- Joined
- Feb 9, 2005
- Messages
- 97
- Reaction score
- 3
I've recently started volunteering at a macaw refuge where a number of the birds pluck their feathers out to varying degrees. (I believe they all came to the refuge with the problem). The man who founded the refuge had hoped the behavior would abate when the birds were in a more natural environment, able to fly and socialize with numerous other birds, but apparently this hasn't been the case.
I've been reading up about it and it seems the etiology is rather difficult to determine. Etiologies, I should say.
I know there's at least one bird person on this forum. I've read some articles, but does anyone have any personal experience with succesful or unsuccessful treatments? I'm talking about cases where physical causes like skin infection or poor nutrition have been ruled out and it is thought to be a behavioral problem. I know haloperidal is used, and the use of naltrexone makes intuitive sense to me. It's a shame, some of the poor bald things don't look far off from the chickens you'd see at the supermarket.
I've been reading up about it and it seems the etiology is rather difficult to determine. Etiologies, I should say.
I know there's at least one bird person on this forum. I've read some articles, but does anyone have any personal experience with succesful or unsuccessful treatments? I'm talking about cases where physical causes like skin infection or poor nutrition have been ruled out and it is thought to be a behavioral problem. I know haloperidal is used, and the use of naltrexone makes intuitive sense to me. It's a shame, some of the poor bald things don't look far off from the chickens you'd see at the supermarket.