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Thread: Pickle plucks her cage all night long

 
  1. #1
    Junior Member
    09ladybug09's Avatar


    Parrots

    Pickle- Green Cheek Conure, Wall-E- Black Capped Conure

    Exclamation Pickle plucks her cage all night long

    My Green Cheek Conure, Pickle started plucking her cage (making noise with the bar and her beak) 3 weeks ago. She does it all night long. We've had her since Feburary and she never did this before. We did get a new bird about a week before she started this. She's been to the vet and her health is great. She eats and drinks and plays. She and our other bird Wall-E share a cage. They love each other though. One won't go anywhere without the other and the constantly preen each other. So I don't know what could be going on with her. Both birds are female according to their test results. The vet said she's not sure why she would do it all night long. Sometimes she doesn't even do it and she almost never does it during the day. I'm hoping that it's her way of getting use to having another bird with her but I don't know what to do. If she's not sleeping then I'm not sleeping so I really need some help in figuring out what is wrong with her. Pickle is my baby and I don't want anything to happen to her. Please help.

  2. #2
    Super Moderator
    Dragonlady2's Avatar


    Parrots

    Willy-Eclectus, Oliver-alexandrine, Mookie-Senegal, Bella- Australian King, Joey and Peewee- Barrabands, Peachiegirl-Peachfront conure, Pepper- crimson belly conure, Peanut-plum head, Babyblue-parrotlette, Harry and Louie-canaries.
    Welcome to Precisely Parrots! Just a couple of questions. Does Pickle (cute name) have any food in her cage at night? Is her cage covered?
    My crimson bellied conure does this as well, but only during breeding season, which is now. He doesn't do it all night. He is in a separate room with the rest of the birds and the lights are out at 7 pm at night during the winter so there is total darkness.
    Last edited by Dragonlady2; 12-06-2017 at 01:52 PM.

  3. The following user likes this post:

    Quakerella (12-06-2017)

  4. #3
    Senior Member
    Casper's 2nd best friend's Avatar


    Parrots

    Casper, a blue fronted Amazon. Loves banana. Hates plastic bags and red coats.
    Welcome to PP
    I would keep an eye on the cage bars in case she is removing any coating. It may just be a comfort thing that she is doing, like a child sucking its thumb.
    Are they both in the same part of the cage at night?
    As Helena has written keep the cage covered at night. Having his cage covered doesn't stop Casper from sneeking down to his food bowls for a bit of supper.
    And he does sometimes sleep holding on to the bars, or grab them if he is about to fall off his perch (not sure which) - we get an occasional ping and flutter of feathers from under the cover.
    "A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom

  5. The following 2 users like this post:

    Dragonlady2 (12-06-2017), Quakerella (12-06-2017)

  6. #4
    Super Moderator
    Quakerella's Avatar


    Parrots

    8 quaker parakeets, 4 Indian Ringneck parakeets, 3 lovebirds, 5 cockatiels
    My first Quaker used to do this.

    He was in a large cage, but the bars were thinner than the one he is in now. He used to get two bars in his beak and "twang" them like a guitar. He would do this during the day and night until he broke the weld at the corner. Mind you it took a long time for that to happen. I really think he just liked the noise and wanted attention. I got him a cage with the thicker bars that were spaced a little farther apart. He was unable to pluck them and has never done it since.

  7. The following 3 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (12-06-2017), Dragonlady2 (12-06-2017), Lady (12-06-2017)

  8. #5
    Junior Member
    09ladybug09's Avatar


    Parrots

    Pickle- Green Cheek Conure, Wall-E- Black Capped Conure

    Updated info

    Thank you. It started out as a nickname and just stuck because she learned to say it. There is food in her cage and she definately sneaks down to eat it. I use to cover her cage until the second day she did it. I thought that maybe it would help. A day or so after I posted this she pretty much stopped doing it. The only time she does it now is still at night when she should be sleeping but it seems to be only if something wakes her up and she only plucks them a couple of times and falls back asleep. For the most part my other conure Wall-E sleeps right next to Pickle between her and the cage so she reaches around Wall-E to do it. When Pickle does it all night Wall-E sticks her head under the cozy corner and just sleeps no problem and at some point Pickle cuddles up next to Wall-E but will still pluck the bars.




    Quote Originally Posted by Dragonlady2 View Post
    Welcome to Precisely Parrots! Just a couple of questions. Does Pickle (cute name) have any food in her cage at night? Is her cage covered?
    My crimson bellied conure does this as well, but only during breeding season, which is now. He doesn't do it all night. He is in a separate room with the rest of the birds and the lights are out at 7 pm at night during the winter so there is total darkness.

  9. The following 2 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (12-11-2017), Dragonlady2 (12-11-2017)

  10. #6
    Senior Member
    Casper's 2nd best friend's Avatar


    Parrots

    Casper, a blue fronted Amazon. Loves banana. Hates plastic bags and red coats.
    I'm surprised Wall-E doesn't biff her on the beak and tell her "stop making that row cos I'm trying to sleep". They do sound ever so cute

    We would love to see pictures please
    "A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom

  11. The following user likes this post:

    Dragonlady2 (12-11-2017)

  12. #7
    Junior Member
    09ladybug09's Avatar


    Parrots

    Pickle- Green Cheek Conure, Wall-E- Black Capped Conure
    Honestly I’m surprised too. Wall-E is not the type to sit back when she doesn’t like something but once the lights are out Wall-E goes right to bed. Pickle on the other hand will go eat then go to bed.

    Im not sure how to post pictures on here from my phone but I have tons of them on my Instagram. IG @09ladybug09


    Quote Originally Posted by Casper's 2nd best friend View Post
    I'm surprised Wall-E doesn't biff her on the beak and tell her "stop making that row cos I'm trying to sleep". They do sound ever so cute

    We would love to see pictures please

  13. The following 2 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (12-15-2017), Dragonlady2 (12-14-2017)

  14. #8
    Junior Member
    09ladybug09's Avatar


    Parrots

    Pickle- Green Cheek Conure, Wall-E- Black Capped Conure
    UPDATE: Pickle doesn’t do it all the time anymore but the last few weeks she will pluck the bars when it’s time for bed and the lights get turned out. She also does it if my husband or I roll over at night. The last two nights she plucked the bars all night long which means she’s not sleeping so again I don’t sleep. She doesn’t sleep next to the wall either, she literally stretches to reach the top of the cage to pluck it. I don’t know what to do. I stopped covering them up at night and that seemed to help a little but still she does it. My next step would be to take their cage out of our room. She doesn’t do it during the day either so maybe it’s the dark? We have fish tank blue lights but that doesn’t give off much light. Maybe a night light might make her stop?

  15. #9
    Super Moderator
    Quakerella's Avatar


    Parrots

    8 quaker parakeets, 4 Indian Ringneck parakeets, 3 lovebirds, 5 cockatiels
    It is so hard to figure out what causes certain behaviours. Trial and error.
    I would try taking them out of your room and making an area for the cage. At least this way you can get some sleep if the plucking starts and won't stop.
    If pickles plucks the bars in the same area of the cage all the time you could try hanging a bird safe toy from the bars. It may distract her.

  16. The following 3 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (02-05-2018), Dragonlady2 (02-05-2018), Lady (02-07-2018)

  17. #10
    Junior Member
    09ladybug09's Avatar


    Parrots

    Pickle- Green Cheek Conure, Wall-E- Black Capped Conure
    There’s a toy that hangs near the spot already. I’m more worried about her not sleeping because I know it messes with their health. She doesn’t do it dueing the day when she’s in the cage so it has to be something when the lights go out. The vet has no idea what’s wrong with her. She’s her normal self until bedtime.

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