Feather plucking?

[C&Rman]

Hello. I have been interested in cherry faced conure for a while now and I found one on my local adds. I have watched youtube videos on them, and allot of the vidoes I have seen they were all plucking their leg feathers. Why do they do that? I dont want a bird that is gonna pluck its feathers, so should I even get the bird? Also is there a way to prevent this from happening?
I am going to look at the bird tommorow, but if there is a HIGH chance that he'll pluck his feathers I don't want him. He is a very young bird and he is tame.

 

[Nambroth]

Feather plucking in parrots can be from a huge variety of factors. I am not familiar with that conure species so I do not know if they are especially prone to it or not, but in general any parrot can become a plucker for a huge number of reasons, including but not limited to:

- Diet, malnutrition, and deficiencies
- Health problems, in addition to the above
- Boredom
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Hormonal reasons

Some people spend thousands of dollars with veterinarians and bird behaviorists and their parrots still pluck. If the idea of a plucking bird is enough for you not to want one, please reconsider keeping a parrot. Even normally passive, mellow species such as cockatiels can become pluckers. I have a 19-year old hen cockatiel that will never regrow her feathers, she plucked them for so long before I adopted her. The reason she started? She developed separation anxiety when another bird that lived in the household died.

The two species that I see that most commonly have feather destructive behaviors are eclectus (especially females) and cockatoos. In most other species it seems to vary greatly form individual to individual.

 

[C&Rman]

I was real worried about it, but when we went and looked at her, she had no signs of plucking. So I bought her. Only for her to like my girl friend over me. She attacks me if we are both in the same room. Is there anyway I can fix her from being a one person bird?

 

[Nambroth]

Here are two articles to help you get started.

I know that you are probably not having troubles with mating behaviors / hormones yet, BUT it can happen and so I suggest this read: http://www.rationalparrot.com/tease.html

More on topic, this goes over biting. While you may not be having trouble with biting yet (are you?) the ideas presented here can be applied to make you a more favorable person to the bird: http://www.rationalparrot.com/biting.html

Pretty much, you need to start making all interactions with you rewarding. You do all of the things that the bird likes.

And remember, a new home is a big change! You can expect to see behaviors change over the next few weeks as your bird settles in. Things are still very new for it.


Best wishes!

 

[C&Rman]

He does bite, especially when he doesn't get what he wants. Like when it is time to put him in the cage he will bite at everyone and rub his beak on the bottom of his cage. I honestly don't know if he is a one person bird.
Yesterday he was all about girls, today he is all about boys. Right now he is on my shoulder talking to me. I do make it a rewardingg experience everytime he see's me and so far all is good.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

I have a cherry head conure and for the past 12 year i thought it was a male because it can talk so well about a week ago she laid an egg. The rubbing beak on the cage bottom mine does that to are you sure yours ia a male? Mine isnt plucked either.