Cockatiel advice - bald, red skin across breast and under wings?

I have recently rescued a number of Cockatiels. One bird in particular has a large area of feathers missing accross the breast area abnd underneath both wings. Other birds that were in the same cage with him have also got bald spots, but not as severe (accross the top of the head, behind the crest)


Just wondering if anybody knows why this is happening. I have treated them for mites. Is this the result of ectoparisites or maybe from the birds overgrooming each other, or evcen the bird itself plucking his feathers out of boredom??





I am open to any answers.





Photos of the patient in question are available - just email me with your email address and photos will be sent to you.





Thanks in advance!!
Cockatiel advice - bald, red skin across breast and under wings?
It sounds like they are feather plucking. This would be indicated by the areas that are bald( all within easy reach of the beak). Most often this is caused by stress, which is very common in rescue birds.





I would take the birds to the vet to make sure it isn't mites or something more serious. If it turns out that they are feather plucking, you will have to try to reduce their stress level. A loving environment, spending lots of time speaking soothingly to them each day, plus treats will help.


Also toys with ragged hemp rope or twine can help, as it gives the birds something else to pluck and groom.


Feather plucking can be a real problem . If you E-mail me I can point you to a good Yahoo bird lovers group that has lots of articles on feather plucking, as well as a lot of friendly and helpful members to answer questions.





Good luck !
Cockatiel advice - bald, red skin across breast and under wings?
You can ask visual questions here http://www.irecognisethat.com/show_quest...


so if you have pics you could try there.
Reply:have you had a vet check the birds out? sounds very much like skin mites, there are many different kinds so you need to be sure that you are using the correct treatment, also birds will pluck their own feathers when under stress. Well done for rescuing them, i wish you and the birds all the best x
Reply:hi i had cockatiel that had simler problem it worked out to be stress and he was pluking him self hope this put some light on your problem
Reply:It could be a number of things,you can find books on birds at the following website...GOOD LUCK....we have 3 cockatiels.
Reply:Have the Cockatiels been housed in an aviary?If so I would surmise that this one was a female and could have been brooding eggs.The others, you have nothing to worry about as a breeder I have bred a number of Cockatiels and they have had the bald patch on their heads I cannot explain the reason for this but it has in no way affected their health or well being this incidentally was more prevalent in Whites, than Grays, Creams,or Pieds. Give them some treats ie.soaked and sprouting seed Dandelion leaves also seeding heads before they Fluff , and if you can get some spinach this will be welcome .
Reply:I think because the birds have feathers missing from their heads also,that some are being over groomed by the other birds.I have listed a good source which has helped me in the past.Good luck.
Reply:It sounds like severe feather plucking! this could be dangerous to your bird so I would seperate them in different cages and bond with them show them all the love you can!


best wishes
Reply:It sounds like they are over grooming do to stress. Try keeping them separate and calm. Also give them some things to do. This may help them.
Reply:Typically across the breast and under the wing balndess is caused by plucking, the problem you have is figuring out why it's plucking. First and foremost, you need to take it to a certified avian vet and have it tested for Giardia. This is one of the biggest causes for plucking in parakeets and tiels and goes largely undiagnosed. My advice is to have it tested several times if it comes up negative the first time since Giardia is not shed in every feces and is only detectable outside the body for 5-10 minutes. Some birds carry Giarda but never have symptoms and some birds die from it so it's important that you have it tested. If you actually see black spots where the feathers are missing, these are blood spots and not mites. The black spots are another indicator of Giardia.





If you want to find out if you have mites, place a white sheet or towel over the cage. In the morning, before moving the sheet, check for tiny brown or red specks. If you find these, then you need to treat your birds for mites. If not, you probably aren't dealing with mites.





Plucking in cockatiels for behavioral issues happens but isn't incredibly common. Bald spots behind the crest can be a breeding issues, especially with lutinos (yellow).





A trip to the vet is your best bet so that you can rule out any health issues that may be causing the plucking. Once you are sure that your bird is healthy, there are lots of supplements for their food and water that can help stop plucking, there are oils that can be rubbed on the skin to decrease any irritation from new feathers and a good diet will go a long way too. The cockatiel seed you buy at the store is not good for them so don't feed them that! Get them a good pellet like Roudybush, Zupreem or Totally Oranics Pellets, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and only a few safflower or sunflower seeds. Too many seeds are fattening and unhealthy and the small seeds (like in parakeet food) have no value to a cokatiel at all!





There are tons of great resources for cockatiel care and diet. www.cockatiels.org is the website for the National Cockatiel Society and they have lots of information and recipes. Another good website is www.birdsnways.com and again, they have TONS of information about all kinds of things including diet, disease, behavior, easy homemade toys, chat groups and articles by bird experts. You can learn a ton there! Some other websites for learning about bird care is www.pamperedpeeps.com and www.toptiels.com. When I first had birds, these and birdsnways.com were the three websites I got the most from.





Good luck, plucking is tough but with a good vet, some research and good care, I think your birds will be just fine!

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