New to parrot owning

[Anna]

I have recently adopted a young grey parrot that was in a pretty pitiful state.   He/she (I'm not yet sure of the sex) had plucked out all the breast & back feathers.   They are now growing well & the down is beginning to come off showing new feathers.   However, the latest trick is cutting his tail feathers with his beak.   I live in the South of France & there are no parrot specialists nearby to give me advice.   Does anyone out there have any tips?   He's very picky about what he wants to eat - fresh fruit is a no-no just now, but he seems to like his special parrot pellets & loves sunflower & pumpkin seed.

[sweeetnlowww]

be sure to add some foraging toys, to keep him/her occupied so feather chewing lessens... save the sunflower seeds for a treat (very fattening), and maybe try some nuts such as almonds and walnuts...(slightly crack the shell, but leave it on, they love picking away the rest of it to get to the nut)

welcome to the group! 

[Pottermad]

Toys might help a bit, if he's got something to think about other that plucking and biting it might help. Have you misted him? If you mist him with water and maybe a little aloe in it it might sooth his skin if he's itchy.

[feika]

chewing the tail feathers is the lesser evil than plucking the front and the back in my opinion. It's a sign of boredom, please try and get him some toys but don't just hang them in his cage, go slow is the name of the game. You can put the toy(s) hanging outside his cage for a couple of days and then slowly introduce the same inside the cage when you feel that he is not afraid of it.
Just pray and work (misting, keep him busy etc.) on him to minimize and/or eliminate the feather plucking and the chewing of the tail will also be taken care of I guess.
Try and eat the fruit yourself in front of him and also do not try to curiously look at what he's eating. Mine never eats fruit whenever I watch her and as soon as I turn my back she just picks it up and start eating, the moment I turn to her, she drops it instantly.
Good luck and welcome to the forum from Ali/Captain