Expert: Laura Holmes - 1/15/2007

Question
Thank you for your help/ The owner is a woman, and ive learned the hard way with her. if you try to say anything or suggest anything she feels immediately "challenged" and freezes you out. Ive never met someone like this b4, she claims to be there for the birds, but doesnt do whats neccessary to help them..she doesnt approve on internet researching  either. she tried to tell me its a waste of money to have a goffins dna sexed becasue its the eye color that tells you male or female. i know thats what the thought used to be but that it has been proven to be more an individual thing and its not 100%, but thats just an eample of her outdated thinking.  ill see what i can come up with using the suggestions you offered...again...thank you!
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi, i have come into contact with a parrot shop that i think needs someone to visit. A few of the birds have serious injuries to their necks (as in large scabbed over openings) and some that self mutilate. the owner of the shop will not let people adopt them if they pluck, but she leaves them in stagnant living conditions, does not feed them fresh food or give them regular baths. i understand birds that severly pluck and mutilate can benefit from these things. there is a macaw that has torn open his neck repeatedly and there is an odor coming from the sore. the owner of the shop does not like vets and refuses to use a vet or use anti biotics. some of these birds are truly in need of vet care. i dont know where else to turn, i am having a hard time finding where to go for help. i am in albuquerque nm, any suggestions would be gr8ly appreciated.
thank you
-----Answer-----
Hi,
  I was appalled by your account of this! My first thought is that these birds are desperately in need of veterinary attention. It is in the owners best interests to provide them with this as he is unlikely to sell the birds in this condition and it gives him a bad image. Try talking to the owner or writing him a polite letter highlighting your concern. If this does not help then i would suggest that you take this further and contact your local ASPCA or animal charity who will be able to further investigate the case and if necessary take the man to court over this. This is the last resort and most owners will listen to sense before it comes to that. The ASPCA website is www.ASPCA.org and all their contact details can be found on there. I hope this helps and good luck!

Answer
I hope you have some luck. I've emailed the ASPCA on this matter and they suggested that you should try taking photos of the birds and their living conditions, in particular the feather plucking which if left untreated could be fatal. The feather plucking is down to a disorder called Quaker Mutilation Syndrome (QMS) which is usually down to an underlying physical problem. This condition is only found in caged birds but all reports agree that it is not down to negligence on the owners part.
     However, where the owner you have highlighted is going wrong is that these birds NEED to see a vet immediately so that the cause for this can be identified. Most likely causes are:

Endocrine diseases such as low thyroid levels, progesterone or testosterone imbalances, diabetes
Bacterial-related feather disorders such as bacterial sinusitis, feather folliculitis, Chlamydia
Virus-related/feather disorders such as PBFD, PDD, French molt, Psittacine pox, canary pox
Skin and/or feather infections
Fungal diseases
Internal organ diseases (Quakers are prone to Fatty Liver Disease)
Internal parasites such as roundworms and tapeworm
Internal tumors or kidney disease may cause birds to pluck diseased area
Intestinal, respiratory, or crop infection could result in a hyper-sensitive reaction, which in turn leads to pruritis
Nutritional deficiencies or food allergies
Hormonal imbalances
Guardia
Simple dry, flaky, itchy skin (or the itchy skin could be a secondary result of a medical cause listed above)
Ingested allergens, such as:
---certain proteins
---carbohydrates
---chemical additives (preservatives, colors, or flavors)
Inhaled allergens, such as:
---smoke
---cockatoo dander
---perfumes
---house deodorants
---pollen
---dust mold
Contact allergens, such as:
---laundry detergents
---deodorants
---perfume
---hair products
---litter or nest box material
---newspaper ink

It might be an idea to show this list to the owner of the birds so that she can see the consequences of neglecting to take them to a vet for tests. If the correct cause is diagnosed treatment is relatively simple but without veterinary care the mutilation will only get worse.