Why has my cockatiel been pulling his tail feathers out.?
i have 2 tiels in the same cage, they get on most the time but often fight. could it b deppressed. i was told they were 8-12 weeks old when i got them but i think 1 is older than the other. i thought he might b moulting but its only got half its tail feathers now. he also keeps scratting and letting the other 1 clean him.
Answers:
have you been playing country music? That makes me want to pull out my feathers.
is he bored?
bird normaly do that when they are stressed out
He's neurotic. Give him loads of stuff to play with - they can pluck themselves if you don't!
its probably stressed out do you let it have a fly about round the house?
my mates female cockatiel bit the male cockatiels head off after they mated. and they used to fight alot.
I think your bird is stressed, or even possibly, sick with a skin irritation. Try putting the younger bird in a different cage, and check for skin mites:)
Bliss
Honestly I agree with the other person who said he could be bored. Maybe try a bigger cage or get them some other things to do.
Are you sure the other bird isn't picking him? You may want to try seperating them. Anxiety and boredom are the usual reasons for that if he is doing it to himself. Give him something better to pick at; like a feathery toy or some paper or wood piece. Also hang treats like a small piece of corn cob, piece of apple (no seeds), honey sticks or millet spray for him to pick at. Then try to give him a little play time every day in some lukewarm water and mist him if he likes it. You can use oils in the bathwater and mist to condition the skin and feathers. If you can't find any at the pet store use a human product or just a little almond oil mixed into the water.
Cockatiels need to be interacted with for an hour every day. If not, he could become bored, or depressed and start pulling his tail feathers out.
Take him to veterinarian and see what is wrong for sure but you probably aren't spending enough time with him.
Boredom or mites.
I have 16 tiels and you are describing normal behavior when they are happy. Probly molting some birds take a while to finish molting. I just had my 6th baby of 2006 hatched out this morning!
Is he too hot?
he's probably bores as has been said . How would you feel kept in a cage all the time ?
it could be Bord mite or ready for breeding if it is **** &hen
possibly the cage is too small, they need more space if there are two,
Stressed or bored.
i would get a bigger cage add more fun and attractive things in the cage,incase of boredom,possibly treat them for mites,have you tryed putting bits of apple and cucumber in the cage,my dad birds and they loved all the new things added to there cages.
There could be various reasons for this.It could be feather mite, have you tried anti-mite spray?.It could be attacked by the other bird, try separating them for a while.It could be boredom. Or and this is rare a neurological disorder which tends to happen when they get their new feathers, or something frightens them. Hopefully it is mites.
Good Luck
Sphere
could be his skin is irritated they do say boredom is a cause. if your birds dont have access to a bird bath give a spray of water from a bottle this hot weather we have had wont have helped
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Answers:
have you been playing country music? That makes me want to pull out my feathers.
is he bored?
bird normaly do that when they are stressed out
He's neurotic. Give him loads of stuff to play with - they can pluck themselves if you don't!
its probably stressed out do you let it have a fly about round the house?
my mates female cockatiel bit the male cockatiels head off after they mated. and they used to fight alot.
I think your bird is stressed, or even possibly, sick with a skin irritation. Try putting the younger bird in a different cage, and check for skin mites:)
Bliss
Honestly I agree with the other person who said he could be bored. Maybe try a bigger cage or get them some other things to do.
Are you sure the other bird isn't picking him? You may want to try seperating them. Anxiety and boredom are the usual reasons for that if he is doing it to himself. Give him something better to pick at; like a feathery toy or some paper or wood piece. Also hang treats like a small piece of corn cob, piece of apple (no seeds), honey sticks or millet spray for him to pick at. Then try to give him a little play time every day in some lukewarm water and mist him if he likes it. You can use oils in the bathwater and mist to condition the skin and feathers. If you can't find any at the pet store use a human product or just a little almond oil mixed into the water.
Cockatiels need to be interacted with for an hour every day. If not, he could become bored, or depressed and start pulling his tail feathers out.
Take him to veterinarian and see what is wrong for sure but you probably aren't spending enough time with him.
Boredom or mites.
I have 16 tiels and you are describing normal behavior when they are happy. Probly molting some birds take a while to finish molting. I just had my 6th baby of 2006 hatched out this morning!
Is he too hot?
he's probably bores as has been said . How would you feel kept in a cage all the time ?
it could be Bord mite or ready for breeding if it is **** &hen
possibly the cage is too small, they need more space if there are two,
Stressed or bored.
i would get a bigger cage add more fun and attractive things in the cage,incase of boredom,possibly treat them for mites,have you tryed putting bits of apple and cucumber in the cage,my dad birds and they loved all the new things added to there cages.
There could be various reasons for this.It could be feather mite, have you tried anti-mite spray?.It could be attacked by the other bird, try separating them for a while.It could be boredom. Or and this is rare a neurological disorder which tends to happen when they get their new feathers, or something frightens them. Hopefully it is mites.
Good Luck
Sphere
could be his skin is irritated they do say boredom is a cause. if your birds dont have access to a bird bath give a spray of water from a bottle this hot weather we have had wont have helped
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