Check with your avian veterinarian about vaccinations to prevent viral diseases affecting feather growth or loss in birds. Prevention is important, as once a bird contracts one if these viruses and feather damage evident, the disease is almost always fatal. Budgerigars and canaries are most often affected. Even though the symptoms are visually apparent, the organism should be confirmed by microscopic examination before treatment is initiated. Remedies found in pet stores can, in some cases, create additional feather problems and often take long periods of time to effect a cure.
Prescription drugs work rapidly and effectively.
Giardia , a protozoan parasite, has been implicated in some cases of self-mutilation. This intestinal parasite can also be identified by microscopic examination of fresh droppings, requiring that the sample be collected at the veterinarians office. Staphylococcus or Pseudomonas are bacteria that may cause skin irritation resulting in feather loss due to self-mutilation. Your veterinarian can do a skin culture to identify these organisms. Aspergillosis or Candidiasis are fungal diseases that may cause skin irritation, and require a dermatological workup including skin scraping or culture for identification.