Identifying causes of plumage loss

There are numerous causes of feather loss in birds – the offset step toward treatment is to determine the cause. Obvious physical clues give us a direction to pursue, not a diagnosis. Birds take a limited number of symptoms to tell us they are sick; these few symptoms represent a myriad of illnesses. Plumage picking or feather loss is but i symptom. It is up the the avian veterinary, with diagnostic tools, and the bird owner, with information on environment and history, to put together these clues to observe a cause and/or remedy.

Viral Disease

Polyomavirus and psittacine pecker and feather diseaseare serious diseases that may result in feather loss. Your veterinarian tin make the appropriate tests to decide if the causative amanuensis is viral. Research is ongoing in this field. Cheque with your avian veterinarian near vaccinations to foreclose viral diseases affecting feather growth or loss in birds. Prevention is important, as once a bird contracts one of these viruses and feather damage becomes evident, the disease is well-nigh always fatal.

Parasites

Knemidokoptes(scaly-confront, scaly-leg) is a skin parasite oftentimes seen in pet birds. Budgerigars and canaries are most often affected. It is first noticed equally a thickening of the tissues of the cere and/or legs. Even though the symptoms are visually credible, the organism should exist confirmed by microscopic exam before treatment is initiated. Remedies found in pet stores can in some cases, create additional feather problems and ofttimes have long periods of time to effect a cure.
Prescription drugs piece of work chop-chop and effectively.

Red mites, feather mites, or liceare also external parasites that infest birds, causing irritation. Plume bug are rarely the upshot of parasites, only if parasites are suspected, a veterinarian should ostend the diagnosis and can recommend treatment.

Giardia, a protozoan parasite, has been implicated in some cases of self-mutilation. This intestinal parasite tin can be identified by microscopic examination of fresh droppings, requiring that the sample be collected at the veterinarian's office.

Bacterial – Fungal Disease

Staphylococcus or Pseudomonas are leaner that may cause skin irritation resulting in plume loss due to cocky-mutilation. Your veterinarian can practise a skin civilisation to place these organisms. Aspergillus or Candidiasis are fungal diseases that may crusade pare irritation, and require a dermatological workup including skin scraping or culture for identification.

Nutritional Causes

Dietary deficiencies can contribute to skin/plume disorders. Vitamin A deficiency has been implicated in nutritionally related feather disorders, and an extreme lack of nutritional poly peptide may affect normal molt. Your avian veterinary can propose you lot on modification or supplementation of your bird's nutrition to forestall or correct these potential problems.

Behavioral Causes

Self-mutilation (feather plucking or peel violent), can have primary or secondary behavioral causes. Birds in the wild would have a mate or flock with which to interact, but in captivity, human counterparts rarely fill the vacancy. Dominance factors, breeding frustration, colorlessness, territoriality, mate-bonding, and nesting drives, all triggered past hormonal development, are rarely satisfied in a pet environment. The perception of threat from other household pets may initiate stress if the bird is continually harassed. All of these factors can result in frustration-grooming, which often becomes obsessive, turning into a vice, causing self-mutilation and feather damage or removal. Your avian veterinarian may make recommendations on environmental changes or hormonal therapy.

Assail past Muzzle-Mates

If a cage-mate is suspected to exist the cause of feather loss the victim-bird should be separated for a minimum of six weeks (to let the feathers to re-grow) to make this determination. If only a part of the feather has been removed, it may non re-grow until the adjacent natural molt. If muzzle-mate trauma is the cause, permanent separation may exist the cure.

Other Possible Causes

External causes of pare irritation could be cage trauma, insect bites or stings, topical application of inappropriate ointments, or improper wing trim (permitting cutting feather ends to affect the skin). Exterior factors such as chronic exposure to inhaled irritants (cleaning products, tobacco smoke, or toxic substrates) can also result in feather-picking. Pet (cat, dog, rodent) attack may also effect in plume loss.

Chronic diseases (liver, kidney, GI, respiratory, or atherosclerosis), can manifest themselves as both stress-related feather disorders or every bit cocky-mutilation. Feather cysts, tumors, and injury, are also possible stress-related causes of feather loss.

Dirty-Face Syndrome

If a bird suddenly seems to take a muddy face up or broken or missing feathers around the nib and eyes, check to run across if it tin easily reach food or water and that the dishes are full. Birds trying to reach food-remains dropped out of reach beneath cage floors develop dirt faces or broken confront feathers from trying to push their heads through soiled wire. If empty food containers do not appear to be a problem, the dirty face may be caused by regurgitation and your veterinarian should be consulted.

Prevention

Protection from airborne toxins or irritants, aggressive cage-mates, or other household pets is essential to the life and health of the pet bird.

An annual checkup may be the most effective mode to protect your bird'south health. Birds tend to mask discomfort or disease, making information technology difficult to determine their general well being. A thorough health bank check may reveal internal disease, external parasites, or systemic diseases that can be identified and treated past your avian veterinarian earlier feather signs manifest themselves.

More Tips for Pet Bird Health – Things to Avert

  • Sandpaper perches
  • Air pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, insecticides, and toxic
  • Fumes from overheated nonstick cooking utensils or cleaning solutions
  • Mite boxes or mite sprays
  • Easily dismantled toys such as balsa wood, small link concatenation items, toys with easily detached metal clips or skewers, toys with lead weights
  • Access to toxic business firm plants, ceiling fans, leaded glass (or whatsoever lead), cats, dogs, or immature children
  • Access to cage substrate