Cockateil with no feathers

[tms5729]

My female cockateil has no feathers under her wings it is just bare skin she has been that way as long as I have had her what is wrong and is there something I can do to get them to grow
Thank you,
Tanya

[Laura]

Hi Tanya welcome to the forum, how old is your cockatiel and how long have you had her?

[tms5729]

I have had her about 4 months and my sister had her before then I would say she is a year old at least she was like that when my sister bought her and she did not want her cause she was upset that they might have sold her a sick bird so I was looking for ideas on what could be wrong if there is anything wrong

[Laura]

hmmm I am really not sure what could be wrong do you notice if she is plucking her feathers? what mutation is she? do you have a picture of her?

[tms5729]

No I dont have a current pic but I will get one of her and put it on here later and no Im not sure what mutation she is

[tms5729]

oh and also no I dont notice her plucking out her feathers

[Aly]

Hi...I don't it has anything to do with her plucking them, it's rare that they'd pick an area such as under their wing. First, are you able to look under her wing for me and tell me if you see any tracts? They are small "pores" in which feathers grow out of. Also, what is her diet like?

[tms5729]

I dont see any tracts and she is eating cockateil bird seed with all kinds of stuff in it not sure what it is called without looking I think it is complete cockateil diet

[Aly]

I dont see any tracts and she is eating cockateil bird seed with all kinds of stuff in it not sure what it is called without looking I think it is complete cockateil diet

A seed mix is NEVER a complete diet no matter what it says on the bag. She needs other foods in her diet for her to be healthy-check out out Cockatiel's diet/food and nutrition section for more info.

The tracts are hard to see-if you have a magnifying mirror you will be able to see them. There's not any conditions I can think off that would cause the under plumage not to grow except it being cause by nutrition or genetics.

[Laura]

I am not saying its feather plucking I am just trying to rule that out, I didn't think it was rare at all I have read of a few cases of cockatiels plucking feathers from underneath there wings :confused:

[Aly]

I am not saying its feather plucking I am just trying to rule that out, I didn't think it was rare at all I have read of a few cases of cockatiels plucking feathers from underneath there wings :confused:

Oh I know...it's possible Laura. I know you were trying to rule it out.;) It's not as common as them plucking other areas though like their chest..

[Laura]

True I would think chest would be more of an easier place to get at, could mites or something like that be ruled out?

Your right about genetics though I know with Minnie she does have some bald spots underneath her wings but not totally bald though just a little in one area.

[Aly]

True I would think chest would be more of an easier place to get at, could mites or something like that be ruled out?

Your right about genetics though I know with Minnie she does have some bald spots underneath her wings but not totally bald though just a little in one area.

I doubt it would be mites because it's an even area and on both sides but it's possible..I just doubt it...

I found this on feather mites: http://petcaretips.net/feather-mite.html -it does mention they can pick one spot and affect only that area to the point of baldness...

[Bea]

I've heard that chest, under wings, and back are the three most common plucking areas. But as with other small birds, plucking is not something that is common in cockatiels unless there is an underlying medical problem - in this case my guess would be nutrition. :)

I would begin, right away, introducing new foods to her diet. There are lots of threads in this forum, some pinned and some not, that will help you to figure out which veggies and other foods are good for her. Some of my guys top favourites are mashed hard boiled egg, broccoli, bok choy, carrot, lentils, brown rice and chilli. :) I recommend trying her on some brown rice (steamed) with some frozen veggies (peas, corn, capsicum, carrot) mixed through. The brown rice will look very seed-like and she may pick at the new food.

[xxxSpikexxx]

It may be lack of nutrition. I think I read it somewhere. Here is a link about feather plucking http://www.cockatiels.org/articles/care/feathers.html Good luck figuring it out, you could always take her to an avain vet. Keep us updated :)

[xxxSpikexxx]

I just read something in a magazine here is a link to why she might not have any feathers under her wings http://www.cockatiel.org/articles/giardia.html I would take her to an avain vet just to be safe.