After the collar was removed, he never plucked the area around his neck again - but he does pluck his inner thighs now. Shelly believes this is probably a habit now and something he will always do. Gator was the only quaker out of a clutch of five that I am aware of that plucks. QMS is especially horrifying for an owner to witness, and often evokes deep feelings of guilt even though the owner is obviously not at fault. As with plucking, the causes of self-mutilation can be multiple, and each one can be interwoven with still others, making definitive causes impossible to detect.
More research is reportedly under way to isolate the organism.
Hopefully you already have a veterinarian who is avian-certified and has an extensive background working with avian species. Your veterinarian should conduct a complete physical exam, looking for lumps, injuries, feather cysts, lipomas or other tumors. Tests should be run for parasitic, yeast, fungal, and bacterial infections, as well as for psittacosis, Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease, and Guardia. Other tests may include radiographs or a skin biopsy. Quaker owners face an especially daunting task here.