# my cockatiel is bald under the wings and back pls help



## ayush n blu (Feb 18, 2015)

My cockatiel is bald under the wings and back he is kind of bald.
I had put him on a dose of ronidazole for 5 days , it worked his itching was less and the bald skin was recovering and he was active but now his itching has got worse and i got this spray called no pick because of its bitter taste the tiel wont pluck its feathers but it doesnt work.
so please can anyone tell me how can i recover him in ten days (as i am going to another country for some time and going to give tiel to my friend and he wont keep a half bald tiel).
pls tell me how can i make a comfortable anti scratch collar or another solution?????????
Pls help!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Charlotte (Jun 4, 2014)

Oh dear, I'm afraid if something is irritating your tiel's skin any sprays or collars will just distress the bird no end. I'd stop the spray ASAP. Remember, the bird needs to preen naturally and spray will interfere with that too. I wish I had a solution for you, but you're going to have to find the cause of the problem and treat that. Do you have an avian vet you can see? 

I can tell you're in a difficult situation, but if I were you I'd be honest with your friend about the cockatiel's issues now. If he's not up for taking care of a bird who is unwell, at least you'll have a bit of time to look elsewhere for a home for him.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Please answer all these questions because time is important before you leave to sort it out: How long has he been picking for (days, weeks, months)? Does he look sick? Has he seen a vet and did they prescribe him that (if not he really should see a vet). When was the last time he had a bath to help with itching and dry skin? What does your 'tiel eat? Seeds? What kind of seeds (brand name if you can)? Does he eat pellets? What kind of pellets if he does? Does he get fruits or vegetables? Does he have a cuttlebone, mineral block, or other source of calcium? Does he have any vitamin powders or other supplements in his diet? Does he have any toys he plays with? What is his cage size?

A collar will make a bird very irritated like Charlotte said, they will also have a very hard time eating and drinking with it on and may not do either with a collar. Please don't collar him because that wont fix the problem.

It depends on if he is molting. In ten days his feathers wont all grow back, but his powder downs (the white fluff) might to cover him. So he will be presentable. If he is eating properly then his feathers will grow back faster, foods with protein and calcium are good for feather growth. Pellets have protein and calcium. A cuttlebone will provide them with additional calcium if they need it, but you might want to give a little extra protein from a hard boiled egg or vegetable protein to help with his feathers.

So back to those questions I asked in the first paragraph... If he has been picking for a long time then it is probably stress, poor nutrition, or illness. It could be stress from boredom if he doesn't have many toys to play with, doesn't play with them, or if you have been busy and couldn't spend as much time with him it can cause stress (since you are their family). He could be picking from poor nutrition if he is not getting the proper amount of calcium. If he doesn't have a cuttlebone or other sources then he could be picking his feathers off to eat them since feathers are made of calcium and protein they will do that. If he has proper nutrition he might be ok, poor nutrition is the number one cause of illness in parrots. He might be sick and have some sort of bacterial infection or PBFD (beak and feather disease).
He could just have really really dry skin. Cockatiels get very itchy when they have dry skin. If you look at a 'tiel's nose, beak, and feet. If they look dry and cracky then either the humidity is poor and they need to have more baths or Vitamin A in their diet to keep their skin healthy. You probably want to do both.
If his cage is small and he doesn't get let out much and you are busy, he might be plucking out of boredom and frustration. This is very hard to deal with because it has now become a habit or mental disorder like in humans depending on how long he has been picking.


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