cockatiel has started plucking, advice needed

[im_nick]

hi, I really hate to make this post but I really need advice. I'm really worried.
my (almost 4yr old) cockatiel, sunny, started plucking this Sunday, starting with little bits of fluff and progressing to feathers today. he seems so preoccupied with this (even tho it clearly hurts, since he squeaks) that he's been ignoring his toys and eating less. he's also refused to come up on my desk today, which is one of his favourite spots.
I'm guessing it could be a few things: he only recently started regularly accepting pellets as food, so I've yet to introduce fresh food since I don't want to upset his organism too much. I also haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd like with him due to being tired from university. my father insists it's due to lack of fresh air and sunlight, which I know can cause issues but I don't believe should be the sole cause for this? either way it's too cold for him to go outside right now.. I also read that cockatiels will more often pluck due to disease..
sadly we don't have any vets that work with birds in the city, and I'm physically unable to visit any in nearby cities due to family related reasons.. I Will still be consulting a general vet just in case, but I don't know how much difference it'll make since they usually just give me baytril or doxycycline regardless of the specific problem...
so, if possible, I'd appreciate any and all advice.. and thank you so much in advance... wishing you happy and stress-free holidays

 

[JjEjFjF]

Are you sure its just not molting? Sometimes they get quite miserable during molts and its not uncommon for them to squawk when picking at feathers.

 

[im_nick]

Are you sure its just not molting? Sometimes they get quite miserable during molts and its not uncommon for them to squawk when picking at feathers.

honestly I thought it might be at first, but since he hasn't even been preening but rather just pulling (I saw him physically grab and pull on some feathers) feathers out in a rather erratic manner I got really scared it's picking.. he even pulled out what looked like a scab at some point. tho I suppose a molt would explain why baths seem to make him snap out of it.
I really really hope you're right. I hope it's just a bad molt. I'll keep observing him and trying to make him at least a bit more comfortable. thank you for the comment

 

[JjEjFjF]

Apparently some of the big feathers can be quite painful. The other day one of my cockatiels flew and he repeatedly squawked until he landed. Needless to say his fly time was minimal until the pesky feather/feathers fell out or he pulled it out.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I think it's unusual for cockatiels to become chronic pluckers. It's probably a bad molt. Give him lots of baths since you say he enjoys them.

 

[JjEjFjF]

Keep in mind that protein is important during molting. Feathers are made up of mostly protein. A couple times a week ill give my birds finely chopped hard boiled egg. Scrambled eggs are good too if you dont use any oil or butter to cook them. I give each of them about a teaspoon. All of my birds love eggs. Eggs are an excellent source of protein.

As far as sunshine goes, vitamin D is extremely important for birds. Sunshine through a window is useless. The beneficial uv rays are filtered out through glass. The best thing to do (weather permitting) is to take them outside in indirect sunlight for about a half hour atleast a couple times a week.

In the winter i give my birds a vitamin supplement. If you need a recommendation on a supplement, let me know.

Edit: i guess you did say your bird is on pellets. If thats the case, no supplement is needed. ( supposedly)

 

[im_nick]

Apparently some of the big feathers can be quite painful. The other day one of my cockatiels flew and he repeatedly squawked until he landed. Needless to say his fly time was minimal until the pesky feather/feathers fell out or he pulled it out.

woah, I didn't know it could be that painful for them. poor guy, I hope he was able to get rid of those bad feathers eventually. either way hearing this helps me keep calm, so thank you a lot!

I think it's unusual for cockatiels to become chronic pluckers. It's probably a bad molt. Give him lots of baths since you say he enjoys them.

I did read that it's considered rare but I thought looking for second opinions would be good just in case, so thank you for confirming. it really helps me calm down a bit haha . he *loves* baths so I'll be doing my best to get him as many as I can.

Keep in mind that protein is important during molting. Feathers are made up of mostly protein. A couple times a week ill give my birds finely chopped hard boiled egg. Scrambled eggs are good too if you dont use any oil or butter to cook them. I give each of them about a teaspoon. All of my birds love eggs. Eggs are an excellent source of protein.

As far as sunshine goes, vitamin D is extremely important for birds. Sunshine through a window is useless. The beneficial uv rays are filtered out through glass. The best thing to do (weather permitting) is to take them outside in indirect sunlight for about a half hour atleast a couple times a week.

In the winter i give my birds a vitamin supplement. If you need a recommendation on a supplement, let me know.

Edit: i guess you did say your bird is on pellets. If thats the case, no supplement is needed. ( supposedly)

I actually wasn't aware of this information, so thank you lots! I didn't know eggs were so important. I'll be doing my best to give sunny some hard boiled eggs.
I also didn't know glass removes so much of the benefits of sunlight. sunny does eat pellets but some days he eats less and some days he eats more, so I don't know if he gets the full benefits when it comes to vitamins. maybe I can make an effort to get him to eat more of them. if you think vitamin supplements could still be helpful, I believe the most accessible kind here is the omni-vit by versele laga but there are plenty of kinds so I'm not sure which would be best. again I'd love to know your opinion on that. thank you so much once again!

 

[JjEjFjF]

I'll be doing my best to give sunny some hard boiled eggs.

Or you could buy egg food if its easier. My birds dont really care for it.

sunny does eat pellets but some days he eats less and some days he eats more,

Just remember that cockatiels need seed in their diet.

if you think vitamin supplements could still be helpful

I cant say for sure. I suppose it depends on how much pellets he eats. I myself dont believe in pellets. Its processed food. A lot of pellets have junk for fillers. Stuff they wouldnt eat in the wild. I choose a seed diet with plenty of vegetables (especially dark leafy greens), vitamin supplements and calcium supplement, eggs, etc.

There are many many vitamin supplements on the market. I use this one mainly because it can be mixed in their water and theyre willing to drink it. Some supplements must taste but because they wont touch it.

I also give them things like millet sprays, Avi-cakes and Nutri-Berries. The avi-cakes and nutri berries have pellets in them but i dont think my birds are after the pellets.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I am following/reading this thread with great appreciation for you and all our dedicated members who respond. I'm glad you're reaching out. And glad you're here.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I mix dried egg food into my chop. I find that if I feed it dry they don't eat it because it's mostly fine crumbs or powder. Better still is hard boiled or scrambled eggs. Feeding them real eggs once a week would be enough.

 

[im_nick]

Or you could buy egg food if its easier. My birds dont really care for it.
View attachment 62683



Just remember that cockatiels need seed in their diet.



I cant say for sure. I suppose it depends on how much pellets he eats. I myself dont believe in pellets. Its processed food. A lot of pellets have junk for fillers. Stuff they wouldnt eat in the wild. I choose a seed diet with plenty of vegetables (especially dark leafy greens), vitamin supplements and calcium supplement, eggs, etc.

There are many many vitamin supplements on the market. I use this one mainly because it can be mixed in their water and theyre willing to drink it. Some supplements must taste but because they wont touch it.
View attachment 62684

I also give them things like millet sprays, Avi-cakes and Nutri-Berries. The avi-cakes and nutri berries have pellets in them but i dont think my birds are after the pellets.

I'll be trying both boiled eggs and egg food, thank you! I wasn't sure whether egg food would have the same benefits so it's nice to know it can be used too.
I usually let sunny have about 2 thirds seeds and 1 third pellets for his daily intake at the moment. I'm sure it's not exactly optimal but im still working on changing his diet gradually since he doesn't do particularly well with very sudden diet changes... getting him to eat pellets was rough haha
your point about pellets is also fair. since I'm still working out sunnys diet I thought it would be good to start with pellets before doing fresh foods (based on things I've read) but maybe I'll reduce the pellets once I can get him to eat fresh foods consistently
I'm not fully sure whether I can find avi-cakes and nutri-berries in my area to be honest but I'll still try to look for them where possible. maybe an online store.
I'll also do my best to look for the vitamins you recommended. I know sunny has no problem with drinking water that has something dissolved in it so I believe it should work well. thank you again for the recommendations and advice, I really really appreciate it!!!

I am following/reading this thread with great appreciation for you and all our dedicated members who respond. I'm glad you're reaching out. And glad you're here.

thank you so much, making it and receiving advice has really helped me greatly. I really really appreciate it a lot!

I mix dried egg food into my chop. I find that if I feed it dry they don't eat it because it's mostly fine crumbs or powder. Better still is hard boiled or scrambled eggs. Feeding them real eggs once a week would be enough.

ohhh, I will look into that, thank you! I'll definitely be trying both options to see what works best, but it's very good to know mixing it into chop is an option too

 

[JjEjFjF]

Can you post a picture of Sunny? Not necessarily anything to do with his feather issue, just in general.
I have a Sunny also. This is him with his brother Shadow.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Can you post a picture of Sunny? Not necessarily anything to do with his feather issue, just in general.
I have a Sunny also. This is him with his brother Shadow.
View attachment 62696

Beautiful cockatiels!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I know breeders of exhibition English budgies who feed egg food. Some people may not agree with how breeders want budgies to look in order to win shows (very big, fluffy headed, etc) but the ones I know take excellent care of their birds. They must be in prime condition health-wise to win or place. Personally, I think those big fluffy show budgies are adorable, but I think all budgies (all birds, really) are!

 

[JjEjFjF]

Beautiful cockatiels!

Thank you.

 

[im_nick]

Can you post a picture of Sunny? Not necessarily anything to do with his feather issue, just in general.
I have a Sunny also. This is him with his brother Shadow.
View attachment 62696

your sunny and shadow are adorable. so fluffy!
to be honest I'm a little bit anxious to post pictures of my sunny since he's got a general feather issue unrelated to my original post, which I realize I should have mentioned way earlier since it could be related. so I'm thankful that you've reminded me in a way haha. here he is though! he does very much seem to be molting as has been suggested so he looks extra rough..

I just wanna clarify I've been trying to do my best with what I have to find a cause and a solution to it. it started shortly after I got him with his first few molts. I haven't had much success yet but I'm hoping that as I improve his diet and use everyone's advice here it'll help.

I know breeders of exhibition English budgies who feed egg food. Some people may not agree with how breeders want budgies to look in order to win shows (very big, fluffy headed, etc) but the ones I know take excellent care of their birds. They must be in prime condition health-wise to win or place. Personally, I think those big fluffy show budgies are adorable, but I think all budgies (all birds, really) are!

this is very useful information, makes me feel quite determined to get sunny to eat egg food too! and I do agree, all birds are very cute!

 

[im_nick]

I also wanna post a short update regarding my initial post here. today sunny has been doing the behavior that looked like feather picking a lot less, and he's actually been preening like normal. few squeaks here and there but I suppose that's normal considering he does seem to be molting. his appetite is also back to normal and he's once again playful and demanding attention. all of this to me feels like a good development so I thought it would be worth mentioning. thank you once again to everyone who has responded