Feather Picking Relationship to Species 1

  Sexual Picking Internal Disease Malnutrition Emot/Psych Giardia Feather/Skin Dz Virus Mutilation Parasite
Species                  
                   
African Grey + + + **       ** 2
Amazon ** + +         **  
Budgerigar   + +   + +     +
Cockatiel +   + + ** +     +
Cockatoo ** + + **   + +   +
Conure ** + + **          
Grey Cheek **     ** + +     +
LoveBird         + + **   +
Macaw ** + + **   +   +  
Where ** means Frequently Observed and + means Sometimes Observed; Blanks Indicate Unlikely Cause

1 Table is Modified from Rosskopf & Woerpel, Proc. Assoc. Av. Vet. 1990: 301-304

2 Some colleague-members of ANAV have noticed a disproportionate number of birds (domestic or imported) with tapeworms.

 

"Algorithm" for Diagnosis of Feather Picking Cause

Assumed: A Confirmed Feather Abnormality is present!

Determine: Is there Picking??

(Either: Picking is Observed or Picked feathers on Bottom of Enclosure AND Head is Spared!)

Yes<-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >No

Other Causes of abnormal feathers?

(more diagnostics needed)
Viral
Endocrine
Nutritional
Other?

Physical Exam
Trauma /Lesions?
Skin/Feather Parasites
Masses/Cysts
Inflammation/Infection
Gross Malnutrition

N

No External Clue

History

Nutrition

Environment

Yes External Clue

 Laboratory Diagnostics
Treat Obvious Problem
Obtain Lab Data Base? Rule out top two or three most probable causes, based on table

 

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