I feel I've failed her...

[Sondra]

A good way to make cleaning easier is to line the grate with paper in layers, this way all you have to do is pull a layer every morning or every night, it also will give them paper to shred which will keep her busy.  Also toss some popsicle stix in the cage ($1 at the dollar store), quakers are known to use them to weave them, raffia is another busy bird maker. During hormone times it's best to keep them occupied, a busy bird doesn't have time to pluck.

[LittleBeaks]

A good way to make cleaning easier is to line the grate with paper in layers, this way all you have to do is pull a layer every morning or every night, it also will give them paper to shred which will keep her busy.  Also toss some popsicle stix in the cage ($1 at the dollar store), quakers are known to use them to weave them, raffia is another busy bird maker. During hormone times it's best to keep them occupied, a busy bird doesn't have time to pluck.

I've heard about that but never tired it. They don't get dirty very fast so I change the papers ever few days.
I've tried popsicle sticks before but she wants nothing to do with them. Crazy Quaker.    Also I have some raffia woven stuff to put through the bars. I made her a fleecey swing with a plain metal and wooden dowel swing from petsmart I found amongst all my bird toy making supplies. Makes a nice preening buddy.  And she's loving the paper towels shoved in the cage bars.

Another thing I'm factoring into her plucking is I clipped her wings a few weeks back and that's when this all started.
Just a thought...

[Sondra]

Have you tried giving her straws? usually clipping won't cause plucking that I have heard, but hey, I'm still learning too.    A cool foraging toy is plain unfinished small baskets stuffed with whatever dry foods you feed (even a few seeds dropped into the bottom), also if you can find real small boxes you can put some dry foods in there too. Our wee conure, Max LOVES boxes to shred & all our birds love to shred baskets and play with straws. I must tell you I give Max big boxes as he's way past being hormonal so he doesn't try to make them his nest, he's an OLD bird - about 40 years old. With all birds the busier they are the happier they will be, also a hormonal bird or a plucker won't be as self destructive if they are kept busy - during hormone season toys are blown through very quickly here! 

[LittleBeaks]

I got some cheap new take out style boxes and put millet in them. It hangs from the rope that goes from one corner of the room to the other. Pablo and her lot it! They hang upside down to try and get some tasty treat. 
I was just looking at some info about it. I guess it's because the cut feathers annoy they, touch their sides and so on, and so they pluck.  It literally started a few days after and it seems the busier she is the more she doesn't take interest in ripping her pretty self apart.

I have so many straws in the birdy toy making bins I'll give her some tomorrow. It's faby bed time. 

[Jadesmom]

My QP Jade started not only to pluck, but mutilate and take chunks of flesh out of her chest. After much $$$ at the vet, labs, a collar, and she is still shaky on this. I had her wear sock buddies for about a year and she is good now for a while, then BAM, out of no where, here we go again. Don't feel guilty. Sometimes they just do it. One of my budgies plucks herself bald. Vet checked again. Sometimes it just is what it is. 

[Nakia]

Hey LittleBeaks, let me tell you about my Roscoe. He's my normal Catalina macaw & he is totally bonded to me. Always ready to climb onto my arm when I go into his side of the aviary.  Truly has no issues whatsoever as far as abuse, fear, things like that. I've owned him since he was 4 1/2 months old.

Ok, so back in Sept. he was getting quite a few new feathers on & around his head. In other words, he was feeling quite prickly. It was also the time I had to get them up at 4:00 am each morning to feed them. I work nights & get in around 7:30 am on the 4 night's a week I work. Their lights are already on when I get home & they get fed shortly afterwards. All is well with my usual schedule. But, this particular week my hubby & I had to go to in service for our work. That caused us to have to get up at 3:00 am each morning, feed the fiddies at 4 & be out of the house by 5:00 am to drive the 65 miles to our classes. We would get home around 6:30 pm & I didn't have much time to interact with my feathered kids.

So Roscoe barbered his feathers just under his chin. He never plucked any of them, just clipped them down to the grey fluff  feathers. It really made me feel horrible knowing that it was a,combination of the change in routine, prickly pin feathers itching & me not having time to shower him & lack of interaction r his being able to get out for even a few mins. on his play perch. He is just now growing New feathers in the barbered spot & every time he preens them I cringe worrying he will go too far again. And he might, it can become a abit they have a hard time breaking once they start.

None of the rest of the flock was really upset about the change & Roscoe is my most well adjusted bonded parrot! So, I just wanted to let you know that it happens. It happens when you least expect it & to the ones you think will never pluck or over preen. I do know how you feel about letting your Cleo down & feeling like a bad patting, but you definitely are not a bad parront. A bad parront would never care or worry about a sudden serve of plucking. And we have done it before on here for other members, so if Cleo turns out to need to see the vet like an emergency or even for the routine checkup, I am willing to help by donating to help with bill.

Ok, please excuse all the typo errors. I'm on my 'smart phone' at work & the damn keyboard is nor big enough for my fingers! I'd put a hug you emocon on here for you, but it is just too darn hard to tap the right one on this. :)

[LittleBeaks]

I'm at work on a smart phone as well    so ill reply again when I get home but I just wanted to thank you for your kind words.

[LittleBeaks]

Hey LittleBeaks, let me tell you about my Roscoe. He's my normal Catalina macaw & he is totally bonded to me. Always ready to climb onto my arm when I go into his side of the aviary.  Truly has no issues whatsoever as far as abuse, fear, things like that. I've owned him since he was 4 1/2 months old.

Ok, so back in Sept. he was getting quite a few new feathers on & around his head. In other words, he was feeling quite prickly. It was also the time I had to get them up at 4:00 am each morning to feed them. I work nights & get in around 7:30 am on the 4 night's a week I work. Their lights are already on when I get home & they get fed shortly afterwards. All is well with my usual schedule. But, this particular week my hubby & I had to go to in service for our work. That caused us to have to get up at 3:00 am each morning, feed the fiddies at 4 & be out of the house by 5:00 am to drive the 65 miles to our classes. We would get home around 6:30 pm & I didn't have much time to interact with my feathered kids.

So Roscoe barbered his feathers just under his chin. He never plucked any of them, just clipped them down to the grey fluff  feathers. It really made me feel horrible knowing that it was a,combination of the change in routine, prickly pin feathers itching & me not having time to shower him & lack of interaction r his being able to get out for even a few mins. on his play perch. He is just now growing New feathers in the barbered spot & every time he preens them I cringe worrying he will go too far again. And he might, it can become a abit they have a hard time breaking once they start.

None of the rest of the flock was really upset about the change & Roscoe is my most well adjusted bonded parrot! So, I just wanted to let you know that it happens. It happens when you least expect it & to the ones you think will never pluck or over preen. I do know how you feel about letting your Cleo down & feeling like a bad patting, but you definitely are not a bad parront. A bad parront would never care or worry about a sudden serve of plucking. And we have done it before on here for other members, so if Cleo turns out to need to see the vet like an emergency or even for the routine checkup, I am willing to help by donating to help with bill.

Ok, please excuse all the typo errors. I'm on my 'smart phone' at work & the damn keyboard is nor big enough for my fingers! I'd put a hug you emocon on here for you, but it is just too darn hard to tap the right one on this. :)

Thank you so much. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever offered to do for me. I hope it doesn't come to that though. 
As for Cleo she is looking a LOT better. She has lots of pin feathers and fuzz. From what I can see she hasn't plucked any new feathers. She is also getting in a few new tail feather which I am very happy about because a lot of them fell out when she tried to fly right after I clipped her (despite me trying to catch her mid air...crazy bird  ) She's been chewing a lot which I think is really helping her. I made a toy out of coffee filters yesterday. I put some strips of paper and tickets in there and she's loving it.  I'll try and get a picture of her soon. Again thank you all for your advice.

[LittleBeaks]

A couple pictures to show her progress...

[Sondra]

My goodness! When you said she plucked her vent I had zero idea she had her chest plucked also. That is quite common in quakers for some reason, chest and legs. I'd still get her to the vet just to rule out anything medical though. 

[LittleBeaks]

Her chest is fine, she hasn't even touched it. It's her lower belly that was plucked a bit. She did that the day my mom forgot to put their water back in their cage. By mistake of course. She hasn't touched it since. And I'm really surprised that all that fluff is there. Days ago she would have already plucked them out.
You can see the rest of her body in the pictures I posted in the other thread. 

[Sondra]

Cool! I see, it really is down by her vent. In the close ups it looked farther up on her body.  Yeah, could be an egg, birds will sometimes reabsorb an egg, but unless you know what you're feeling for and how to feel, it's best to have a vet look at her, even if you don't get blood work (which will rule out medical, but is expensive).

[LittleBeaks]

Cool! I see, it really is down by her vent. In the close ups it looked farther up on her body.  Yeah, could be an egg, birds will sometimes reabsorb an egg, but unless you know what you're feeling for and how to feel, it's best to have a vet look at her, even if you don't get blood work (which will rule out medical, but is expensive).

Haha yeah it's all down low on her. I read that they pluck when hormonal down there because of the heat or something? I forget what it said exactly. I'll go look for it again.  I'm going to go check out her vent area...see if anything feels or looks different. She stopped laying eggs a few weeks ago but you never know.

[Nakia]

Awww, hopefully once the breeding season stuff for Cleo gets out of her system she will grow her panties back & keep herself dressed like Ditty's Yoshi. Guess ya'll are gonna have to put those two little half dressed hussys in a burlesque show.   T hey love to show off their little fannies, they might as well get paid good for it. LOL

[LittleBeaks]

Awww, hopefully once the breeding season stuff for Cleo gets out of her system she will grow her panties back & keep herself dressed like Ditty's Yoshi. Guess ya'll are gonna have to put those two little half dressed hussys in a burlesque show.   T hey love to show off their little fannies, they might as well get paid good for it. LOL

Yeah...go make your own living.