.
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Things You'll Need
- Tub
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Perches
- Whisk broom
- Leather straps
- Mirrors
- Ropes
Instructions
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Take the bird to a veterinarian to ensure that there is not a medical reason that the bird is plucking its feathers.
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Place the bird's cage in a quiet location out of the flow of traffic. Changes such as a new pet, new baby or even rearranging the furniture can cause a bird to become stressed. Placing it in a quiet location can help acclimate it to the changes.
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Provide a large tub of water inside the cage so the bird can bathe frequently. In addition, mist the bird's feathers two to three times per day with a spray bottle. Birds are less likely to pluck their feathers when they are wet so this can help to break them of the habit.
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4
Place a large number of toys inside the bird's cage. You should try to fill up the entire floor of the cage so that the bird will have so much to do it will not even think about plucking its feathers. Some toys to include in the cage are perches, whisk brooms, leather straps, mirrors and ropes.
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Tips & Warnings
Ignore the bird when it is plucking its feathers so that you do not reinforce the bad behavior. Do not try to make it stop or respond to it in any way.
If the bird does not stop plucking feathers after one month, or if the plucking worsens, take the bird to the veterinarian.
