# Bald spots



## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Lately I've been noticing that Moon looks a little raggedy. I know it's normal for lutinos to have a small bald spot behind the crest, but his looks uneven (like it's several small bald spots instead). When he preens, I can see he has a fair amount of baldness under his wings, and now he's got this spot above the wing too. His feathers are very thin-looking around the eyes (where his cheek patches would be if he had any). Could the fact that he's molting right now have anything to do with this, or does he look unhealthy?














































He doesn't always look like this -- he had just had a shower about half an hour before, and was preening when I took these pics. Normally he looks good aside from his head and his cheeks. I just want to know if it's anything to be concerned about.

He is not a good eater at all, I'm afraid. He only likes seed, though he will also eat crushed up Nutriberries and small pellets. He will NOT touch egg, birdie bread, veggies, mash, etc.


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## rashid100 (Oct 3, 2012)

watch out for plucking.... also spray some mite killer..


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I can't really comment on how his feathers look. I'm sure others will but there are posts on here saying that mite spray is NOT good to use. I don't have personal experience but here is a thread discussing it. http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=31440&highlight=mite+spray


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

what you are seeing is normal. those areas typically have little to no feathers and it is mostly down. if molting, they lose a lot of down, so you might be noticing that. nothing concerning 

i agree with sunnysmom, mite spray is a killer to birds and i have personal experience. you do not want to watch your bird die of painful seizures if something goes wrong!


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Phew! I was hoping that was the case.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

Roo looks like that, especially after a shower.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Do you think it's a lutino thing?


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## rashid100 (Oct 3, 2012)

never happens to my tiel...... once when my finch lost feathers on the stomach, i used mite spray and they came back.... not used in on tiels though.


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## enigma731 (Aug 12, 2011)

echolalia said:


> Do you think it's a lutino thing?


Maybe. The head definitely is. 

Rashid, mite spray can be deadly and should only be used when prescribed and instructed by an avian vet. Please don't use it on your birds again.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

i think it's a lutino thing. ama looks like a wet rat after showers. bald under his wings and at his joints. i hate getting him totally wet. lol.


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

this is the best wet pic i could find. you can see where his little elbows are here.


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## bradjo (Oct 25, 2012)

You have already received great advice, and you're bird looks normal to me. Unfortunately birds tend to try very hard to mask any illness so I weigh most of my birds daily/weekly with a gram scale. That way I can spot any trends. If you're concerned and things just don't seem right to you follow your instinct and go see a vet. Sometimes changes can be so subtle you just can't quite put them in words. An avian vet visit is a small price to pay for peace of mind. 

Your birds are very lucky to have such a caring person who can really 'see' them.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It might be just molting. But if there is any plucking going on, at least some of it isn't being done by Moon himself. It's physically impossible for a bird to pluck the back of its own head but very very easy to pluck another bird's head. If you hear any squawks when Juju and Moon are spending time together, take a quick look to see if Juju has a beak full of Moon feathers.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

meaggiedear, that makes me feel better! Ama seems like a very healthy boy.

bradjo -- I've been weighing him for the past month, and he's remained constant. He seems very happy and is actually totally normal. The only physical change I've noticed in him is that he's now molting, and I'm hoping his scraggly-ness is just a side effect of that. I was worried it could be a nutrition-related thing, but at least there have been some small improvements to his diet. Hopefully he'll start eating his veggies soon. He had a vet exam not too long ago, but I will definitely take him for another one if he starts looking not quite right.

Caroyln, if anything like that is going on, it's never when I'm around (and I spend at least 3-4 hours with the birds a day, sometimes more). For the most part, they don't touch each other at all. They'll hang out close, and sometimes they'll bicker but the only time I've heard them squawk/actually fight is at bedtime when they're trying to claim sleeping spots. Still, I'll certainly keep an eye on them.


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## JaimeS (Nov 28, 2011)

LOL! The first few times Baretta got wet I really thought she was bleeding at the elbow area. Then I noticed the other side. 

Baretta is also really thin around her ear area echolalia!


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