How to Make a Tube Collar for Parrots
by Shelly Lane
Placing a collar on a bird may be necessary in cases of feather plucking or mutilation. We found that a tube collar is more comfortable for the bird than an elizabethan collar and allows the bird to get around better. Below you will find instructions for making a tube collar at home for your Quaker Parrot.
Here are instructions for making the collar that Gator wore for a couple of months after he self-mutilated.
My vet made the collar that Gator wore, and it was made out of an empty cardboard tube from a roll of cloth tape – the same tape that is used to wrap the collar. She also put a couple of layers of gauze under the tape to provide a little cushion. However, a couple of people on the Quaker mailing list have used a collar made of a foam tube (plumbers pipe insulation) that I think will work just as well or better than the cardboard tube.
The plumbers pipe insulation comes in a long tube – 5 or 6 feet long – and only costs a couple of dollars per tube. I am not sure what size to tell you to get – it comes in 3 sizes at our local home improvement store. I know the smallest size is too small, but I haven’t made collars out of the 2 larger sized tubes yet. It’s cheap enough that you can afford to experiment, though. I plan to make some collars out of both sizes to see what works best, but right now I don’t have a need to and I highly doubt that one of my guys will volunteer to model them for me. 
The tape used to cover the pipe insulation is a cloth tape. I found it at the drug store in the section where they have the athletic tapes and stuff. I’m sorry that I don’t know what this stuff is actually called.
The collar should be 3/4″ to 1″ in height. The plumbers pipe insulation already has a slit going up one side, and that is the “opening” of the collar. Wrap several layers of the tape around the collar – first I wrap each of the ends and then wrap the entire collar, covering the tape that I used to wrap the ends. Depending on the width of the tape, you may find it easier to wrap the collar if you take a long strip of tape and cut it in half length-wise so that it is half the width that it originally was.
After you are done wrapping, you should then make a little “tab” that sticks up above the top of the collar a little (and use a couple of strips of tape to hold that tab onto the collar really well). Make sure you turn over the end of the tab so that none of the sticky side is showing. This will be the “decoy” tape. Since it sticks up a little it is easier to chew on and hopefully the bird will chew on the tab rather than on the other parts of the collar. Replace the tab as needed.
After you put the collar on the bird, you need to use a couple of pieces of tape to cover the opening of the collar so that the bird can’t take it off. If you have to take the collar off (to medicate or whatever), make sure you use fresh pieces of tape to close the collar when you put it back on – otherwise the bird may be able to get the collar off as the used tape loses its “stickiness”.
Again, a tube collar can be very helpful in situations where the parrot is feather plucking or is suffering from Quaker Mutiliation Syndrome or QMS. However, it is not a substitute for vet care, and if your bird is experiencing either of these issues I strongly recommend that you seek immediate help from an experienced avian vet.
hi,i don’t see a date on this posting about parrot collars. i’m very interested in this topic as our parrot who is 40 years old and lives with my daughter in NYC has been having nosebleeds for the last 2-3 years. she has taken him, repeated, to 3 avian vets, and they have tried everything. the next step is a collar. we wonder if birds can get their heads under their wings to sleep when they are wearing a collar.
thank you, Tallulah
These instructions saved my Quaker’s life. Late one night I saw blood spots on his papers. He had chewed a spot on his chest almost as big as a dime. I went to the computer to find an answer and thank God I found it here. Thank you so much!
Janie
The plumbers insulation you want is 3/4″ ID (inner diameter) or larger. The 1/2″ ID is too small for a bird older than 6 months. Hope this helps.
I am working on a new idea for a bird e-collar which is based on the concept of mixing both the e-collar and the tube collar. I have found it to be much more comfortable to the bird, very cheap to make and light weight enough that my bird can still fly, play, perch, and do all other normal activities. If anyone in interested in how to make them please feel free to write me AdoptSanAntonio@yahoo.com
Thank you for posting bird collar information on your website. I am so great full to you. I bought two collars to try on my Cockatoo. Neither one work. She is not able to eat or do anything with the collar on when I take it off she plucks. I can’t leave it on because she needs to eat and drink. This really gives me a great hope I will work on this tomorrow.
I tried this tonight for my Senegal Parrot. Aside from a slight equalibrium issue because of the new item around his neck he’s doing great with it. He’s still able to climb, eat and drink and with it on and hasen’t been able to pick at himself. Thanks for the information!
I’ll to my best to provide further updates after some time has passed.
I have a Cockatoo and she has plucked a huge spot on her chest. I just got an e-collar from the vet last week and she has already plucked 2 snaps off of it. She cant climb around in her cage with it on. I am going to try this as soon as I can get the supply’s. I hope it works. Thanks for sharing !!
I am a UK avian veterinarian and member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, and have been using foam pipe lagging as collars in parrots for many years. See my book ‘Keeping Parrots – Understanding Their care and breeding’ (Crowood Press – ISBN 978-1-84797-263-7)
im going to give this a try,i put a cone coller on my bird,it lasted 5 mins and i had to take it off,she would have killed her self if i didnt
19/3/2012/,hi,im amanda,i have a patergoin conur,she started plucking about 2 yrs ago,started under her wings,gone on to full body,makeing her self very sore and bleeding,iv had so many visits to the vets shes had all the testing that can be done,some like bloods feathers poo at least twice,costing about 1ooo,i tryed a cone coller,that lasted 5mins,she was crashing round in that i had to take it off,today iv made this coller off here,booly great,shes had it on 6hrs,its working,she tred to get it off ,but not in a way shes going to hurt her self,im realy hope folly,if i can just give her a noth time to let new feathers grow,well done shelly lane ,thank you,i will keep you all up dated,but this is giveing me realy hope ,and so simple,thanks shelly