African Grey pulling all his feathers out...

[miissty]

Hi,
          I have a 16 year old male African Grey. About two years ago he started pulling his feathers out.. I am home with him all day and he is around us all the time.. He is not really tame as I didn't get him until he was two. I have tried everything.. vitamins, different foods, Listerine in a spray bottle, taking him out more, heated perch, new toys.. even baby interactive toys..nothing is working.. A week ago it started to get worst and he has spots that are starting to bleed.. I just don't know what to do with him. I would leave him out of his cage but I have two cats and two dogs and don't want him to get hurt..I bought him a macaw cage so he has lots of room.. Is it two late to get him a mate and could that be his problem..
Any info would be appreciated..
Thank you...

[AfricanGrey]

Very first thing would be a visit to an avian vet to rule out any illness.  Have you already seen a vet specializing in birds?  Do you need help finding one in your area?  Sometimes it can be behavioral, but many times it is physical, it could be an infection in the crop, internally, hormonal imbalance, the list goes on and on.  My grey (had her for 15 years) started picking and I tried everything I could- vitamins, toys, attention.  You name it.  I did this for a year.  Turns out she was sick with a bacterial infection (poor baby she suffered for a long time).  It was a very hard lesson.  Try a vet first.

[caregiver222]

Yeah. See a vet. A bacterial infection is a good guess. We had an Gray for fifteen years and they are the best birds of all. I went through Macaws, Blue and Gold and Red, parakeets, cockatiels, pigeons, canaries and a few other varieties, but the African Grey is the most intelligent and most human of all the birds. If you get them young and treat them well they will become true life-long friends and companions. The African Grey is the champion of pet birds.

[blondeinga35]

how do you use the listerine in the bottle how do you dulite it