The warm dry air produced by your home’s furnace can dry your companion bird’s feathers which may lead to plucking. Moisturize your pet as you would your own skin this winter.

A couple who are one a pair of our best customers came in yesterday to fill up a shopping cart full of toys for their lucky bird. In spite of their efforts to supply their Moluccan Cockatoo with the most and the best money can offer, he had begun plucking. The bird had been to the vet whose diagnosis for the 3-1/2-year-old was “hormonal.”

If I hadn’t made it clear before – I am no bird expert. I know what I have learned from helping thousands of WindyCityParrot.com customers over the years. But the “hormonal” thing bothered me. I asked myself why don’t all or even half of all Moluccan start plucking when they turn 3?

So I asked these folks some questions:

Were any fans or blowers blowing on the bird? – Ceiling and floor fans, as well as force air registers that blow air near a bird, will ruffle feathers which can cause a bird to over preen. “No – no drafts in the room.”

Lighting – since daylight savings time was he getting enough light? Birds can get depressed like humans.

“Could be a problem”

When did they turn on the furnace for the first time this year?

“Two weeks ago” How long has he been plucking?

“Two weeks.”

We stopped right there.

A Cockatoo’s skin is dry in the best of conditions.

The dry warm air may have been the trigger – The timing is too close not to look at this as a real factor. Birds, just like us humans will experience dry skin in the winter.

Thanx for listening

Catherine Tobsing & Mitch Rezman
Owners
WindyCityParrot.com the

Alex the parrot ara winter free fly flown by car 2012
long video – the parrot does get back to the car safely