Birds pulling hair is a behavior that many pet owners have witnessed, often to their confusion and frustration. But what drives birds to pull out hair, feathers, and fur? As with any animal behavior, the reasons behind it can be complex, but when it comes to birds, there are some common explanations.
Preening and Bonding
One of the most natural reasons birds pull fur and hair is for preening. Preening is when birds use their beaks to groom themselves and others. They straighten feathers, remove debris, and distribute oil across their plumage to condition it. It’s an instinctive maintenance behavior.
When pet birds bond closely with their human caretakers, they will often try to preen them too. To a bird, human hair looks just like feathers and fur looks just like downy fluff. So they tug and pull at hair/fur to try and “preen” humans. It’s often a sign of affection and close bonding between pet and human.
Boredom and Anxiety
Sometimes birds will overpreen their human flock members to the point of pulling out hair. This can be a sign of boredom or anxiety. Birds are highly intelligent, active animals that need constant enrichment and interaction. Without enough stimulation, they can develop behavioral issues like obsessive feather plucking or hair pulling.
Stress and anxiety can also cause abnormal preening. Birds that lack proper social bonding, have a poor diet, or live in a stressful environment may compulsively pull out fur/hair as a self-soothing mechanism. It’s the equivalent of nail biting or hair twirling in humans.
Medical Causes
In rarer cases, excessive hair/fur pulling might signal an underlying medical issue. Birds can develop neurotic behaviors when they have:
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Hormonal imbalances
- Foreign objects stuck in their crop
- Exposure to toxins like lead or zinc
- Neurological disorders
So if a bird suddenly starts over-preening and it’s accompanied by other symptoms like appetite changes or lethargy, it’s important to get them checked by an avian veterinarian. Medical issues can often resolve obsessive picking behaviors.
Attention-Seeking Behavior
Some birds learn that pulling hair gets them attention, even if it’s negative attention. So they continue the behavior as a way to interact with their owners. It’s best not to yell at or punish birds for this, as it just reinforces the hair pulling.
Instead, try redirecting their energy into more positive pursuits. Give them puzzle toys, foraging activities, or training sessions to stimulate their brains. And make sure to shower them with praise and affection when they engage in desired behaviors.
Dominance and Territorial Behavior
Less commonly, some birds may pull hair as an assertion of dominance or territorial display. In the wild, feather plucking is used to put flock members “in their place” within the pecking order. The same can apply to bonded pet birds if they view their human caretakers as part of their flock.
Territorial breeds like Amazon parrots may grab hair when defending their “turf” too. This is often accompanied by lunging, beak grinding, screeching, or biting. Again, scolding the bird is counterproductive here. It’s better to remove them from the situation and give them a timeout to calm down.
Nesting and Brooding Behavior
Birds that view their humans as mates may pull fur/hair for nest lining. During breeding seasons, hormonally charged birds will frantically gather anything fluffy or stringy to line their nest boxes. This includes loose feathers/fur from their perceived mate.
Similarly, broody hens may pluck their own breast feathers to expose warm skin for egg incubation. A broody hen bonding to humans could potentially start pulling hair to replicate this brooding nest. Adjusting lighting schedules, limiting petting, and rearranging cages can curb nesting behaviors.
How to Stop Hair Pulling in Birds
If a bird’s hair pulling becomes excessive, there are some training tactics owners can try to discourage it:
- Put bitter anti-preening creams on areas getting plucked
- Trim feathers around the beak to reduce grip strength
- Block access to hair/fur with clothing or barriers
- Distract them with toys when they go to pull
- Reward them with treats for calmly interacting without pulling
- Say a firm “No” and remove them from the situation
- Redirect the behavior by offering them rope toys to shred instead
It’s also vital to identify and address the root cause of obsessive pulling, whether it stems from boredom, stress, attention-seeking, or medical issues. A vet can help diagnose potential health problems contributing to the behavior.
When to See an Avian Vet
Consult an avian veterinarian if:
- The bird is pulling out abnormal amounts of their own feathers/down
- They have other accompanying symptoms like appetite loss, lethargy, or tremors
- The behavior started suddenly instead of gradually
- Feather damaging is causing wounds, bleeding, or infection
- Training tactics and environmental changes do not curb the hair pulling after a few weeks
Early veterinary intervention is recommended to diagnose and treat any underlying medical conditions. Medications or supplements may be prescribed in some cases to control obsessive feather damaging behaviors.
Preventing Hair Pulling
To help minimize excessive preening of human hair/fur in the first place:
- Provide a calcium-rich diet with fruits, vegetables, and omega fatty acids
- Ensure the bird gets 10-12 hours of darkness/sleep per night
- Reduce petting around head, neck and back regions
- Curb reproductive behaviors like regurgitating food or arranging nests
- Keep the bird’s environment clean and stress-free
- Give them lots of toys, perches, and foraging activities
- Shower them with affection during calm, relaxed interactions
Meeting all their mental and physical needs is key to preventing obsessive hair pulling and feather damaging behaviors in pet birds.
Conclusion
Hair pulling and obsessive preening are common but complex bird behaviors. With empathy, patience and proper training techniques, owners can often curb the hair pulling while still maintaining a close bond with their feathered companion.
But if the underlying physical or mental causes go unaddressed, the problem will likely return and may escalate over time. Working closely with an avian vet allows pet birds suffering from these issues to get back to a healthy, happy state again.