Feather plucking is a common characteristic in all birds. Feather plucking also known as feather picking occurs when birds pluck out damaged feathers. Birds can pluck other birds’ feathers to show they are friendly with each other. When the feathers are plucked out, they will grow again after some time.
There are many reasons for a bird to pluck other birds’ feathers. Below are the leading five causes, as explained:
1. Emotional Stress
When birds are stressed, they pluck their feathers to show that they are uncomfortable with a particular issue, such as a lack of interaction from the owners. When your bird is bored, it will lead to stress, which will cause it to start feather plucking, and it can be tedious when they miss something.
2. Environmental Issues
When your birds are exposed to environmental issues such as noise, heat, humidity, high temperatures, or inclement weather, they pluck their feathers.
3. Lifestyle Issues
Lifestyle conditions might lead a bird to pluck other birds’ feathers. Examples are: lack of exercise to make their bodies physically active, isolation, boredom, and insufficient playtime with their pet owners.
The other factor is the sleeping schedule; birds need around 10-13 hours of daily uninterrupted time. To increase the time of sleepiness, keep your birds away from noises and increase the hours of darkness to avoid feather plucking.
4. Parasites
When birds find a parasite on their mates, they pluck their feathers to remove it. The effects of the parasites or feather mites cause restlessness, anemia, and death.
5. Underlying Medical Issues
When you don’t provide regular treatment for your birds, they will undergo different medical problems such as liver disease, skin disease, and cancer, among other inflammatory conditions. All these can cause a bird to pluck other birds’ feathers.
How Do I Stop My Bird from Plucking Other Birds?
The most important factor you need to consider when stopping your bird from plucking other birds’ feathers is the root issues that normally cause feather plucking, including health, emotional, malnutrition, and environmental factors. Either way, this can also stop a bird from plucking its feathers.
1. You can stop your bird from plucking other birds by moving your bird’s cage near a window with good light and humidity.
2. Consider giving it a balanced diet, including seeds, grains, and vegetables with enough water.
3. When it is still plucking, normalize by changing your bird’s environment to a suitable location where it will feel better than where it initially is.
What Is the Best Treatment for Feather Plucking?
The best way to treat feather plucking in birds is by using home remedies such as medical or pharmaceutical drugs from a professional veterinarian, such as psychotropic medication, hormonal medication, and a feather plucking collar, among others.
When treating your bird at home, you must be cautious about the veterinarian’s conditions.
Loss of feathers, broken skin, depression, infection, and untidy seen feathers are all signs and symptoms of feather plucking in birds. You must seek a solution immediately when you discover all of this or even some of it.
Can Birds Recover From Feather Plucking?
Yes. When your bird plucks its feathers, it will recover after almost two weeks, and the new feathers will grow again.
To make your feather-plucking bird recover faster, you can use some factors to mitigate that issue, including avoiding stress, relieving boredom, considering the environment, maintaining low humidity, and providing a healthy diet to the bird.
Can a Plucked Bird Feather Harm It?
Yes. When the bird plucks its feathers, it harms it because it is painful. The plucking of feathers often causes injury to your bird, leading to an open wound.
After feather plucking, the bird chews the area where it feels pain, but it will usually get better once the feathers regrow.
Why Do Birds Pluck Their Feathers When Stressed?
When your bird feels stressed or anxious, it will pluck its feathers to show you it is uncomfortable. The environment, unfavorable food, and sickness can cause stress. When your bird is stressed, seek a resolution to free it from stress mode.
So do birds pluck their feathers when stressed?
Yes. When birds are stressed, they often pluck their feathers. The factors that can cause stress to your birds, leading to feather plucking, are boredom or a lack of interaction between the owners and other birds.
Sometimes, it can be caused by medical sickness such as lack of a balanced diet or toxicity, leading to stress for birds.
Do Birds Feathers Grow Back After Being Plucked?
Yes. Birds feathers regrow after plucking. After plucking, it can take up to 2-5 months for the lost feathers to grow back. In the plucking of birds, it will take a long time to regrow again because of the skin structure and skin damage that occurs during the plucking.
When feathers are broken during plucking, they do not regrow until the surviving pieces are molten.
Once they molt, they will grow back. In some cases, feather plucking can be caused by a lack of fatty acids, proteins, minerals, or specific vitamins, which commonly cause the loss of feathers.
How Long Does It Take for Birds Plucked Feathers to Grow Back?
The period of plucked feathers is estimated to grow back after 3–8 months. It uses this time because plucking the feathers leaves wounds on the body that must heal before the new fathers can regrow.
When you see your birds are delaying the regrowth of their feathers, you can encourage them to grow faster by ensuring they get enough food containing vitamin D, calcium, +D3, and magnesium.
Additionally, you will need to keep the bird in a location with sunlight, a suitable temperature, and the recommended humidity to keep their bodies smooth and allow them to grow new feathers easily.
Why Do Birds Pluck Their Babies Feathers?
Birds pluck their babies’ feathers for many reasons, including deficiency of sodium, lack of calcium, overgrooming, parasites, an unsuitable environment, jealousy, and a lack of a balanced diet in their meals.
Parasites are the most common reason for birds to pluck their feathers. When the male or female bird notices parasites on their babies, they will pluck them from their skin.
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