# Bald head - just moulting or something worse?



## blinknsnowbunny (Sep 12, 2011)

Hi all, 

I haven't been around in a while. I tried to upload a video the other day but it's the wrong filetype so I'm not sure what to do with that. 

Anyway our birdies are about 5 and a half months old now and I think they've been moulting the last few weeks. I expected them to look half bald but they look just the same, only we started finding little down feathers everywhere. Then it turned to bigger feathers and now we've been finding some of the really big (wing/tail?) feathers. Harley seems fine but Rosie (definitely should be called Rosco as we're 99.9% certain he's actually a boy now) has got a bald patch on the back of his head. We thought maybe Harley was pecking at him and pulling out his feathers as they fight sometimes but that doesn't seem to be the case and the loss of feathers has spread down one cheek so you can see his ear hole.

I've read that this can also be a genetic thing with pearls but is the baldness normally only restricted to the top of the head or can it be on the cheek as well? I've been keeping an eye on it and I *think* I can see what you call pin feathers coming through on the bald patch but I'm not too sure.

Here are some pics (sorry they're not very clear - the birds have a mind of their own and are impossible to keep still for long enough!)


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Can you separate them to see if the feathers continue to fall out? This way we'll know if it's being plucked. In the mean time, i would like you to read up on PBFD:

http://www.avianweb.com/PBFD.html
http://www.avianbiotech.com/Diseases/PBFD.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1829&aid=2592

You can find more links by running a google search.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

The baldness is from plucking. You can see new pinfeathers growing in. keep an eye on their placement. if they disappear you have another bird plucking him. It may not be be a malcious act, but more of an over-aggressive preening.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

This a duplicate thread. I'll move my post to the other:

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27594


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