There are many causes for feather destruction in Eclectus parrots. From boredom, unhappy environments, itchy skin, food imbalance or allergies, over preening as juveniles. There are many plucking sprays available in shops that’re supposed to cure plucking & many parrot owners opt for trying these first but finding the cause of plucking can be hard & a long process & plucking cannot be cured without knowing what has started it in the first place. Plucking sprays are often no more than simple quick fixes if they work, many don’t work at all.
One of the easiest ways to tell if your Eclectus is plucking is by looking at the tip of his feathers that have come out. If he’s pulled them out the feathers can look chewed &/or have blood on tips. The feathers can also look like they've been over preened (thinned out). If they’ve moulted out naturally you won't see any blood on the feather tips & the feathers should look clean & in one peace.
Juvenile Eclectus parrots can often over preen while learning to preen. It’s very common in the Eclectus.You can gather all the moulted feathers up & make a preener to hang on the perch. This can encourage them to practice their preening without destroying their own feathers. Most Eclectus parrots get over their over preening stage but sometimes over preening can lead to feather plucking if the Eclectus isn’t discouraged from too much over preening of his own feathers. Bathing will also assist & mist spray using natural aloe juice, undiluted, will benefit. Lack of bathing can cause some over preening if the skin becomes dry & irritated for the Eclectus.
Eclectus parrots are generally not a needy bird . Most are quite happy to entertain themselves as long as they have a large enough toy selection, toys are rotated often & they have plenty of space to move around. But they still need human interaction. Boredom can sometimes lead to plucking. Many parrot owners complain that their Eclectus is plucking & they have supplied them with numerous toys. No amount of toys & space will make them happy if they don’t spend quality time with their human owners. You can't place an Eclectus in a large space, full of all the toys & expect it to be satisfied if it never gets to spend enough time with their humans.
An unhappy household can lead to plucking. Anti social behaviour by other parrots can also lead to your Eclectus plucking. The stress of being placed with another parrot that it is not compatible can lead to plucking. If your Eclectus is unhappy within it’s environment then you need to act on this by removing the problem.
Hormones can cause the Eclectus parrots to pluck. The need to breed can become very frustrating for some Eclectus parrots. The hormonal periods are the only times your Eclectus will pluck.
The male can also become a plucker if paired up with a female that comes across as being too bossy.
