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Why is my lovebird losing feathers around its eyes and acting alone?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My lovebird's feathers near eyes are coming off. The underneath skin is visible now. It keeps itself alone nowadays.

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1 Answer

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Answered By Rebeccah Wood

Licensed Veterinary Technician, Registered Laboratory Animal Technologist

Published on July 28th, 2017

Hello! There are several issues that might be going on with your bird. Mites are a common cause of feather loss on the face. There are certain bacterial and fungal infections that can cause this as well. I noticed that your parakeet also has a cagemate - is it possible that the other bird is over-preening this bird? The only way to determine the cause of the issue is to visit your veterinarian - preferably, a vet that is comfortable treating birds, or a bird-specific vet. The vet will likely take feather and skin samples from your bird and look at them under the microscope to try to determine the cause. There isn't much that you can safely do at home to treat mites, bacteria, or fungi, so visiting your vet is the best way to get your bird the treatment he needs. Best of luck!

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