Feather Plucking: Causes, Prevention, & General Advice

Published by Joseph Calabrese on June 19, 2022June 19, 2022

Feather plucking in pet parrots is a serious and complicated problem.

Feather plucking is when a bird mutilates themselves by forcefully plucking out or picking at its feathers.

This destructive behavior is unique to pet birds and doesn’t happen to their wild counterparts.

In this article, you’ll learn the common causes of feather plucking, prevention, and consequences of excessive feather plucking.

Disclosure: I’m not an avian vet nor am I a medical expert. This article is not to be taken as medical advice. See your avian vet immediately if you have any serious concerns.

Quick Navigation:

Common Causes Of Feather Plucking
How To Discover The Reason Behind Feather Plucking
Stopping Your Bird From Feather Plucking
Consequences Of Excessive Feather Plucking
FAQ’s About Feather Plucking
Symptoms Of Feather Plucking In Birds
Can Birds Regrow Plucked Feathers?
Conclusion (MUST READ)
Sources

Common Causes Of Feather Plucking

When you see your parrot (or other bird) plucking feathers, it can be a confusing and concerning sight.

At first glance, you’ll likely have no idea what’s causing this behavior.

It also doesn’t help that there are so many possible causes of feather plucking.

Just a few of those reasons include:

Nutrient deficiencies

Sicknesses

Sexual frustration

Hormones

Boredom

Fear

Exposure to toxic fumes (such as cigarette smoke)

Skin or feather irritation

Each possible cause is either a physical stressor or a mental stressor.

Nutrient deficiencies and sicknesses are both physical stressors.

Boredom and loneliness are both mental stressors.

If your bird is physically or mentally stressed for prolonged periods, they will likely begin plucking feathers.

How To Discover The Reason Behind Feather Plucking

Discovering why your parrot is plucking feathers requires a thorough investigation from both the owner and an avian vet.

You should consult with your vet as soon as you find out your bird is plucking.

The best way to investigate the cause is by asking yourself these key questions.

Is your bird eating a varied diet?

Are their living conditions (cage and surrounding area) clean and hygienic?

Is the cage big enough?

Do they have enough room to exercise and fly?

When did you first start noticing the issue?

Were there any big changes around when the issue first started?

Is there anything nearby that is causing fear?

Is your bird bored or lonely?

Do they have enough toys inside the cage?

If you really take the time to ponder these questions, you’ll likely get some insight into what’s causing this problem.

You’ll definitely be able to rule out some possible reasons.

Because the truth is…

If the problem is a mental stressor, YOU, as the observant owner who spends more time with the bird than anyone else, will have the best guess as to what is stressing them out.

Ruling out mental stressors is primarily up to you.

cockatiel plucking feathers — (Image Credit: Unsplash)

However, you won’t be able to rule out physical stressors by yourself.

Only through various tests done by an avian vet will you know if a physical stressor (such as an illness) is causing the feather plucking.

Discovering the cause requires effort from both you and an avian vet.

You rule out mental stressors while the vet can rule out physical stressors.

Stopping Your Bird From Feather Plucking

Making your bird’s life as comfortable, clean, and interesting as possible is a great way to discourage this self-desructive behavior.

Maybe you need to provide more engaging toys and activities to keep them busy.

Related: 7 DIY Paper Toys For Parrots

Or maybe you just need to add a little more variety to their diet.

Remember, the stress that causes feather plucking is a symptom of a mental or physical problem.

If you can identify that problem, you’re on your way to stopping this behavior.

One example reason why a bird would pluck their feathers is due to being bored in a tiny cage.

Providing a larger cage with more toys could potentially fix the problem.

Parrots are extremely intelligent animals, we can’t expect them to just sit quietly in a small cage with nothing to do.

Some parrots have been proven to be as smart as 5-year-old children.

If you were 5 years old, would you be able to sit in a room for hours with NOTHING to do?

I can’t imagine so.

If they’re a single bird relying on you and other humans for companionship, they might benefit from having another bird in the house.

Most parrots, including cockatiels, do better socially and mentally in flocks.

Other possible solutions to feather plucking include:

Ensuring they have company at all times

Keeping them busy (with toys and puzzles)

Giving them enough sunlight

Sunlight is really important for birds.

Birds who aren’t exposed to sunlight will suffer from nutrient deficiencies, which can cause physical stress.

If You’re Unable To Stop The Plucking

If you’ve tried to make improvements to their lives but still notice plucking behavior, you’ll need to distract the bird from plucking.

This has been recommended by avian behavior specialist, Patty Jourgensen from BirdTricks.

You need to give them something to do before they start a plucking session.

Examples of distracting activities include:

Giving a new toy

Starting a training session

Moving the cage somewhere else

Taking them outside

Anything that distracts them from feather plucking is good.

For this to be most effective, you should have an idea of roughly when they start plucking.

Does it happen more at night?

During the day?

After a meal?

Parrots typically won’t pluck all day unless they’re in very stressful situations.

Once you figure out roughly when they pluck, you must distract them before they start.

If you try to engage with them after they start plucking, you might be teaching your bird to pluck for attention.

Doing this might actually encourage plucking behavior.

Try to implement distractions before the plucking occurs as best you can.

Feather Plucking Prevention Methods

The best way to deal with feather plucking is to ensure it doesn’t start in the first place.

This may not be relevant if your bird already plucks, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

To prevent feather plucking, you should:

Keep the bird away from stressful situations

Ensure they’re on a healthy diet

Bathe them regularly to keep them clean

Avoid exposing them to household dangers

Keep them entertained most of the day

By providing a consistently safe and stress-free environment, you’ve taken a huge step toward ensuring your bird won’t start plucking.

Consequences Of Excessive Feather Plucking

Excessive feather plucking can cause irreversible damage to your parrot.

No amount of feather plucking is good, but if it continues for years, it can have some dire consequences.

This is why it’s extremely important to see a vet as soon as you notice plucking!

One of the worst things that can happen to a bird is losing the ability to grow new feathers.

And that’s exactly what can happen if you don’t stop feather plucking soon enough.

Too much plucking can cause permanent damage to their skin and feather follicles, which prevents the ability to regrow healthy feathers.

The worst-case scenario is the bird going completely bald.

Having no feathers would be a horrible and uncomfortable feeling for a bird.

Although they may look cute and can adapt to a featherless life, it’s not the way they’re supposed to live.

Other damages from excessive plucking include:

Bleeding from feather follicles

Sores over the skin

Those open sores can lead to infections

Don’t risk this happening with your bird, see a vet as soon as you notice plucking.

Frequently Asked Questions About Feather Plucking

In this section, I’m going to help answer some frequently asked questions about parrots, cockatiels, and feather plucking.

Symptoms Of Feather Plucking In Birds

When birds pluck their feathers, they’ll often show some or even all of these symptoms:

Decreased activity levels

Ragged/scruffy looking feathers

Bald patches on their body

Lots of plucked feathers on the floor

Aggressive preening (This is likely plucking)

Aggressive or hormonal toward owners

More screaming than usual

These are signs of both stress and feather plucking.

When you spot these symptoms, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your avian vet right away.

Can Birds Regrow Plucked Feathers?

Birds who don’t pluck for too long can absolutely recover and regrow new feathers.

The video below is of Ringo the cockatiel, who was plucking feathers but then made a full recovery.

It’s truly a heartwarming recovery story i highly recommend watching:

This is an amazing video of a cockatiel who was plucking their feathers and then made a full recovery.

He’s now living his best life.

However, Ringo was only able to make this recovery because he wasn’t plucking for very long.

The longer a cockatiel plucks their feathers, the less likely they are to make a full recovery.

Too much damage to the skin and feather follicles can prevent feather regrowth.

Can Bird Collars Stop Plucking

Bird collars are soft cone-shaped objects that fit around a bird’s neck.

They’re designed to forcefully stop the bird from plucking.

However, you shouldn’t be putting one of these on your bird unless instructed by your avian vet.

A vet would only recommend a collar in extreme cases.

The reason why it’s not used in all feather plucking cases is that it makes the bird uncomfortable and restricts their movements.

This may cause further stress, which is not ideal for plucking birds.

Conclusion (MUST READ)

I hope I could help guide you on the path to stop your bird from feather plucking.

This was an extremely complicated topic to discuss.

It took me two weeks of research to make this article.

One thing I learned from that research is that you’ll never find the solution to your feather plucking problem online.

The only way you’ll find the solution is through careful observations and multiple consultations with an avian vet.

And even that has no guarantees.

The reason for this is simple:

There is nothing consistent between feather plucking cases.

Each bird is different, every owner is different, and every household is different.

Nothing you find online will be tailored to your exact situation.

Sure, you’ll find articles like mine that explain common causes, prevention, possible ways to stop it, and the consequences of feather plucking.

But you won’t find the ultimate solution that works for you.

My advice is this:

Make small improvements to your bird’s life every day, consult regularly with your vet, and keep your bird busy.

A busy bird will be too distracted to pluck.

But this won’t solve the underlying problems that causes feather plucking.

You should also take photos of the cage, surrounding area, and the household environment to show your vet.

The vet will be able to point out any problems in the environment.

Good luck, and i hope the best for you and your feathered friend.

Feather Plucking: Causes, Prevention, & General Advice

Common Causes Of Feather Plucking

How To Discover The Reason Behind Feather Plucking