I found a lost cocatiel, he's missing feathers, only around his neck though.?

Question

Other than that, he or she (I don't know!) seems healthy, but picks himself a bit; is it normal? I don't know much about these beautiful birds and I need some advice. So far we can see the skin of his neck, the rest of the body seems normal and fully covered. Is there something I should do?

Answer 1

The first thing you should do is make an attempt to find the owner. Go to an avian veterinarian and see if they can scan the bird for a micro chip and get the birds ID number, and find the owner.

If thats not possible than buy a spacious cage for your cockatiel with lots of toys. Provide a nutrient rich diet. Cooked yams, green beans, carrots, apples, bananas, peaches, cellery, diced hard boiled eggs. etc. NEVER EVER feed chocolate, avacado, rhurab. It WILL KILL them.

As far as the plucking around the neck your cockatiel is most likely a breeding female. Females generally pluck around their chest and neck to use for the eggs to rest on for extra warmth.

now if the cockatiel is friendly try to spend 2 hours a day holding and playing with your bird. and have another2 hours spent on top of the cage, if the cage has a playtop. If not buy a playgym with lots of toys.

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I hope this helps and I wish you luck with your cockatiel.

Answer 2

If the cockatiel is plucked only around his neck you can be sure he did not pick himself. He has been plucked by other birds. You will have a hard time telling if it is male or female if it is young. When they become adult the male will have bright red cheek marks and the female will have duller cheek spot. Also the males are more noisey as the female is instinctly more quiet for nesting. And the males are more active and noisy. If this is the only bird, keep in mind they are flock creatures so they need companion ship and attention. If he is beginning to pluck his own body it is probably stress. Birds pluck themselves for several reasons. Stress--mites--moved around to much. I put mine by a window so she can see outside. Every day we have a visit time for about an hour. Give him a MORNING bath than the next day powder him with mite powder that can be found at any pet store. Birds learn by sound and action. When you have a visit time offer a treat. A p-nut--piece of celery--piece of lettues--piece of carrot--piece of apple--raison. This will help him learn your voice and your sight and you represent something good.
Birds scratch for several reason, Sometime it is to dry skin sometime mites and sometime to remove a broken feather. The neck feathers will grow back, don't worry about that.

Answer 3

He's probably been picked by some other birds...poor thing! Make sure you eliminate all trace of mites in the cage and without. Don't worry about mites on you though! They can't survive with your body heat, and will die within a few hours if you ever got them on you...I'd recommend Adam's Spray if you do have/get them on you...Careful, birds don't just pick/pluck at themselves when stressed, it's also a sign of boredom! Make sure to give him some attention and you shouldn't have plucking problems!

Answer 4

birds, especially cocatiels, tend to loose feathers and pick at themselves when theyre stressed. once my cocatiel got out of her cage, and we had to chase her through the house to catch her. for the next three days, she picked until finally she got an infection. the vet told us to put her in a quiet room, cover her cage with a blanket, and leave her completely alone except to feed and water her quietly for a week. she recovered after a short time and grew her feathers back. so thats my advice, put her in a quiet room, cover her cage at all times, and feed her quietly without much talking. when you go back to her/him after a few days to a week, talk quietly and reassuringly, and dont try to touch her/him for a while. large birds have good momories, the bird knows its not at home, and with all the excitement of finding a new pet, im sure everyones been fawning over it. its probably scared and stressed.

Answer 5

keep it warm, make sure it is in a spacious cage, offer it food aswell as a good cockatiel mix (dont use home brand bird seeds ever) , some grated apple, or corn etc fresh water.
It may have mites/lice, buy some lice spray from pet shop, apply when you hold the bird, careful not to spray in the eyes, and not near food & water dishes.
Talk softly to it, so u dont frighten it, peg and cover the back of the cage with a towel or blanket so it feels secure, ring and talk to your local pet shop about your find and they can guide u furthur.
Best of luck, u have found a little treasure.

Answer 6

truthfully, it sounds lots greater like the poultry is recovered from his injuries and is catching up on his molt. he's in simple terms changing his physique feathers. in simple terms upload slightly greater protein to his seed nutrients ordinary -- possibly upload some greater peas, and so on., and he might desire to be high quality and in new plumage in approximately 4-6 weeks.

Answer 7

it's from stress, try making the house very silent and covering the cage in a dark sheet.This should help calm it.You can also try cooing and softly talking to it.Good luck.

Answer 8

Feather plucking is a sign of stress. Make his/her environment stress free (noise,smells or other animals)

Answer 9

Please Please try to find his owner! The bird probably escaped from his owners and they are frantically trying to find it. They are excellent flyers and this happens too often. Call the vets in your area and maybe check the newspapers for lost/found. Someone is heartbroken and missing their baby.

Answer 10

no clue