# My cockatiel is missing feathers under crest



## saif (May 18, 2016)

Hi. ive bought a cockatiel from a breeder and he is now a little over 4 months old. He has always been missing some feathers under his crest and i asked the breeder and he said its because hes still a baby. That was months ago and i dont really see any improvement. I was wondering if its just genetics or he might have a problem. And he is very flakey but absolutely hates his bird bath spray or bathe at all. wondering if theres a way i could get him to enjoy it more. 
Ive added some pictures so you can see his missing feathers.

Thanks for the help.


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## shaenne (Apr 19, 2014)

At 4 months old I would say wait until he molts before you get too worried. My girl Zoe was a bit bald behind the crest when she was a baby, but she was very stunted and everything took extra time to grow in. After her first molt she was as perfect as any other healthy cockatiel 

As for the baths, mine don't enjoy it at all unless it's summer and it's hot, then they can't get enough lol. I mist them anyway much to their dismay. I'm not sure there's much you can do to make it more enjoyable for him. Some other tiel owners may have some tips that we can both learn from


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## ParrotletsRock (Oct 8, 2013)

Many cockatiels have a bald spot under their crest and even running down the back of the neck. This will NOT fill in, it may be covered by surrounding feathers but will not fill in with feathers. It is a result of line breeding and inbreeding when setting certain mutations, especially lutino. It does not affect the pet quality of your baby so just enjoy him/her as they are.


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## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

As the others have already answered your concern, I just wanted to throw in how cute your baby is  Thanks for the pictures!


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## ParrotletsRock (Oct 8, 2013)

Oh I forgot to add, tiels, (and birds in general) are very flakey, what that is caused from is the keratin sheath that surrounds growing feathers is broken up and removed as the bird preens. This makes them appear to have dandruff but is normal, you may also see a lot of talcum powder like white dust, also normal.


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