Self-mutilating leaves birds with few feathers.
Pet birds occasionally damage themselves by pulling out feathers or biting themselves. This is especially true for Quaker parrots, and even has a name: Quaker Mutilation Syndrome. When your pet bird is mutilating itself, it might be necessarily to construct a collar. The collar will inhibit movement of the neck, so that it can't reach down to hurt itself. Elizabethan collars, which look like cones, are commonly used to encourage a bird to stop biting itself, but they can be cumbersome and uncomfortable. Making a collar from foam tubing will be less traumatic for the bird, and just as effective.
Instructions
1. Look at the different sizes of foam pipe insulation to determine which size will fit best around your parrot's neck. For example, an average-sized Quaker parrot should have collar with a penny-sized hole in the center. The tubes made to insulate a 3/8-inch iron pipe and a 1/2-inch copper pipe both have a hole with this diameter.
2. Use a sharp knife to saw the tube to the appropriate length. For the average sized Quaker parrot, the collar should be between 1 1/2- and 1 5/8-inches long. The shorter the collar is the more comfortable it will be for your parrot to wear; however, you want to make sure the collar isn't short enough for your bird to tuck its beak into it. Start with a collar at 1 1/2-inches long, and if this size is too short, cut a new piece 1/8-inch longer. Continue increasing the collar length by 1/8-inch until the bird can no longer stick its beak in it.
3. Remove the protective papers if your tube came with a slit with adhesive applied to it already. Then close the slit so that the adhesive is secure. Cut a new slit on the opposite side of the collar using scissors.
4. Hold the collar open and mostly flat with one hand, and cut the outside edges off using a pair of scissors in your other hand, so that the edges are more smooth.
5. Cut a piece of cloth tape about 6 or 7 inches in length and set it aside.
6. Have one person hold the bird's neck out by placing their thumb on the back of the parrot's head, and a pointer finger beneath the beak.
7. Put the collar on the bird from beneath the bird, so that the slit is on the back of the bird's neck. Make sure there are no feathers in the slit and squeeze it together. Then wrap the cloth tape around the collar to secure it. Be careful not to catch any feathers in the tape as you wrap it around.
8. Cut the tape on the slit to remove the collar. If you need to remove the collar often, always put a new piece of cloth tape over the slit.
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