Recently, I wrote the following article, The parrot industry is BUSTED!!  If you haven't read that article, please read that one then return to this one. 

Last week, I visited three of my wholesale dealers.  I went into the boarding room of one of these dealers, and they had about 25 birds they we're boarding.  8 we're pluckers.  At another of my dealers, they had 3 pluckers, and the third dealer had 4.  Plucking is an epidemic that needs to be addressed, and what you can do if your bird's plucking.  So here goes.  

Before 1999 when I built this site, I had never seen or heard of plucking.  As I stated in the previous article, I've only had one bird who plucked, and he came to me that way.  Since 1999, I've spoken with lots of people with plucking birds.  Virtually every one of these people we're agonizing over their plucking birds, and we're trying everything to find a solution.  Most had spend hundreds, perhaps thousands on Vet bills, bought new, bigger cages, special lighting, diets, organic food, anything and everything.  And, in most cases, the results weren't very satisfactory.  Dealing with their Plucking Parrot is a difficult and traumatic as dealing with an illness from a human member of the family, maybe more difficult.  Humans can tell us what's wrong, parrots can't. 

The bottom line is this, there are tons of opinions out there about why parrots are plucking, and how to fix it.  So, I'm going to add my opinion as well.  Again, these are my opinions.  If they make sense to you, great, if not, that's fine as well.  I want to start a dialogue about this issue.  First. lets see what your birds lives are today.    

Your bird wasn't born a plucker.  Your bird was likely a hand fed, human imprinted bird who actually thinks he's a person like you and I.  After all, mom and dad look like us, and he doesn't realize he's not like us.  So, we take this human type bird and what do we do, lock them in a cage.

Cages.  In my opinion, cages are the cause of about 90% of all parrot related problems, excessive screaming, aggressive behavior, and yes, plucking.  So, what's so wrong with cages.  Well, lets look at how birds live in the wild.

At sunrise, birds wake and unite the flock.  Then, they go to work.  For them, going to work means flying around the jungle looking for food, hanging out with flock mates, dodging predators, napping, all the things a free bird does.  However, there's one thing they DON'T do, and that's hang out where they roost.  Why?  The reason is simple.  Hanging out where they roost tips off predators that this is where I sleep, the most vulnerable time in a parrots life, and if a predator can figure out how to ambush a bird while sleeping, good for the predator, bad for the bird.  Tonight, at sundown, if you have power lines in your area, look at all the birds hanging out on those power lines, waiting for the sun to set.  As it gets dark, you'll see all of these birds suddenly go to roost, and poof, there gone.  That being said, there is one time when birds spend all their time where they roost.

When birds are nesting, they spend all of there time in the nest, or outside guarding their nest.  And, as with any nesting animal, this is a very stressful time in their lives.  However, the good news for them is that once their babies are fledged, they can return to a normal life.  Your caged bird can't.

Over time, caged birds begin to think of their cages as a nest.  And, being a nest, they feel the need to defend it.  This is where cage aggression comes from.  For a parrot, playing on top of their cage is, in their minds, like standing in the tree above their nest, guarding their nest. 

I'm also convinced parrots worry, especially Greys.  They understand they're spending their days where they roost, and worry about predators.  Over time, this worry gets more and more serious, and leads to no good result.

Manzanita, PVC, Wooden Dowel and most other hard in-cage perches.  These are used for birds because they're cheap and hard, so they don't get chewed up.  However, this means your bird is standing on hard, slippery perches.  Take off your shoes and go stand on a hard concrete floor.  Now, imagine standing on that hard concrete floor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  That's what your bird does.  However, it gets even worse.

Manzanita, PVC, Wooden Dowels, Grapevine and most other perch material are hard and slippery.  That means your bird has to physically GRIP or hold on to their perches or they'll fall off.  And, many birds do actually fall off these kinds of perches.  In the wild, birds stand on naturally barked trees because they can choose where the want to spend time.  When caged, your bird has no choice but to stand on the perches you provide.  

Pellets.    

• Pellets are hard and dry.  Birds have no saliva.  How are they supposed to eat hard, dry food with no saliva unless they dunk them in water.  If pellets we're so great for birds, they would be soft and moist like dried fruit. 
• Parrots by their nature don't eat a staple diet.  They're foragers, and eat whatever's ripe, blooming or blossoming.  Take corn for example,  When corn is ripe, parrots visit the corn fields and feed, and return day after day until there's no more corn.  Once the corn is gone, they look for something else.  They don't eat the same thing day after day after day.  That's unnatural for them.  
• Pellets are boring.  Great for the manufacturer, distributor, retailer and you.  Bad for your bird.  Imagine if you ate the same thing for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, all day, every day.  The Pellet companies tell you to do this, that Pellets are a 100% balanced diet.  Your bird doesn't need a balanced diet, they need an interesting, varied diet.
• Parrots are social eaters, just like you and I.  Offer them a bowl of peanuts.  They don't just grab one and eat it.  They'll search thru the bowl, looking for the RIGHT peanut, then take it to a favorite place to enjoy.  Nothing is more boring then Pellets.  Would YOU eat them all day, every day for the rest of your life?   

Water Bottles.  My daughter has Hamsters, and water bottles are great for her Hamsters.  For birds though, they need water to do more then drink, they need water to eat, especially Pellets.  Water Bottles are life threatening if used with Pellets.  

12 hours sleep a night.  Here's the logic behind this one.  Parrots generally live in tropical environments near the equator.  That means they get about 12 hours worth of day light, and 12 hours of darkness.  So, because that's how they would live in the wild, you're told they need 12 hours of darkness in your home.  However, here's the difference.  In you home, they aren't flying around for the 12 hours of daylight, they aren't hanging out and socializing with their flock mates, in most cases, they're locked in cages while you're at work.  This means that in many cases, your bird might only have 3 or 4 hours of out of cage time in a 24 hour day cycle.  That's bird abuse in my opinion.  And, how ironic.  The same people who tell YOU to do this also feed their birds Pellets.  Where do wild birds get Pellets?  

Chew Toys.  Chewing for parrots serves several functions. 

• It's how they keep their beaks properly shaped and conditioned.  An overgrown or deformed beak would be life threatening for a parrot.  Wild parrots don't get Groomed.
• It's fun and relaxing, and a great way of relieving stress.  
• Parrots want to work at chewing.  Have you ever watched your bird spend 20 or 30 minutes frantically chewing on a toy, and at the end of that time, end up with a small slice of wood to show for their efforts?  Chances are you haven't, here's why.

Most chew toys are either way too hard to chew on, Manzanita, Oak, etc, or way to soft.  Hard toys actually hurt a birds beak if they try to chew them, so they generally ignore these.  The soft toys are made of White Wood.  White wood is cheap, light, and soft, everything parrot toy manufacturers and retailers want. No flavor, no texture, no aroma, nothing.  Like you and I chewing on Styrofoam.  They cut and color big chunks of this stuff, and assembly large, elaborate toys that are cheap to make, and light to ship.  You however, pay a lot of money for these, and when you give them to your bird, they're destroyed in no time.  Frustrating for your bird, and expensive for you.  These kinds of chew toys actually lead to what I call Chewing Deficit.

Chewing Deficit.  Over time, as parrots chew up and destroy these kinds of chew toys, their utter frustration mounts.  They instinctively understand that they need to chew and GNAW.  Gnawing is what actually keeps their beaks shaped and conditioned.  Wood for Gnawing can't be too hard or too soft, it needs to fall right in the middle of the hardness, softness spectrum.  So, over time, the soft chew toys are just destroyed in a flash, and the hard toys ignored.  Eventually, most parrots just quit chewing.  Basically, they've come to the point where they just figure it's not worth the effort.  It's not that these birds don't WANT to chew and gnaw, they just can't find something worth the effort.

Chewing deficit also is characterized by an obsessive need to chew and gnaw.  Parrots will rampage around your home, chewing on baseboard, furniture, stair railings, everything.  These birds can do a lot of damage in a very short time, after all, they have a chewing deficit they need to pay off.  

So, lets look at your parrots day to day life.  You wake your bird at 7AM, and let him out of his cage while you get ready for work.  At 8.30, when you leave for work, you lock him in his roost/nest for his safety.  His breakfast consists of Pellets, and perhaps some fruit and vegetables as a snack for the day.  

He spends his day looking at the same walls, windows, etc, thru bars.  He shifts his weight from foot to foot because his feet are hurting him from standing on hard, slippery perches.  Climbing the bars of his cage gives him a little exercise, but not much.  He can flap his wings if he's careful, after all, hitting the bars of his cage while flapping his wings hurts.  And, if he we're to hit a blood feather, he could bleed to death right there.  

For lunch, he has more pellets.  They all basically taste the same, and by now, the veggies and snacks are all but gone, and what's left are getting soft and soggy.  

On a good day, he might have a new chew toy, but even if he does, that'll be gone pretty quick.  So, he waits for you to come home.  He waits for his FLOCK to return, you and your family.  And, finally, you do.

Your home, and he's happy.  Now it's MY turn he thinks.  NOW your going to play with me, and take me away from this cage.  Now your going to love him the way you did at the beginning, when you first got him.  

But, you have a family to take care of.  Dinner to cook, mail to read, Laundry to do, all the stuff you and I need to do to run our day to day lives.  So, you let him play on the top of his cage/roost for a little while.  And, guess what, at 7PM, you put him back in his cage, tell him good night and leave him alone again, after all, he needs 12 hours worth of sleep.  And, this is his life, day after day after day after day.......

Don't feel guilty at all.  This is EXACTLY what the parrot industry and so called EXPERTS are telling YOU TO DO.  This is the way your supposed to keep your bird.  Is there any wonder why companion parrots are LITERALLY pulling out their feathers in utter, total frustration and boredom.  

Your bird is telling you he hates his life.  If your 3 year old child pulled out handfuls of hair, you would do what you needed to do to fix the problem.  That's what your bird is doing. The parrot industry and experts way isn't working for YOUR bird.  Well, this is MY WAY of keeping MY PARROTS.  This is exactly what I do, and have been doing for most of my life.  Here it is, take it or leave it.

You HAVE to get your bird away from his cage.  You can't lock a bird in a cage for 20+ hours a day and not have some kinds of psychological problems.  A cage for your bird is no different then a prison cell for people.  And, we put people in prison who do bad things.  Your bird didn't do anything wrong, so why is he being punished.  I know, we all hear of the rampaging parrots wandering around the house destroying things.  Yes, that does happen, but here's why.

A caged bird realizes he's only going to get a few hours of freedom a day.  So, they crave freedom, it's all they have to look foreword to.  And, when they do get freedom, they want to cram as much activity they can while free.  Some birds will also become VELCRO birds.  They refuse to leave your shoulder because they realize that it's either your shoulder or cage.  And, if given that option, they'll choose your shoulder every time.  

Your bird needs their own life.  That doesn't include their cage.  Their cage needs to be where they roost, they need a place to spend their days.  Think about your bird, in the wild.  Where would they spend their days?  That's right, in trees.  Trees are natural for birds, cages aren't.    

Order one of my Play Gyms.  My Play Gyms were designed to provide your bird with a tree to hang out in during the day.  The concept I use when I build my gyms is to provide your bird with a FAVORITE PLACE.   Consider this.  Do you sit in your FAVORITE CHAIR when reading or watching TV?  Do you wear your favorite shoes when you want to be comfortable?  Parrots like favorite places as well.  Give him a treat and he'll take it to his favorite perch to enjoy it.  

My Gyms are made of Bottlebrush.  Bottlebrush is soft and easy to stand on, and doesn't require gripping.  Your bird can stand on Bottlebrush without actually holding on.  When I build a gym, I use a wide variety of perch diameters to prevent foot cramping.  However, it gets better.

Bottlebrush is GREAT for chewing.  The outer bark is like frosting on a cake.  However, Bottlebrush is PERFECT for Gnawing.  So, with one of my gyms, don't waste your money on chew toys.  Consider the branch assembly to be one big chew toy, and after years of chewing and gnawing, you can actually replace the branch assembly and have a brand new gym.

If you bird has a favorite tree, he'll stay there because he wants to.  Plus, my gyms are designed with a tray in the middle so they can't climb down.  So, instead of spending his days locked in a cage, he spends his days living free in a tree.  Once he has freedom, he no longer craves freedom.  His tree has everything he needs and wants, food, water, snacks, comfortable perches, and lots of fun stuff to do.  When he feels the need to chew and gnaw, he can.  Need a nap, sure, want to hang upside down, go ahead.  This is what's natural for birds, what they want.  

I know, you think I'm just in this for the money.  If that we're the case, I would pick up the phone and order a truckload or Manzanita and use Manzanita instead of Bottlebrush.  Or, better yet, PVC.  I can order that by the case, great for me, bad for your bird.  The limiting factor of my business is Bottlebrush.  I can never get enough, and have to harvest and clean it all myself.  But, it's worth it for your bird.  

Am I saying that ONLY my gyms will provide your bird with what they need, to get away from their cages?  Maybe.  My gyms we're designed from the ground up to allow your bird as much out of cage time as possible.  In order to do that, he has to like it there, and want to stay there.  I'm not sure if other gyms will provide that, but mine do.  So, why take a chance on one of those when what I offer was designed to do exactly what your bird needs.   

When you first get your gym, place it next to his cage and allow him to come and go as he pleases.  Pay attention to how many droppings you find in the tray, the more droppings in the tray, the more time he's spending on his gym. 

Am I saying you should leave your bird on one of my Play Gyms?  No, what I'm saying is that you have to change your birds life, right now.  I'm also saying you don't know what you don't know.  Buy one of my gyms for all the benefits they'll provide you and your bird immediately.  

OK, now your bird has a great place he can hang out that doesn't hurt his feet.  He also has freedom, something he doesn't have in his cage.  He can chew and gnaw, and pay down his Chewing Deficit.  We're getting there.

Take the Pellets and return them to the manufacturer.  You can return them to the store you bought them from, but returning them to the manufacturer makes a better statement.  So, if not pellets, what am I feeding my birds.  I'd like to tell you a story.

I used to sell my gyms to a large parrot clinic.  The owner showed me his new line of parrot pellets he was developing.  My comment was, why aren't they soft and moist like dried fruit.  The answer, SHELF LIFE.  Now, this person wrote an article for one of the veterinarian journals about the dangers of seed.  He didn't disclose that he was in the Pellet business in the article.  So, your Vet reads this article and jumps on the SEED IS BAD bandwagon.  Then, in walks the Pellet sales rep and introduces your vet to a great new profit center, PELLETS.  Now, your vet has a financial incentive to recommend pellets over seed and on it goes.

I feed my birds seed, always have and always will.  Seed is what birds eat in the wild, and it's what they like.  I know all about fatty liver disease and all the other potential long term problems seed MIGHT cause your bird.  But, we're dealing with a problem affecting your bird TODAY, and we need to start fixing that problem today. 

In the Jan, 1994 issue of National Geographic, there's a great article called THE MACAWS OF PERU.  In this article, they followed wild Macaws for 2 years.  There primary diet consisted of seeds and nuts.  That's what they eat in the wild, and what they want to eat now. 

Now I have a question for YOU.  Do you ever have a cocktail?  How about fast food?  Ever drink Soda?  Of course, we all do.  And we do it so we have a great life, Quality of life.  Isn't your bird entitled to Quality of Life as well.  My wife and I go dancing every Sat night.  We dance all night, and occasionally, drink to much.  If you told me my Sat nights we're going to shorten my life, I would say fine, it's worth it.

You need to improve your birds quality of life NOW.  Give him seed instead of pellets.  In fact, give him everything you eat.  If I have cereal for breakfast, I drain excess milk and give them some.  Chicken Wings are a favorite, the hotter the better.  Meat is also a favorite.  I know, birds don't eat meat.  Says who?  Ever heard, THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM.  Bugs and grubs are what birds eat, along with seed and nuts. 

When you order your gym, also order a Bottlebrush in-cage perch for roosting.  That's make roosting much more comfortable. 

And speaking of roosting, forget the 12 hours sleep garbage.  If your up till 11PM, keep your bird up with you.  Evenings are the best time to spend with our birds, it's usually the only time we're not busy.  If your bird is tired the next day, they can nap, just like they usually do during the day. 

And, now to my most controversial recommendation.  Here's another story.  If you're eating, finish before you read this.

Your bird, standing on a tree branch poops on the branch below.  Birds above him poop on his branch.  Bugs poop all over the place.  Animals also poop all over.  When it rains, that poop is all mixed together into what I call POOP SOUP, and this poop soup ends up in rivers, puddles and streams.  Now, guess where your bird gets drinking water, that's right, POOP SOUP.  However, it doesn't bother them because they're use to it, and have natural immunities.

I know your told you need to clean and sanitize your birds cage, etc.  I'm not saying don't clean, but I am saying not to disinfect.  Your bird needs to be exposed to stuff so they can develop immunities the same way you and I do. 

Your bird is telling you his life isn't working.  OK, you've done it their way and look where your bird ended up.  Now, try it my way.  You and your bird will be happy you did.

Wayne