Cockatiel - should I separate her from mate? (plucked head but bonded)

[Violet123]

Hi,

I have two 4 month old Cockatiels as temporary guests (until the end of the summer). They have been with me for a couple months now and are very bonded. I think they are sisters too! When they are out of sight of each other they constantly call back and forth.

One of them is very dominant and one is much more submissive. The submissive girl had the back of her head plucked from other tiels at her permanent home, but its gotten slightly worse in my care. So I think its her best friend doing it too. Her feathers also aren't as good as they could be - not sure if she grooms as well or as well. I have been misting her daily as she won't bathe on her own.

So my question is, should I separate them more or will that just cause more stress?

They are only caged when no one is home, otherwise the door is open and they can come out and explore.

 

[Phlox]

Since they aren't yours and were caged together for you to watch them, this is a better question for their owner. However....

How old are these birds? Sometimes if a bird has been plucked for a long time, the feathers won't grow back, not to mention they are pretty thin under the crest of a cockatiel as it is, that it might be normal. Separating them will probably be very stressful for them so I'd suggest against it as long as there's no damage to her skin.

 

[Violet123]

About 4 months old.

You're right, this is the owner's decision, I just don't like the idea of giving them back looking worse than I got them. They are otherwise healthy, normal birds. The owner would very likely let me keep them if I wanted, they have many more cockatiels at home. These were intended to be office pets, but now they have come home with me and seem happier there.

 

[Violet123]

I should clarify it was somewhat of an informal agreement to "pet-sit" .... they are basically here to stay until I want to return them. : )

 

[Phlox]

Maybe a picture so we can see what it looks like? They are pretty young, so that might explain the lousy looking feathers. I forget not all cockatiels are old...with the exception of the one I have now (who's 14 but I got her as a baby) all my others were adopted as old adults (5-16 years old), so there's different issues with immature birdies.

 

[Runnergirl]

Also, whiteface sometimes have a bald spot behind the crest due to inbreeding...depending on the mutation sometimes the feathers are thin to begin with. Are they squabbling or is it possible the dominant one is plucking due to stress and not aggression?

 

[TessieB]

Could be she's naturally bald. If they are a bonded pair, and no blood is being drawn by the over grooming, I'd leave them together. However, if there is damage being done, I'd seperate them. You can get another cage and put them side by side.

Evaluate the diet these two birds are on and see if there is need for improvement. Supply them with lots of shreddable toys. Mine love oat hay, and if I'm feeling especially creative I'll weave the oat hay into shapes for them to destroy. Grow sprouts from the bird seed and allow them to munch away. Happy cockatiels are active cockatiels and those beaks are always busy. Give them something to do with those busy beaks and you might solve the problem of over grooming.

Good luck!

 

[Violet123]

I will post new pictures when I get home from work. The only ones I have right now don't show the bald spot.

Interesting about inbreeding! I think that might have a factor here ... not sure the exact details but that is a very good possibility.

The birds are eating primarily seeds but get veggies, sometimes mealworms, I tried pellets, and grass (they love grass!). I used to have a budgie but she rarely chewed compared to these guys - they are always picking at stuff

 

[Violet123]

 

[Phlox]

Well, she's a lutino, just like mine is. I went and inspected Mischka's head and if you removed like two fluffy feathers, she'd look the same. Since this is a baby, I wouldn't worry just yet. She doesn't even seem to have her adult size crest yet. Just keep an eye on it.

 

[Runnergirl]

I don't have a pic of Salty's bald spot, but I think your baby is fine. I am a member of a cockatiel only forum and it's talked about pretty regularly. Just watch for changes but unless it gets noticably larger I'd personally leave them together.

 

[samhatch]

I could be mistaken but I have herd lutino cockatiels will always have that bald spot.. this is just the way their mutation is.
But if the bald spot is getting bigger than you may have an over enthusiastic preener