[musiclady420]

I can't take it anymore and I'm soooo tire of the supposed "Avain" vets around here in Chicago. I am now begging to this community for help. About 6 years ago my grey tiel started plucking his feathers. Since then I have spent thousands of dollars trying to figure this out. My regular avain vet is now retired. I have had every test imaginable to only find that his calcium levels are low. No allergies, no mites, no fleas, and the calcium levels have gotten a little better. I even had him tested for French Moult which I know to be a lutino thing.

However he is now mutilating himself and his head is going bald now too. I'm tired and broke and feel like I'm alomst out of options. I am wondering if anyone has ever tried to feed thier older tiel baby bird food? I have switched all my birds to pellets as per the vets recommendation but to no avail. Every time I try something I get my hopes up only to be brutally sadden by it not working.

I have tried natural sunlight lights, take him outside when I can, humidifiers, every pelleted food out there including ones for specifically for plucking, massive amounts of snuggling and attention, pyrethrin bath, new toys & old ones moved & moved back, acupuncture(I was surprised too when I found out they have this for birds), regular vet visits and holistic vets, behavioral experts(was thinking of going to Chet Womac next), taking him into meditation with me, calcium injections, numerous analgesics and other meds, car rides(he loves them), collars, and even tried just leaving him alone. I also filmed him for days just to see what could cause it and took it to the vet.

And the thing that really gets me is the last "Avian" vet I took him to said, "He is just fine and healthy. You have nothing to worry about. Here's your script for the calcium suppliment."
Fine and Healthy?!?!?!? How can someone say that about a bird who is underweight, plucked out half his feathers, and squawks everytime he shakes out his feather. Uh, I don't know about other people but I don't think there is anything "fine and healthy" about this! I mean at least my old vet said that sometimes they just get cranky in their old age. Gees, at least acknowledge that there is a problem!


And I have to be cautious when using the collar because he will barely eat when it is on. And as soon as it comes off he instantly starts to pluck and chew on himself even when I have tried to play with him or offer a treat. He once was so intensely wanting to pluck himself that he turned down millet spray!!!!!

I have 2 other cockatiels and they don't pluck. It's like I need some sort of "Bird Whisperer" to talk to him and find out why he is this way?!?!? And he absolutely is not agressive in anyway.

I think it may have something to do with the fact that he has had lead poisoning when he was younger and had a feather cyst removed. Both of these I had to beg my dad for at that time as I was a teenager. Both cost me over $2000 which is a lot of money to pay back when you are a teenager. We are both old now. I got him when I was 13 and now I'm 32. So, that makes him around 19.

My last thing I was thinking of trying is baby bird food? However I know you have to be very cautious when using a liquid food like that. He is also underweight by 1 gram. And would it cause him liver problems(fatty liver) like giving an old person bacon to help them gain weight but then they get high cholesterol?

And please understand I'm tire of going to vets and so-called experts as I just pulled out my file on him and realized that over this last 6 years I have spent about $10,000 trying to figure this thing out. I love Pretty Baby with all my heart and I am so sadden by this.

Pictures of him can be found on my profile.

 

[MeanneyFids]

has he been tested for PBFD? losing feathers on his head isnt plucking (unless the other birds are doing it).

also, a diet too high in pellets can cause kidney problems. ideally pellets should be 20-30% of the diet, and the rest seed with veggies supplemented. essentially, pellets are like vitamins. too much is too fortified for cockatiels.

did the plucking start before or after you took seed away?

 

[bjknight93]

Okay...I'm so sorry you're going through all of this. It sounds so stressful!

Let's start with your birds' diets. Ideally, a cockatiel's diet should consist of about 30% pellets, 60% seed, and the rest fresh vegetables. Having a bird on an all-seed (too much fat) or all-pellet (too much protein) diet will ultimately cause them to develop liver disease. Larger birds can use all the protein provided in pellets, but smaller birds will suffer in the long run because of it. I've had multiple birds come to me with onset liver disease and it is not a fun disease to try to cure and it is a terribly long process. I've had Allie in my care for nearly a year now and she is still recovering from liver disease.

Here is a thread on proper cockatiel nutrition. Please please please read it! I would hate for your birds to end up the way my Allie is.

Okay..your bird is also calcium deficient. For this, I would set up an FSL above the cage and have it on for about 4 hours each day. Full Spectrum Lighting provides birds with the vitamin D they need to process and store calcium. Here is some information on that as well.

Lastly, birds most often pluck because of stress. For this, I would like for you to explain what size cage your birds are in (dimensions please: WidthxDepthxHeight). Where is the cage located? How many toys do they have? What types of toys? How often are they out of their cage? For how long are they out each day? Do you have other animals in your home? What kind of animals? Do the animals have access to the area the birds are kept in? Please, I know the amount of questions are overwhelming, but it can help us see where stress is occuring in your birds life. What stresses one bird out may not stress another...this is why one bird may pluck when others may not in the same situation.

For now, for stress, I would purchase some powdered Brewer's Yeast and sprinkle it onto any and all food he will eat. Spray a millet sprig with water, sprinkle the BY on it, and hang it in the cage. Sprinkle it onto the pellets, treats, veggies, etc.

Best of luck. I will be back to check later if you have responded.

 

[bjknight93]

Also, I'm not seeing photos posted anywhere on the forum by you. Could you post them here as an attachment or provide links or IMG codes to a photo hosting site (like photobucket)?