My parakeet is plucking chest feathers and has painful bumps. What to do?

Question

My parakeet has plucked all his chest feathers over the past year and now he also had strange bumps on his chest which seem painful. I took him to the vet when the chest plucking began, but they were unable to help. He is likely suffering from stress but still eating and chirping. The bumps are new and quite small, smaller than pinheads. He has always had issues from before I got him, such as being smaller than the average parakeet and lacking a layer of down. Pet's info: Bird | Parakeet | Male | unneutered | 0.1 lbs

Jessica Desrosiers · Accepted Answer

The bumps could be new feathers trying to push through that are being picked right away and preventing Nemo from regrowing them. If he is stress plucking, making sure he is kept somewhere that is less stressful, such as a quieter room, and that he has enrichment such as toys, perches, time with you, etc can help. In some cases, plucking becomes a habit that needs to be stopped, and something such as a birdy flight-suit that covers the chest or an Elizabethan/cone collar (Google has tutorials for making tiny bird sized ones from objects at home) can block him from picking and allow the area to heal.

My parakeet is plucking chest feathers and has painful bumps. What to do?

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