- Feb 25, 2020
- in Article
IS YOUR BIRD SUFFERING FROM DRY WINTER SKIN?
Humans and dogs aren’t the only ones that can suffer from dry winter skin, birds definitely do as well! Luckily, it’s not something neither you nor your feathered friend need to live with! Dry, itchy flaky skin can be caused by many factors and all of them have a solution.
Be aware that birds naturally scratch to keep their feathers clean and it is a natural behavior as, in the wild, it helps prepare for flight. Molting may lead to more scratching, but dry skin and other irritants can be eliminated.
Common Causes of Dry Skin
The five most common causes of poor skin health in your bird are:
- Dry Skin
- Low Humidity
- Food Allergies
- Environmental contaminants or pollutants.
- Insufficient Bathing
- Nutritional Deficiencies
- Mites or Lice. This is not as common in house birds but it can happen.
Of course, there can be more serious reasons such as diabetes and liver disease. Always consult your vet if the plucking seems like it’s not improve or your are concerned.
What You Can Do To Help:
This condition in your feathered friend can easily be treated and remedied. Take these simple steps to relieve itching and feather plucking and your friend will stay the happy and beautiful bird he/she was meant to be!
A Tepid Bath: Low humidity in the home is a common problem. Most of your feathered friends are built for a rain forest type of environment and chances are your home is not that way! A bird can be bathed or receive a simple misting several times a week. A bath is a great way to rid you bird of dust and dead skin cells. A shallow dish for self bathing is a good option also. Some people used water soaked plant leaves for birds to roll around in. This is another natural behavior for birds.
Increase Humidity: Birds often molt in the fall and winter months and those are most likely the months when our homes are the driest. Adding bird safe plants, air humidifiers and a table top water fountain are some of the best ways to make the environment avian friendly. The Areca Palm is not only a superior humidifier, it is also one of the top air purifying plants and fairly low maintenance. The Bamboo plant and a Boston Fern are also great for this purpose.
King’s Cages has top quality air purifiers that will be the perfect fit!
Use Aloe Vera: Aloe Vera is a natural analgesic, has great homeopathic properties and the most widely used product to sooth dry, prickly skin. You can use a Aloe Vera based shampoo or distill it in a spray bottle, but make sure it’s a bird-safe type! Other types of popular remedies are coconut oil and vitamin E oil for scratches or feet cuts. These are items you can buy at the grocery store and coconut oil can be added to food. For best results, use unrefined and unprocessed oil.
It is not recommended to use any product based with petroleum jelly, it is not good for your bird’s health!
All of King’s Cages bird bath products are crafted with care from only the best ingredients that are safe and natural.
Keep Mites and Lice Off! Many shampoos and misters will have ingredients that will keep your feathered friend free of infestation! However, there are always sprays on the market that will make sure the cage is clean and pest free. Always make sure the product is non toxic, avian safe and alcohol free!
Food Allergens: Birds are susceptible to food allergies just like most animals, however, they can be harder to test. The process of elimination is pretty much the only way. Your bird usually displays other symptoms if they are having food allergies or allergies to candles, cleaners, perfumes, etc. And those include red eyes, wheezing and sneezing. Make sure your pet is on a healthy and nutritious diet.
Bird’s itch, sneezing might be caused by allergies
Birds are wonderful and beautiful companions and as a bird parent, you want to make sure their feathers stay beautiful and that they are content and happy! An itchy bird is an angry bird, and that’s a bad thing!
King’s Cages is your trusted partner in making sure your birds diet, environment, bath products and feathers are the best out there! Feel free to download our catalog.
We have a superior learning center and a wide variety of products that will ensure the optimum health of your feathered friend.
Try these tips and see some great results! We would love your feedback and comments.
Also check out Pluck No More – one of our top sellers for beautiful feathers!
