African Grey lab samples

RE: African Grey lab samples

Liz Barton — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 22:40:48 GMT

A practice I worked at had an African Grey in the waiting room for years... until it's feather plucking became too embarrassing, and it was re-homed to a lovely family who were clients. Hey ho, feather plucking stopped (certainly for the short term... I'm not sure what happened in the longer term).

RE: African Grey lab samples

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 14:40:43 GMT

[quote user="Elisabeth Knappett"]but they wish to rule out underlying illness[/quote]

Quite rightly

[quote user="Elisabeth Knappett"]before deciding on behavioural modification meds (if there are any!)[/quote]

There are! But not magic solutions. Can be part of the treatment.

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]It is very depressing. 2 problems:[/quote]

Basically one problem: people keep parrots.

RE: African Grey lab samples

Elisabeth Knappett — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 09:23:02 GMT

Thanks very much - I have already suggested to her owners that this is far more likely to be a behavioural issue than a medical one, but they wish to rule out underlying illness before deciding on behavioural modification meds (if there are any!). Will get in touch with Pinmoore and see what they suggest!

RE: African Grey lab samples

Gillian Mostyn — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 22:13:27 GMT

[quote user="Marie Kubiak"]Pinmoore animal laboratories are very good for avian samples (and very helpful with discussions before and after as needed!).[/quote]

Ditto. Strongly recommend them.

[quote user="Marie Kubiak"](and feel demoralised and despairing of human-parrot exploitation!!).[/quote]

It is very depressing. 2 problems:

-people hand rear parrots, spend vast amounts of time interacting with them, parrot thinks they are also a hooman. Then eventually parrot gets ignored and left in a small cage. No surprise that it is psychologically screwed.

- people buy a parent reared bird, that is terrified of humans, and then doesn't take time and patience to build their confidence. They get cheesed off pretty quickly with getting bitten and scratched and eventually parrot gets ignored and left in a small cage. No surprise that it is psychologically screwed.

So very sad.

RE: African Grey lab samples

Marie Kubiak — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 19:11:51 GMT

Pinmoore animal laboratories are very good for avian samples (and very helpful with discussions before and after as needed!). Worth having a frank discussion with the owner beforehand to make it clear that most grey parrots plucking are multifactorial social/behavioural issues. Even if a medical problem is found and sorted, the plucking issues may never clear. I have more detailed articles on plucking I can send you if you want to get into the minutiae (and feel demoralised and despairing of human-parrot exploitation!!).

Marie