feather picking

[willow1466]

I have an albino budgie,  she has stopped cleaning herself and is picking the feathers from under her wings until she bleeds.  She is constantly picking.  She does no;t have mites and her appetite has not changed.  Its like she itches all the times.  She is in a cage with 2 other budies and they do not act like this.

[johngreene]

I have an article that tallks about misting your bird with blue listerine diluted in a spray bottle. The listerine is to kill any fungus that might be causing the feather picking. Then you follow that with a diluted aloe vera gel misting. The aloe keeps the skin and feather shafts moist

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Are you absolutely sure she doesn't have any mites?  Has she been treated for mites just in case?  

Other common cause's for feather picking are Giardiasis or other parasite infestation, zinc or lead poisoning, fungal skin infections, tuberculosis, liver disease, malnutrition or cancer, or behavioral causes.   All the physical causes of feather picking must be eliminated with diagnostic tests before assuming that cause of the feather picking is behavioral.

It would be best for your bird to have a physical exam, bacterial and fungal culture, feather and skin biopsies, blood work to determine lead and zinc levels, as well as CBC and Chemistry profile, and possibly even radiographs.  

At the very least,  please bring a sample of fresh droppings to your vet for analysis, since you may be lucky and it may just be an giardia lambia parasite infection, which is treated with an antibiotic.

Veterinary acupuncture and herbal medicine has been shown to be very effective in helping to eliminate feather picking, especially when traditional treatment is unsuccessful.