# HELP! blood and plucked feathers!!!!



## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

my petie is plucking his feathers out on his write wing. only his right wing and the largest longest ones. i am concerned but decided to see if anyone can help here cuz my mum loves petie but will she take him to the vets ? i dont think my dad will let us cuz we always pay heaps.
HELP!!!


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

Are you sure he's plucking the feathers out? It's very uncommon for cockatiels to pluck, especially the long flight feathers. It's much more likely that he's had a "night fright". Has it just happened? It's night in Australia now, so it would make sense. A night fright is when a sleeping or drowsy bird hears a noise or sees something and gets a fright. In panic they try to fly away from what's scaring them. They crash into perches and cage bars, which then panics them even more, and this continues more or less until they either calm down or get exhausted. Of all parrots, cockatiels seem more prone to night frights.

During night frights, they often break feathers, and if these feathers are still growing, they will have blood flowing into them (these are called blood feathers). Generally the feathers will clot by themselves, but using cornflour (or normal flour) helps the blood clot faster. If the feather is broken too much though, you may need to pull the feather out yourself. Removing the feather allows the skin to close up and the bleeding to stop that way. Occasionally after night frights, the birds will pull out their own broken feathers to stop the bleeding.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

no he has a cover over the cage and its been happening over a week or two and he does it in the day. yeah and the wing looks really messy with flight feathers missing and gaps everywhere. we think it may have been because we went on holiday leaving my big brother to feed him and stuff


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

we think it could be loneliness as my parents and big bro work all day and my bro and i go to skool. so we are getting him a pal next week


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

So you think it's behavioural? Is he still doing it now you're back, and was he doing it while you were away? How did your brother treat him when you were away - did he still get the same time out of his cage, and the same amount of attention? Does he have toys and things to play with in his cage, and does he play with them? A vet visit could rule out any medical reason for the plucking, like an illness or mites.

Edit - Remember than getting him a "friend" may not work, and the birds may not like each other, and need to be kept separately forever. You'll also have a month of quarentine between the two birds - so that if one is sick, they can't pass it to the other. So even if you do get a second 'tiel it's best to find out the reason for Pitie's plucking and a cure for it, before getting the second.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

we believe he did do some while we were away and still does it now we are back. he didn't get the same time out because its very hard to get him back into the cage once he is out and will only get back in if my mum does it. so he probably didn't get any time out or much attention because usually my dad brings his cage outside because thats where my parents spend their time when they are at home
he has some toys but he never liked any so we took them out. we put him on the christmas tree once and he LOVED it. he liked to groom the plastic bits and tinsel so we hung some tinsel in there and see him grooming it every-now and then. he likes to play with necklaces so we put them in there sometimes but not often because he can dis-assemble them.
what do you think about the pal for petie idea? we really want to because we recently got a very large cage that kittens were kept in at a pet store for $80. it is very large and believe it would be good for petie and his new pal. what do you think?


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

we let petie out to sit on our fan, because thats his post and one time the fan was left on and he hit it. he got a cut just half way under his right wing and chest. he recovered it and is back on the fan.


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

How big is the cage exactly? I wrote more about the problems with getting him a friend above.

If he's plucking it's probably because he's bored, if he has nothing to do, and no attention for most of the day. Cockatiels are intelligent - about the same level as a human toddler. They are curious and need lots to do to keep them occupied. The best thing you can do for him is get him toys he likes, and introduce him to foraging, so he has something to do with his day. Toys can be home made or bought and they don't have to be expensive - a lot of the foraging toys I make, just use a few sheets of paper. 

Here's something I wrote for someone else who was having trouble getting their bird to play or forage:



Mythara said:


> Lots of things can effect whether birds will play and how active they are. For example, cage size. The bigger cages often means more active birds. Our two female budgies were fairly active in their cage for two, but when we put them in a cage for four, they became a lot more active. The cage set up. Different set ups work for different birds. Our cockatiels have what I call a "busy" cage. They have paths around their cage on all the perches. And they have at least one toy and foraging toy within reach from every perch. The budgies have a more spaced out cage because they like to leap around it, and they love swings so there's space for them. Their toys are mostly around their resting perches.
> 
> Have they ever been taught to play with toys? A lot of birds go straight from weaning to their new owners, are put in a cage, and expected to play with the bright colourful object they don't understand. Others go from weaning to a pet shop cage, and may not see a toy for months. Sometimes they'll pick it up by themselves, but sometimes they need to be shown what it is, and what to do with it. Birds learn a lot by watching and imitating, so watching another bird play, or watching their owner play with a new object can help them learn what they should do with it. Show it to them, and play with it yourself in front of them, making excited noises. They'll learn that this is an exciting thing and want to join in. Let them play with it with yout too. Whenever I get or make new toys for the 'tiels, they get shown it, and play with it a bit outside the cage.
> 
> ...


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## seaofdreams (Dec 29, 2009)

Tinsel is very dangerous for a tiel to be allowed to chew on and play with, the parts are far too small and Petie can easily digest them. I fully agree with Mythara about getting him a "friend" Another cockatiel won't solve his potential plucking or medical problem. Is he clipped or not? Clipping his flight feathers will help him be easier to catch when he is out of the cage and may also deter him from pulling his feathers if that is indeed the problem.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

his current cage or the big one? because the big cage is huge, about 1. 5 or g metres? and about 80 centimeters across. of course i cant check now, its 1. 45 am. but thats approximate from memory. his current cage is quite small. we removed the top of 1 mouse cage and the bottom of another to make a cage twice as tall. food at the bottom and water at the top.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

his wings are not clipped we were going to do it soon. he does not chew the tinsel he runs his beak over it. so are you saying i should not get a new tiel? and we will take him to the pet store manager because we get our advice from him and he will clip his wings for us and show us how to do it


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

by the way, seaofdreams, my little dog's name is muffin!


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

Ok, I'm going to state this bluntly.

Cockatiels need long cages rather than tall cages. The new cage you have for him may be fine, but the one you have him in sounds bad. Since it's very tall, it actually discourages him from moving around. The minimum cage size for a cockatiel is 24" x 24" with a maximum bar spacing of 5/6". The new cage may be fine and if it's bigger than the first it's definitely better, as long as the bar spacing isn't too big, and you should move him in. 

Secondly do not get him a "friend". Petie needs his environment improved, more than he needs an additional cockatiel added to a home that isn't optimal. Petie needs something to do with his time. Plucking can be a sign of illness, or it can be a sign of emotional distress - in human terms, plucking is the equivilent of cutting. He needs his evironment improved pretty much immediately, before the plucking becomes a habit that it is impossible to break. Adding a second bird, could just mean you end up with two pluckers instead of one. 

Before thinking of getting a second bird, you need to understand that there is no way to guarentee the birds will like each other. They will need separate cages and to be kept in separate rooms for at least a month for quarentine. They will then need to be introduced carefully and may hate each other and never be able to be out of their cage at the same time. You need to be prepared to have two cages and two separate times when you can let them out of the cage. You cannot just put them in a cage together and assume they'll get along.


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

I would also take out the tinsle and necklaces as you my give Petrie heavy metal poisoning http://www.avianweb.com/heavymetalpoisoningbirds.html I would get him some tiel safe bird toys, he might take awhile to learn to play. My linnie took awhile to start playing with her toys and I had to try different kinds to see what she liked. 
The cage you are describing sounds like the bar spacing might be too far apart, kittens heads are much bigger than tiels. Spike's cage bar spacing is 5/8th of an inch and I would go no bigger. Also what is this cage made out of? I would feel safer with a large cage (not large bar spacing) made for tiels as I again would worry about them possibly chewing on metal that is not safe for them.
Also do you have a night light for Petrie? I would get one as I find they work great to keep night frights away 
and last about getting Petrie a friend, I would not right now. Right now I would work on improving his cage http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-species/new-bird-shopping/new-bird-setup.aspx, http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-housing/bird-housing-accessories/bird-perch-types.aspx
and here is for when Petrie is in tip top shape and you have an area set up for quarantine http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-beh...behavior-issues/can-cockatiels-get-along.aspx and http://www.birdchannel.com/images/a...xclusives/2009-april/quarantine-checklist.pdf Hope this helps


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

well thanks for the info. ill go have a look at the large cage and get back to u on that.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

well its about 2 centimeters, but he wouldnt be able to fit through it.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

do you think petie would pluck less if we played music for him during the day when we aren't there? he dances to the music when the radio is on. like, he bobs up and down and other things. do you think it would make him less bored and stop plucking?


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## LuvMyTiels (Dec 31, 2009)

petiespal said:


> we let petie out to sit on our fan, because thats his post and one time the fan was left on and he hit it. he got a cut just half way under his right wing and chest. he recovered it and is back on the fan.


How long ago did this happen? It's the same wing that he is plucking so I am wondering if it is still healing and perhaps is itching causing him to pluck. Anyway it's just a thought. I wouldn't get another cockatiel. Instead I would use the money for a trip to the vet to see if there is a medical reason for the plucking.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

it happenned about 6 months ago it wouldnt be that it was a shallow cut and healed quickly.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

i had a close look at the wing and it would seem the feathers are chewed off leaving the stub of the feather still there. and i have given him lots of attention today and it would seem he has stoped. what do you think about music during the day thing?
i played some for him will he was attempting to remove a feather and he instantly stopped an started his little dances he does to music


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## Mythara (Apr 9, 2009)

Play music for him. Get him proper toys and teach him to play with them. Teach him to forage. Improving his environment like this is much more likely to have a good effect on him, than getting him a "friend".


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

im scared. petie has a patch of chewed off feathers under his wing now. its not like a bald patch, its like little small white sticks on his back. i told my parents we are definitely taking him to a vet. anyone know any avian vets around brisbane, queensland hope fully in the manly/wynnum district??? this is a serious matter.


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## seaofdreams (Dec 29, 2009)

petiespal said:


> im scared. petie has a patch of chewed off feathers under his wing now. its not like a bald patch, its like little small white sticks on his back. i told my parents we are definitely taking him to a vet. anyone know any avian vets around brisbane, queensland hope fully in the manly/wynnum district??? this is a serious matter.


Brisbane Bird & Exotics Veterinary Clinic is said to be excellent. They are located in Macgregor http://www.bbevs.com.au/home.html


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

thats the one i found!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

It would help id you can post some pix's of the feathers in question. In reading your thread it sounds like most of the damage is a result of thrashing in the cage and/or night panics. Also posting pix's of your cage might help. Size or how it is layed out inside may also be the cause of the feather damage.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

NO he does it in the day my brother comes up stares frequently during the night and has never heard anything. and i am a very light sleeper. i have never heard him have night frights he likes being in the dark


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)




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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

thats a picture of some of the feathers ifound in peties cage


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Those are molted feathers.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

this is peties wing. the red circled part is where hes bit the feathers off at the stem part it looks like.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

and also just under that long feather


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

It looks like some of those feathers have been knocked out, and/or loose, which he would pull them free.


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## petiespal (Jan 19, 2010)

well my dad went to the vet and the vet gave him a vitamin thing which i have carefully measured and put in his water


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## cinnamon (Jul 16, 2009)

Hi I know this is an older thread. I wonder how Petie is now?


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