HONESTLY this was a tragic mistake..??

Question

i have this cocktail and i haven't had him long. I have him out every day although hes not tame and he goes in his cage when he wants, which i dont mind at all. However tonight ive had him out and needed to catch to put him back in his cage so that he could settle for the night etc, In this process ive managed to get him and ACCIDENTLY pulled ALL his tail feathers out each and every one of them and god do i feel guilty.

Can he still fly? what do i do? And more importantly Will he be ok???????

Edward S -- You think im a nasty cruel b*stard on here asking this question? How do you think YOUR answer will look?? I care about whats just happened to my bird and im sincerely sorry for my actions as it was a GENUINE accident!!!
As it happens im really fond of birds they ARE my passion and if you must no im in the procees yet again of breeding my finches so F*ck off and keep you options to yourself-!!

Im asking REAL people their views and if you dont like it -- Take a HIKE!!

Answer 1

Don't feel too bad hon. This stuff happens. You just have to be careful to never hold him by his tailfeathers... they will pull out easier than some believe. I have a nanday who is fearful of a lot and she's lost a few tail feathers from fleeing from fear. Just be sure he is not bleeding (that his tailfeathers were not still blood feathers). He'll still be able to fly, not 100% but he should be fine. His tail feathers will grow back. It may take a while, but they will. Just be careful when they do, until they are fully grown, they'll be blood feathers and extra sensitive.

You should consider taking him to a vet to get his wings clipped, it really helps if you want to try to tame him, then you don't have to chase him around the house so much. Next time, have a small hand towel handy and throw it over top of him and scoop him up to get him back to his cage. Just be careful you don't hold him so he can't move his belly/chest as they need to move it in order to breathe. Also, birds can stress out very easily so if you've been chasing him around a lot, give him a few minutes to recollect hisself and use the towel and try again.

Don't mind some of these fools on here... some people have nothing better to do than to entertain their sorry selves by making other people feel bad. Good on you for being so concerned and seeking advice. :-)

Good luck!

Answer 2

It is most puzzling as to how you managed to pull out every single rear feather - that must've been some hold or grasp you had.

I would advise not to let the bird out until you have him more tamed and he is used to you and his surroundings. It may take longer since it would've been a traumatic experience for him.....what with that 'strangle hold' ;o)

Give it a week or two, let him settle then gradually feed him from your hand - while he is still in his cage. If you feel you want him to have an area for him to be more active then simply buy a much bigger cage.

An alternative is to have his wings clipped - you simply could have this done the once during the taming process - after that allow his wings to grow back. This is not a cruel procedure - if you're going to keep a bird as a pet then you're going to have to do certain things so that bird is safe and secure.

Besides it doesn't have to be a long-term thing, I'm sure it won't take long for him to get used to you.

Answer 3

It is not known by many bird keepers that this is an escape mechanism,
Birds loose their feather when under attack,this means anything grabbing hold of them their feathers come out quite easily,so you have nothing to worry about! they will grow back surprisingly quickly.
And he will still be able to fly without his tail.
Have you not seen many a wild bird without tail feathers?
Make sure he has a Cuttlefish bone and a mineral block,also feed him some soaked sprouting seed.
Soak some Sunflower,Hemp,Niger and Millet,in warm water over-night,drain ,rinse,place somewhere warm till it sprouts,this will give him extra vitamins which will also encourage feather growth.
One way to encourage him to back into is cage is put a Millet spray in side as a treat.
Let him settle down for 2-3 days but still keep talking to him till he recognises that you are no longer a threat!

Answer 4

don't feel SO bad -- THIS time.

Cocatiels when stressed can shed their tail feathers just like lizzards shed their tail. this helps them escape predators.

I have a free-flying cocatiel too, who IS tamed now but not obedient. (she shed her tail once at my dad!) Do NOT chase the bird if you can help it. Put Millet in the cage (or other seeds) when you want the bird to go inside. (can take up to 30min for it to go inside, which is annoying)

If you MUST catch it, i use those Bird-Bath spray bottles and spray the bird till it can't fly anymore from being wet, then i pick it up. Spray must be 100% water in mist form (not stream!) and NOT come from anything that had chemicals in it. Get one of those bird-bath spray cans in a store and refill it with water for emergencies only.

chasing after it puts you in the "predator" category. not good in long-term for your relationship with the bird.

It is very much harder to have a free-flying bird. Be very careful not to leave windows and doors open, or any place the bird can go get hurt (like hot frying pans) when the bird is flying about.

Answer 5

The tail feathers will grow back, but he won't be able to fly very well until they grow back in. My husband pulled almost all of the tail feathers out of our cockateil, by mistake. He likes to hide and jump out at his feet as he walks by. My husband didn't see him, and stepped on his tail. My husband, nor my bird has learned their lesson. He still doesn't pay enough attention to where he walks, and Paulie still hides and jumps out at his feet. I know how sad you are, I was about ready to stomp my husband a good one, but the feathers grew back, and so far, so good. My bird just likes to play rough with him. He doesn't do that with me. Sorry, I don't remember exactly how long it took for the feathers to grow back, so watch him when he tries to fly and make sure he doesn't fly into a window my mistake, until they are grown back.

Answer 6

He will be fine. His flying will be affected though until the new ones grow back in which will take a bit of time. When the feathers start growing back they might not come out perfect. If any of them are bleeding (were the feather broke off) you should pull it out. This will stop the bleeding. If your not sure how to do this, take him to a vet.

Answer 7

he will still be able to fly, but will have lost a lot of trust in you. If you must catch him when he's out throw a towel over him carry him back inside the towel or take a perch out of his cage and put it be him for him to stand on it takes a little longer this way

Answer 8

Ah
One my cockatiel's tail feathers came out (although not all of them). The feathers grew back after awhile especially after he molted. Cockatiel's feathers fall out when they become stressed out. I'm not sure but I think the tail helps them steer so you may want observe if it has any trouble flying at first.

GOOD LUCK!
(if you become really worried it may be a good idea to take him to the vet)

Answer 9

Um, since you said you pulled out his tail feathers i think he'll be okay and he will feel sad that he lost his feathers. But he can probably still fly since he got wings to fly with. Well if you need more go to the vets they'll know.

Answer 10

Wow...that's odd. You must've pulled really hard. But as long as you didn't do it on purpose, you're not neccessarily an animal abuser. I think birds use their tail feathers for balance - so he should still be able to fly, and they'll probably grow back with time.