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Post by bcmama on Nov 7, 2015 19:49:51 GMT -5
Hi, I am fostering (hope to adopt) a 12 year old Quaker (pretty sure he's a male) named Kosmo. He is a plucker and also self-mutilates. I had him 3 weeks and thought he was doing well, but it turns out he created a wound under his wing, a bad place because it opens every time he raises it. He is now at the vets and likely will be for another week. She has him collared and his wing bandaged down. The thing is, I think Kosmo's problem is chronic, so I'm going to need to be able to put a collar on him myself (the avian vet is far from me and it's hard for me to get out there.) Does anyone collar their own bird? Do you buy them or do your make your own (my vet recommends the latter using plastic and Dr Sholls padded blister tape - you can see an example at my blog on Kosmo: rescuingkosmo.wordpress.com ) If you buy them, where do you get them? Do you collar all the time, only when you see the behavior, only at night, etc?? Thanks in advance for the info. |
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Post by biteybird on Nov 7, 2015 19:55:41 GMT -5
Hi bcmama, I have no experience in this area, but one of our forum members has a quaker who used to self-mutilate. Maybe she will respond to your question and tell you if she used a collar on him or what she used to do. All the best.
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Post by julianna on Nov 8, 2015 14:43:00 GMT -5
Sorry bcmama... I wish I could help Kosmo... but I have never experienced this. Here are some suggestions to help with the plucking... that might help.
Be sure the bird has a diverse, interesting diet and that the diet is offered on a consistent schedule.
Lighting is important. They need full spectrum lighting to properly assimilate calcium. Consider increasing or reducing the duration of daylight to manipulate feather chewing.
The QP might be doing this as a response to perceived abandonment. Be sure they know when you are leaving and reassure them that you will return.
Feather damage can appear as a response to human stress.... so try and create a positive environment.
Sexual stress can also be a problem... however, it usually occurs in a mentally and physically under stimulated bird.
Be sure to include multiple toys of different types so the bird can choose which toys to play with.
A few suggestions to help...
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Post by aaron on Nov 9, 2015 19:45:45 GMT -5
Unfortunately, I have no experience with this kind of situation... but I feel for you, as this must be very difficult to witness. Hopefully some of the others might have more insight for you. Jan and Shah -- do you have any insight that might help with this self-mutilation scenario? |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Nov 10, 2015 3:53:18 GMT -5
I have a mutilator - although I am hoping he is over it as we have found the cause. He had an Elizabeth collar which was a disaster. Look into the flat collars - it is a little easier on them. You need to see if anything is triggering the behaviour. It could be from stress so you need to look at things from his point of view. I found camomile tea in the water helped - although I have heard that camomile isn't good for birds - perhaps someone can advise further on this point. I also used Rescue Remedy (non alcohol kind) in his water - 4 drops. You also need to make sure you are not drawing attention to the wound otherwise he will fiddle with it. And one final word - please be calm when you are near him or handling him. This is so important as he will pick up your stress and react accordingly. Please ask any questions as they come to mind - it is no fun having a mutilator - it took Shah 3 months to get over each bout. Oh, I also used a no pick bird spray - but you cannot use this on the wound. In Australia, the vet put him on F10 ointment for the wound.
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Post by bcmama on Nov 15, 2015 23:51:12 GMT -5
I have a mutilator - although I am hoping he is over it as we have found the cause. He had an Elizabeth collar which was a disaster. Look into the flat collars - it is a little easier on them. You need to see if anything is triggering the behaviour. It could be from stress so you need to look at things from his point of view. I found camomile tea in the water helped - although I have heard that camomile isn't good for birds - perhaps someone can advise further on this point. I also used Rescue Remedy (non alcohol kind) in his water - 4 drops. You also need to make sure you are not drawing attention to the wound otherwise he will fiddle with it. And one final word - please be calm when you are near him or handling him. This is so important as he will pick up your stress and react accordingly. Please ask any questions as they come to mind - it is no fun having a mutilator - it took Shah 3 months to get over each bout. Oh, I also used a no pick bird spray - but you cannot use this on the wound. In Australia, the vet put him on F10 ointment for the wound. Thank you so much for your advice. I've just gotten him back after 2 weeks at the vet. It took them that long to come up with a type of collar that Kosmo could not chew off in a day. They now have some kind of hard plastic "Dicky" collar bolted on him with a softer plastic wide collar over that. He's already half way chewed through the outer one. Since I can't keep running to the vets every couple of days, she showed me how to make my own using plastic and moletape. I will post some pictures on my blog soon if you have time to visit it: www.rescuingkosmo.wordpress.com The vet said he will likely need to be collared for up to a year! I hear what you say about my stress. I am a very emotional person and this situation is causing me a lot of stress and I'm trying to be attentive to him, keep him relatively quiet (he takes terrible tantrums), but also not promote any poor behaviour. I work at home, so I can be with him all day, but I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing. Right now I'm trying to make sure he get's lots of sleep and I'm supplementing his food with birdy pablum which he is crazy for and seems to calm him a lot. He is also on medications like antibiotics and antiinflamitories. He doesn't drink water unless he's in the bath, which he is almost every day, he loves water. I've been trying to see what sets him off, but with the collar on, it's hard to tell. Now, I think he's just itchy from the wound healing. I'm so desperate to see this little guy through this. I honestly think I'm his last hope as I believe he was surrendered over a year ago to the vet and he does not do well at rescue centers. I need to search for answers till I find the right ones, but my time is somewhat limited with my job. Any good resource sites you know of would be very much appreciated, as is your offer to contact you with questions, which I may do. Cheers! |
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Post by Jan and Shah on Nov 16, 2015 1:39:49 GMT -5
If the bird has been at the vet for 2 weeks, he will be extremely stressed. While the vet was probably the best place for him, they don't cope well with the noise and activity. You only need to collar him until the wound is healed and the new skin appears. He will be itchy from the scab. I forgot to mention that I also gave Shah a warm water bath with aloe vera in it to help settle any itches. It is really important that when you see the bird, you put on your happy face and be positive. You can try distracting him from the behaviour by getting out a toy or something like that. Don't give him food as a distraction as he will associate it with being rewarded for the behaviour. I cant advise you on any sites as I dealt directly with the vet and the people here on the forum. I tried a lot of things and it is really hard not drawing attention to what they are doing. But you must be calm and keep trying. Time and patience really help. Never give up. You can also try some birdy massage to help him. Just use one finger and do circles - use a light touch - not too light that it is ticklish. Massage around the beak area and cheeks - they usually like it in these areas. Keep posting if you need help and/or support. It is tough when you have a mutilator and can be very intense. What is his diet like?
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Post by easttex on Nov 16, 2015 5:31:42 GMT -5
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sara
Hatchling
Posts: 6
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Post by sara on Dec 15, 2015 10:43:39 GMT -5
I have no experience with self mutilating Quakers but I do have a lot of experience with cones. My poor baby had a broken foot and he needed to wear a cone. We changed that stupid thing daily. It became part of the routine and we had fun writing "this side up" on the cone. We tried wrapping it with a bandana fabric to make it cozier. We used the plastic stuff the vet gave us but he chewed right through that. We eventually just used thick poster board paper. He still chewed through it but I imagine it was much more cozy than that sharp plastic. I only needed to do this for a week. But we did have to change it daily. I hope you have better luck with a good cone  Kudos for loving a high maintenance birdy. Hope he feels better soon <3 |
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