Something odd on head!

[Mohitgaur088]

I have come to know a lot about my tiel in a very short span of time but still there's a lot to know especially those fine details and little things! We've got toys, new home and an avian vet checkup and all! Vet said she is healthy and very active! Now, maybe she's started to molt because we see a few little feathers and that dandruff like stuff being shed- Today, I noticed this little thing on her head, it looks like a feather's root, it's not swelling but looks red. What's this? Also, Can you please upload pics of what pin feathers look like in lutino cockatiels?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fjARYSQmcexakdoL8

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[ChristaNL]

Yup, pinfeather.


Lovely looking bird!

 

[texsize]

It's not unusual for Tiels to have a bald spot underneath their crest. Breeders tend to see this as bad/undesirable.

Your Tiel looks more bald than I have seen before. If you are housing the bird with another Tiel it could be that the other bird is overgrooming or even plucking some feathers out. If so I would recommend separating them.

texsize

 

[Mohitgaur088]

There's no other bird! The bald spot is there since we got her!

It's not unusual for Tiels to have a bald spot underneath their crest. Breeders tend to see this as bad/undesirable.

Your Tiel looks more bald than I have seen before. If you are housing the bird with another Tiel it could be that the other bird is overgrooming or even plucking some feathers out. If so I would recommend separating them.

texsize

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[LaManuka]

It just looks like a new blood feather to me, they’re normal. Do you know what blood feathers are?

 

[Mohitgaur088]

It just looks like a new blood feather to me, they’re normal. Do you know what blood feathers are?

Yes yes I do know what a blood feather is...by definition a blood feather is just another pin feather with a blood supply!

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[LaManuka]

Great! So I reckon that’s what it is. Be careful when you scratch her head cos blood feathers are very sensitive so you don’t want to aggravate her.

 

[Mohitgaur088]

I am avoiding scratching that area But I wanna know one thing, what if she breaks a blood feather by herself and it starts bleeding? What can I do in that situation? Someone said potassium permanganate crystals can be a help but I'm not sure!

Great! So I reckon that’s what it is. Be careful when you scratch her head cos blood feathers are very sensitive so you don’t want to aggravate her.

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[LaManuka]

If you can get your hands on a styptic pencil (I got mine from a pharmacy)) they’re great for stopping bleeding. Blood feathers don’t break all that often really though, I think in 50 years of bird ownership I’ve only had 2 or 3. In extremes I’ve pulled the feather out to stop the bleeding, but only in emergency if I cannot get to the vet and nothing else is working. But it’s not recommended to go pulling wing feathers out as they are very firmly attached and it would cause your bird great pain if you did that, it would be like someone pulling your finger off! So in a case like that you’d have to get her to a vet, but it’s rare so don’t get too worried ok?!

 

[Mohitgaur088]

If you can get your hands on a styptic pencil (I got mine from a pharmacy)) they’re great for stopping bleeding. Blood feathers don’t break all that often really though, I think in 50 years of bird ownership I’ve only had 2 or 3. In extremes I’ve pulled the feather out to stop the bleeding, but only in emergency if I cannot get to the vet and nothing else is working. But it’s not recommended to go pulling wing feathers out as they are very firmly attached and it would cause your bird great pain if you did that, it would be like someone pulling your finger off! So in a case like that you’d have to get her to a vet, but it’s rare so don’t get too worried ok?!

Thanku sooo much You're very helpful. I am not sure if she's molting or not- Can you please just check out this thread too! https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...&share_tid=77211&share_fid=52776&share_type=t Amy and I think it's a molt but I'll love your opinion...

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[LaManuka]

Oh you’ll know when she moults - there will be feathers EVERYWHERE, so many feathers on your floor you’d be able to pick them up and use them to stuff a pillow! Relax and enjoy your bird, she is very beautiful

 

[Mohitgaur088]

Yeah, I'm just being overprotective maybe [emoji28][emoji28] I believe soon I'll start reacting more normally to these situations [emoji4]

Oh you’ll know when she moults - there will be feathers EVERYWHERE, so many feathers on your floor you’d be able to pick them up and use them to stuff a pillow! Relax and enjoy your bird, she is very beautiful

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[LaManuka]

You are a great birdie daddy, there should be more like you

 

[Mohitgaur088]

You are a great birdie daddy, there should be more like you

Thank you [emoji4]

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[noodles123]

Pin feather---the red part is filled with blood and will be sensitive. When it starts to grow out, a white part will extend outward and it will be covered in a keratin sheath. If it is bothering your bird, you can help groom the feather (the sheath will crumble off) but do not get too close to the blood supply and only ever help preen unreachable places.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I am so much happier to see you (maybe) over-react a little than under-react!
Good for you for caring so much.

 

[EllenD]

Just for future reference, as someone who has had a blood-feather break (a primary flight feather on my Cockatiel, ironically), you need to know what to do, because they can bleed to death within a matter of minutes. Styptic Pencils are okay for stopping the bleeding of little wounds, but not for a blood feather that breaks, trust me, a Styptic Pencil will do nothing to stop that.

You need to ALWAYS have a box of Corn Starch on-hand in your home. That's the easiest way to stop a blood feather from bleeding, you just need to dump Corn Starch right on it, as it will clot the blood pretty quickly. Works great for a toenail that's bleeding too...Or, you can buy some powder Qwik-Stop from any pet store, but it's best used on their toenails and not on their skin, as it burns on skin. The Corn Starch doesn't burn, and it's your best-bet, and it's cheap, maybe $2 at any grocery store or Walmart.

Also, if you're ever in a situation where a blood feather just won't stop bleeding, not even with the Corn Starch or Qwik-Stop, then you have to pull it out, which is easiest using a pair of needle-nose pliers, because if you try to pull them out with your fingers or a pair of tweezers you can end up only pulling half of it out, and then it becomes a mess. I had to pull the one on my Cockatiel's wing, as it bled for a good 10 minutes, the Corn Starch, Qwik Stop, nothing would stop it and she was dying. And that blood feather was in the bone in her wing, and it took every bit of strength I had to pull it out with a pair of pliers. Scared her to death and hurt her badly, but it saved her life.

And I agree with TextSize, you Cockatiel's bald spot is completely normal, most all of them are born with one, but your bird's is much larger than I've ever seen too. It's possible that she's been scratching at it with her foot/toenails, as that pin feather looks red and very itchy, it's a rather big pin feather. I'd try either bathing her, or getting some all-natural Aloe Vera to put on it, or even some "Molt-Ease" spray, made by Ecotrition and sold at all Petco's. It comes in a large spray bottle for around $10, and it contains both Aloe Vera and natural Purcellin Oil, which is the same oil that is secreted by their preen-gland at the base of their tail, the one that they rub their beak in and then preen themselves by rubbing the oil on their feathers...So the Molt-Ease really does make them feel a lot better when they have a bunch of pin feathers or an irritated, large blood feather like this.

 

[Mohitgaur088]

Just for future reference, as someone who has had a blood-feather break (a primary flight feather on my Cockatiel, ironically), you need to know what to do, because they can bleed to death within a matter of minutes. Styptic Pencils are okay for stopping the bleeding of little wounds, but not for a blood feather that breaks, trust me, a Styptic Pencil will do nothing to stop that.

You need to ALWAYS have a box of Corn Starch on-hand in your home. That's the easiest way to stop a blood feather from bleeding, you just need to dump Corn Starch right on it, as it will clot the blood pretty quickly. Works great for a toenail that's bleeding too...Or, you can buy some powder Qwik-Stop from any pet store, but it's best used on their toenails and not on their skin, as it burns on skin. The Corn Starch doesn't burn, and it's your best-bet, and it's cheap, maybe $2 at any grocery store or Walmart.

Also, if you're ever in a situation where a blood feather just won't stop bleeding, not even with the Corn Starch or Qwik-Stop, then you have to pull it out, which is easiest using a pair of needle-nose pliers, because if you try to pull them out with your fingers or a pair of tweezers you can end up only pulling half of it out, and then it becomes a mess. I had to pull the one on my Cockatiel's wing, as it bled for a good 10 minutes, the Corn Starch, Qwik Stop, nothing would stop it and she was dying. And that blood feather was in the bone in her wing, and it took every bit of strength I had to pull it out with a pair of pliers. Scared her to death and hurt her badly, but it saved her life.

And I agree with TextSize, you Cockatiel's bald spot is completely normal, most all of them are born with one, but your bird's is much larger than I've ever seen too. It's possible that she's been scratching at it with her foot/toenails, as that pin feather looks red and very itchy, it's a rather big pin feather. I'd try either bathing her, or getting some all-natural Aloe Vera to put on it, or even some "Molt-Ease" spray, made by Ecotrition and sold at all Petco's. It comes in a large spray bottle for around $10, and it contains both Aloe Vera and natural Purcellin Oil, which is the same oil that is secreted by their preen-gland at the base of their tail, the one that they rub their beak in and then preen themselves by rubbing the oil on their feathers...So the Molt-Ease really does make them feel a lot better when they have a bunch of pin feathers or an irritated, large blood feather like this.

I tried to fond Molt-Ease but it's not available here in India! I have natural Aloe-Vera in my little garden, Can you please elaborate how to put it on? Did you mean I just have to rub that aloe jelly or a juice?

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