Now, this bird has the avian version of trichotillomania. Once the parrot realizes that this is a consistent phenomenon, the plucking will get worse. Pulling out a premature feather is painful. As the plumage mutilation continues, it will eventually pluck out feathers that aren’t ready to be shed. So, it will over-preen, and start developing bald spots (usually on the chest and tops of wings).Īt this point, the domestic-bred parrot is starting to damage plumage. Unlike the naturally raised parrot, the hand raised parrot will not feel satisfied after normal preening. Since the hand raised parrot was not preened by its parents during its formative years, it does not have an endorphin recall response to preening. But this increased profit comes at the offspring’s expense. Incubating the fertilized egg and hand raising the chick is how breeders produce more young parrots, and make more profit. If the breeder allows the breeding pair to raise their chick, the breeder will have to wait a year or two for them to produce another offspring. That way, the female will go back into estrus, and the breeding pair will produce another fertilized egg in 5 or 6 months. When a female produces a fertilized egg, the breeder takes the egg, and puts it into an incubator. Parrot breeders (generally speaking) do not allow their breeding parrots to raise their own offspring. ![]() So, who is doing all the plucking? I’m so glad you asked! The only healthy parrots that pluck out their feathers are parrots that are a product of domestic breeding, and here’s why. A healthy, natural parrot with its endorphin recall response intact will not damage its plumage, no matter what stress or trauma it endures. This feeling of satisfaction is how the natural parrot knows when to stop preening. This endorphin recall response triggered by a parrot’s own preening makes the bird feel soothed and satisfied. Happy memories that cause a state of pleasure. An endorphin recall is when a creature produces endorphins based upon past events. That stimulation goes back to the brain and causes an endorphin recall. Now, here is the important part! Every time this naturally raised parrot preens its feathers, it stimulates nerve endings in the feather follicles. As an adult, it will manage its own plumage the same way its parents initially did. Once the new parrot’s chickhood wanes, it will “fledge” (leave the nest). For the first year or two, the young chick will enjoy this soothing, nurturing activity with its parents. And when they do, this stimulation activates the production of pleasant endorphins (like oxytocin) in the chick’s body. ![]() It is the chick’s parents’ job to preen the chick’s new feathers. That helpless chick is incapable of managing its new plumage. When a new parrot chick hatches, it is already starting to grow its first set of feathers. plumage mutilation or feather plucking), we must first go back to basics. To understand plumage destructive behavior (a.k.a. While anxiety, stress and depression can exacerbate feather plucking, they do not cause feather plucking. Anxiety, stress and depression in parrots is not the cause of feather plucking. Now I know all of you “parrot people” are screaming heresy! But it’s true. That is when I have to blow their minds with the truth stress and anxiety do not cause feather plucking. When visitors to our sanctuary see that some of our rescued parrots have bald spots, they often ask what terrible trauma they’ve endured to cause this unsightly behavior. So unsurprisingly, we see a lot of parrots exhibiting plumage destructive behavior, also known as “feather plucking”.įeather plucking is probably the most common affliction faced by parrots in a domestic setting. Here at Garuda Aviary, we rescue parrots from adverse, even desperate conditions.
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