Skin and Feather Disorders of Pet Birds

Feather cysts form when a developing feather can't break through the bird's skin and instead curls up inside the feather follicle (the base of the feather out of which the feather grows), becoming trapped under the skin. As the feather grows, a lump or mass (cyst) forms in the skin. In parrots, feather cysts are most often found in the primary wing feathers.

Feather cysts can occur in any bird but are especially common in blue-and-gold macaws and certain canaries. They can be caused by hereditary factors or by trauma or infection of the follicle. Feather cysts can form singly, or a bird can have numerous cysts simultaneously.

To treat these cysts, a veterinarian must surgically remove the affected follicles. If the follicle is not removed, the cyst usually returns.

Feather plucking (now called "feather destructive behavior") in birds ranges from mildly excessive preening to severe self‑mutilation of feathers and skin. Causes include medical conditions (more extensive diseases, skin inflammation or infection, cancer, malnutrition, reactions to toxins) and psychological problems (stress, boredom, sexual frustration).

In the wild, birds are busy searching for food, avoiding predators, and raising young, so plucking is rare. As pets, even well‑cared‑for birds might pluck. Birds that pluck their feathers are often more territorial and aggressive, or display sexual behavior toward people or objects.

In pet birds, malnutrition is likely one of the most common factors contributing to feather destructive behavior. Diets based on seeds or table food often lack essential nutrients that birds need for healthy skin and feathers, and they can contribute to plucking, as well as to other diseases.

Other factors, including lack of natural sunlight and fresh air, inappropriate humidity, and disruption of normal day‑night cycles, also can affect birds physically and mentally and might contribute to feather destructive behavior.

Behavioral causes of feather plucking, such as boredom or sexual frustration, are usually suspected when medical causes are not found. Treatment might include hormone therapy (to decrease sexual behaviors) and increased environmental enrichment with toys and activities.

Several different approaches can be used to treat feather destructive behavior. After medical causes are treated or ruled out, environmental changes might help decrease plucking. Here's what you can do to enrich your pet bird's environment and discourage feather destructive behavior:

• Provide daily sunlight, either outdoors in a safe cage (away from wild birds or predators) or indoors under an ultraviolet (UV) bulb designed for birds.

• Ensure that your bird gets uninterrupted sleep at night and naps if desired.

• Spend regular, scheduled time interacting with your bird to lower its anxiety.

• Provide a variety of toys, and change or move them regularly to maintain your bird's interest.

• Observe plucking behavior to identify possible triggers. Do not accidentally reward plucking with attention or scolding, Instead, give your bird attention only when it is not plucking.

• Bathe or mist your bird regularly. Increasing humidity keeps the skin from drying out and might lessen feather plucking. How often you should bathe or mist your bird depends on the species. Many rainforest birds enjoy daily bathing. Birds from drier climates might need to be bathed only once a week. Bathing encourages normal preening and discourages plucking. Ask your veterinarian how often you should bathe your bird.

• Keep your bird occupied by offering small amounts of interesting new foods, such as pasta shapes, spray millet, bread, unsweetened cereals, or bean mixes.

• Avoid situations that might trigger plucking. For example, if your bird dislikes having its feathers stroked, allow it to perch on your hand without touching its body.

• Avoid stroking your bird's back, which can stimulate sexual behavior and hormones, especially in cockatoos, and contribute to sexual frustration associated with plucking.

• Schedule regular follow‑ups with an avian veterinarian or other individual experienced with bird behavior to develop a behavior modification plan. Several visits might be needed before you find what works best for your specific bird.

Even with good medical care and environmental enrichment, some birds continue to pluck to a mild degree. Stress, boredom, and other psychological factors might trigger plucking, and the habit might continue even after the original inciting stress is gone.

A thorough understanding of your bird’s environment and behaviors around the time plucking began is important for successful treatment. Some birds improve with simple changes, like moving their cage to a more social area.

Others require a combination of environmental changes and medical treatments such as hormones or antianxiety drugs. These medications might have side effects, and often the results are not permanent. Acupuncture and omega fatty acid supplements sometimes are helpful. Speak to your veterinarian about which therapies might work best to help prevent feather picking in your bird.

A variety of bacteria can cause inflammation and secondary infection of the skin in birds. Dirty environmental conditions and poor nutrition often contribute. Young birds are especially vulnerable. Veterinarians can identify the bacteria that cause these infections and prescribe appropriate antibiotics.

Fungal infections can also affect the skin:

• Ringworm (also called dermatophytosis) is occasionally reported and it can infect people.

• In rare cases, Cryptococcus fungi can cause infection in birds’ faces, and they can infect people too.

• Malassezia yeast has been found in some feather‑plucking birds with skin irritation.

• Candida yeast and Aspergillus fungus also can infect birds’ skin.

In all cases of fungal infection, your veterinarian will first run tests to identify the fungus and then prescribe treatment such as antifungal medications given by mouth or applied to the skin.

Psittacine beak and feather disease is caused by a circovirus. The name is somewhat misleading, because beak deformities and severe feather changes are less common than was originally thought.

Psittacine beak and feather disease affects both wild and pet birds. Testing by veterinarians and breeders has greatly decreased the incidence of this disease in cockatoos, but it still occurs in African grey parrots, Eclectus parrots, lovebirds, lorikeets, and other parrots native to Asia, Africa, or Australia.

The viral infection that causes psittacine beak and feather disease affects mainly young birds and rarely occurs in birds older than 3 years. Symptoms include feather loss in areas the bird can't reach (such as the top of its head), abnormal-looking pin feathers (the tiny feathers that emerge from the skin when a bird molts) or mature feathers, and lack of powder down in species like African grey parrots and cockatoos that normally produce this substance on their feathers. Colored feathers might lose their coloration.

Some forms of psittacine beak and feather disease progress quickly, causing only a few days of weakness and then sudden death.

The virus spreads through direct contact with infected birds and through feather dust, dander, and dried droppings. It can be passed from adults to chicks and can persist in unused nest boxes for months or years. The virus is very hardy in the environment and can survive many disinfectants.

Birds infected with this virus should be isolated. Euthanasia is often recommended because there is no cure for psittacine beak and feather disease. However, supportive care can improve the quality and length of an infected bird's life.

To prevent infection, strict hygiene, dust control via thorough cage cleaning, diagnostic testing to screen for infection, and long quarantine periods for new birds and birds involved in breeding programs, are recommended.

Birds normally lose and replace most of their feathers at least once a year (through the process of molting) and often have a partial molt about 6 months later. In North America, many birds undergo a major molt between mid‑February and mid‑March. South American parrots often skip an autumn molt, and some parrots native to Asia, Africa, or Australia, especially cockatiels, might lose feathers in early September.

It is important to distinguish between normal molting and abnormal feather loss. Normal molting is a slow, gradual process. Abnormal feather loss can be slow and partial or sudden and complete. Feathers that are molted are generally whole and not typically damaged, as opposed to feathers that are plucked, which can be shredded or chewed on.

• Also see professional content regarding pet birds.