Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My female is molting, has been since I got her. How long should this go on? She has a few spots of pin feathers on her wings and losing a few feathers daily, she also has sheathed feathers on her head, she won't let me touch her head (or anywhere else)to help. Her legs look patchy too. When I took her to the shop to get her wings and nails done, the owner advised me that she was frustrated and wanted to breed. Does this sound right to any of you? I would gladly put a nesting box in to see what she would do, but I don't want to raise babies. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to raise them, if I thought I could find good homes for all of them. Any suggestions?

Cockatiels moults can be different to other parrots. They do moult for long periods & most of this is a very slow process. Then they go through a heavy moult about twice a year, usually with seasonal changes. This is when you notice them lose a lot of feathers. It all sounds normal what your tiel is going through & she looks normal. For it to become a problem would be if you were to see bare patches where she's lost feathers, as if plucked.

The frustration of not breeding???? Well, has she previously been a breeding bird? If she hasn't I don't understand why the person you bought her has suggested she's frustrated. Is it because of the moulting or her behaviour? If her behaviour has changed & she's grumpy then from what you've mentioned I can 100% guarentee her grumpiness is due to a heavy moult. Heavy moults can be painful & irritating. You can help by offering bathes etc & being patient because she will get through this.

I don't think she has ever been bred. She wasn't very interested in being touched three months ago when I rescued her, so I don't know what she is normally like when not molting. I am pretty sure she is just molting, but the shop owner insisted that not breeding her was the reason. I don't understand why people always insist that breeding is the answer. Maybe he was trying to get me to give her to him so he could breed her and have even more birds out there for people to abandon, he has too many tiels in his shop waiting to get homes right now. I will continue with the baths and keep giving her a healthy diet and just let her do what she wants, it looks really painful, I wish I could do more but its natures way. Thanks so much for keeping me on the correct path.

Breeding certainly doesn't solve problems at all. If breeding behaviour is discouraged, EG: no nest box, no head back rubbing to promote hormonal behaviour then the bird won't be interested in breeding.

Also I forgot she was a rehomed. This alone could also be a reason why she doesn't like to be touched. Tiels are funny things. They're not very forgiving if they've been treated unfairly in any way & never forget bad things they've gone though.

Sounds like everything you're doing is fine. Whether her past or moulting is to blame for her not wanting to be touched, she needs tilc & LOADS understanding.

I have an easy fix for you. DON'T CLIP THE WINGS!!!!!!!! Parrots molt usually twice a year, and being in a petstore like that with no nutrition, no freedom, and perhaps dirty cages, does not allow an easy molt.

Clipping the wings is harsh, and I know your doing it out of the goodness of your heart, but it's cruel.
It's like if someone let you walk until you were three then they cut off your legs, and said "no more walking for you" you would be frusterated, wouldn't you? Birds don't get any exercize with walking, because they just don't do enough to benefit from it. In the wild birds get to where they need to go by flying, not walking.

You may be worried about your bird flying into a window or a wall, right? Well I can promise you the first couple flights, they WILL do that, but then they learn not to do it. Because your 'tiel probably has never flown, I do advise you wing trim when the flight feathers grow out. Wing trimming is just clipping a couple flight feathers, so that if they do fly into a wall, there won't be much speed involved. Then don't ever clip the wings when those feathers grow out.

You could also be worried that it will fly away. We tell visitors at the aviary I work at to walk their bird around the neightborhood with a harness. That way if they do get out of the house, they will alot of times know where home is and fly back.

So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! do your friend a favor and DON'T clip her wings next time, and I promise you will see a huge change in her, and not to mention she will live longer and be healthier.

Also- what are you feeding her? if seed is the answer get her on a pellet diet. The aviary where I work feed their birds Pretty Bird pellets, however my birds seem to fancy Zupreem. It takes awhile to find the right pellet for your bird, but don't give up because that too, will keep your bird living longer.

These birds were rescues. It might help to read an earlier post, like right after I got them three months ago. This bird was not clipped when I took her in. I would have gladly not clipped her, but I couldn't do anything with her. She was abused previously, I didn't buy these birds from a pet store. She is a very scared bird with lots of promise to become friendly again. I had to have her wings clipped, she couldn't even come out of her cage without flying into something, she knows how to fly and well I might add! I have cats and I don't want her to be hurt by one of them. Does this make sense? Maybe when she adjusts and comes to see this as her new environment and I get a bit of training done with her I can opt out on wing clipping. But right now I feel I must do it for her safety. She would fly away if given a chance, then what would become of her? And NO she will not wear a harness or anything else, she won't hardly let anyone touch her.. period. I have researched cockatiels and talked to many people here and elsewhere. They all seem to agree with what I am doing and its fairly common pratice. I know rescues have aviaries and group tiels like that but do they ever get homes after they are un-domesticated? I don't have an aviary and I also have my cats, which I won't part with. I have grown to love my birds so I am doing the best that I can for all involved. I have switched her/them to pellets and they still get seeds as treats, but she/they also gets veggies, eggs, pasta and a variety of other good things to eat, daily. They had never had veggies, she didn't even know what they were when she came here, she is trying to come around. Her male friend has come around by leaps and bounds, he will even let me scratch his head and he has learned to fly to my arm when given the command to perch. I hope this helps you understand where I am coming from with these birds. I took them in because no one was taking care of them, they were starving, biting and very scared. I bought two larger cages for them, and I clean the cages daily. When they came to me they had one small cage and it was extremely filthy, they only had seed hulls in their food dish, hardly no water, a large feeder cup half full of dried poop, one toy and had probably never had a dish of water to bathe in and I know they had never had a spray bath by the way they dislike it. They were going to die. I think they are so much better off now. Since you deal with rescues, do you have any other suggestions as to what I can do to help them? Thanks so much for posting.

I have 2 cockatiels--one male, one female (NOT a breeding pair I might add), and my female thrives on not having her wings clipped. She's never flown into walls or windows and we make sure to re-cage her if the door leading to outside must be opened for whatever reason, regardless how briefly.

My male cockatiel came to me as a rescue from an abusive, neglectful situation similar to the one seductivereptile described her bird as being in prior to the change of scenery. He had a 6-inch tall pile of poop in the cage, one swinging perch, a dish full of hulls, and water so nasty I had to throw the entire container away. His wings were so weak he couldn't even sit on my finger properly without falling off, so I wasn't worried with clipping his wings. Instead I worked to exercise those wings, by letting him perch on my finger while I gently held one of his feet with my thumb, and then lower him to the floor while he flap-flapped away. We would repeat that a few times, let him rest a minute or so, then do it a few more times before returning him to his cage. For the first couple of months, though, his impulse was to bite, so we would use garden gloves to get him out of his cage. Once out, he was fine and the gloves could come off, and he'd stair-step on our fingers like he'd been doing it all along.

Once his wing muscles were strong enough to support flight, I allowed him a closely-monitored trip around the room, with someone standing in front of all the windows that might appear tempting. He could only fly in a straight line, stopping until he got to something or someone he could perch on (usually in some very clumsy landings) and would then proceed to chirp & holler until he was escorted back to his cage. We monitored his flight for about a month and decided it would be better to keep him clipped.

Seductive, with patience and lots of TLC, your feathered friend should come around. My male went through a difficult molt after I got him, and he'd never been exposed to a bath either. I've had him about 8 months now, and he still protests somewhat when I bring out the spray bottle, but not near as much as he did with his first bath. Do you fill your spray bottle with hot water? I fill mine with hot water from the tap, and by the time the water reaches their feathers, it's about room temperature, which is just fine for cockatiels.

I should also mention that he had some stubborn feathers underneath his wings that didn't want to shed their sheath...they'd been there for several small molts. But a few weeks ago he allowed me to stroke him underneath his wing (no glove), and he just sat there calm as could be, wing slightly raised and his beak half-open like he was smiling! Have patience, and work in small steps. =)

I'm so glad he ended up with you, he is truly one of the lucky ones. My female also has patches on her wings where I can see the feather sheath, she will not let me touch her to try an help. I mist them with warm, not hot.. its worth a try next time, maybe it is too cool by the time it reaches them. I have finally acclimated her to a water dish, she will bathe in it, when she wants. The male doesn't like to be touched on his body, but loves head scratches, the longer the better. The female has started to act funny when I scratch his head, she gets almost close enough to get her hair done and runs away, at least she is coming closer, I am just giving her time to see that the male is thrilled with having his hair done, lol I refer to head scratches as them having their hair done, its funny when I say, lets fix that hairdo, the male always runs to me. I am giving her time, since I have little info on her previous life experience I sorta take clues from her on how she wants to be treated. She isn't hurting anything by taking her time. I am just happy that she eats well and loves to exercise, she is a very fit bird, that flys extremely well, even being clipped. I figure if she doesn't come around I can build an aviary and let them be, I have to try to get her to come around first, she is a very sweet bird that deserves a chance to be loved. I feel like they are both coming around nicely, I am just worried that I don't have enough experience with birds so I don't know some of the things that others do, but, I'm learning... daily.

Wing clipping is an option and an indevidual choice. No one should ever e presured or told they're doing the wrong thing with whatever their choice is!!

I have 2 birds clipped, 1 not clipped. I decide on the clipping for each depending on them, my home & what is suitable for them. Some do well clipped, others don't & this is what should determine if a bird is to be clipped or not, not "it's cruel...." because it isn't!

A pet shop, these birds are in a PET SHOP. How would you feel having them flying free & suddenly flying out the door when the next customer enters the shop?

Wing clipping is only harsh if it's done wrong & the bird is forced into trauma, not all of us parrot owners do this to a parrot, some of us know how to do this without traumotizing a parrot....

I'd also like to mention second nature(first to some species of parrot) to flying is climbing. Parrots who don't fly, given the correct equipment become natural climbers, as they would in the wild. An unclipped parrot is rarely a natural climber in captivity.

FACT: living longer & healthier has nothing to do with not being able to fly. It has everything to do with having a well balanced healthy diet.

While a cockatile is quite hardy & able to cope long life with an all pellet only diet. No parrot should ever have this alone. Everything in moderation. A good variety of leafy, grassy greans & veg. A cockatiels natural food...

I understand it is one's choice to not clip and to clip. You can't honestly tell me that if you just sat on the couch all day, and did the monkey bars when you wern't sitting that you would be healthy? Your heart gets no exercise PERIOD! Yes a healthy diet does have alot to do with a long life but so does exercise, and it proves a happier bird. My bird was nippy when she was clipped when I brought her home, for two years now she has been flighted, she has never bit me! NOW I WILL tell you that if the bird has been through trama that I would understand the clipping, but that is it. If there is nothing wrong with the bird, why clip the wings? I know I would love my bird to be fit and healthy at the same time, and climbing vs. flying there is no match, flying will beat climbing any day!!

That is simply just your opinion, allowed of course, as we are all allowed to have our own opinions on clipping without being told it's wrong & cruel.

As I originally said, clipping IS a choice people have a right to make without being critisized for doing it.

And as I said, clipping works for some & not others. There are MANY factors regarding clipping & free flighted.

Now you've sure just made it sound like clipped birds are fat & unhealthy.....I can 100% guarentee you mine are not. I would like to see the facts that an unclipped bird isn't as healthy or fit or happy. I'd also like you to come & visit my birds in my home & tell me that my clipped birds are unhealthy & unhappy. I think you'd be very surprized at what you see. And where did you clipped birds are fat & unhealthy? Right here: "I know I would love my bird to be fit and healthy at the same time"

Monkey bars & lounge lizards.....well I can't see that's exactly the same thing as a clipped bird, I'd really like to see the proof on that one. Some of us actually do more with our birds other than let them climb around every now & then, some of us do MUCH more than this.

I obviously hit a raw spot when the clipping thing came up. Now I do appoligize for this, I didn't mean to but I have to admit, I am a tad ticked off because this was never meant to be an arguement over who's right & who's wrong. NO ONE is right about the decision of clipping or not. Clipping will always be debatable for as long as it's done. BOTH clipping & not clipping have pros & cons that everyone has a right to bring up without hostility.

The climbing vs flying: Geez...I wasn't looking for match. Second nature to flying is climbing to parrots but I should've mentioned to cockatoos it's so close to first nature it isn't funny. Here they only ever fly to get long distances. They raely fly locally, they walk & climb everywhere. Some species of cockatoo do this more than they fly. Maybe I also didn't mention a flying parrot as a pet is less likely to learn to climb, something they should be encouraged to do whether or not they're clipped. There is no proof that an unclipped bird is unhealthy if all the right measures are taken. That is simply an asumption you've made. If you have the prrof, I would like to see it.

"My bird was nippy when she was clipped when I brought her home, for two years now she has been flighted, she has never bit me!" This prooves my point that it's a choice & it needs to be based on the home envorinemt, in your case the past life.

One of my birds is a horror when flighted & an angel when clipped. What does that say....

anywho, my MAIN pont was it is a personal choice & no one should ever be scolded for the choice they make. There isn't a right & wrong answer for this.

I was not looking to start a debate on this.I used to be for clipping wings and in this case ( I am going back to the topic of this discussion) I believe the owner did the right thing. I failed to read but the first post and I did not see that this bird was a rescue. Now sinceI have been volunteering at an aviary forcloseto 6 years my view on clipping vs. unclipping has changed and therefor I am now against clipping. Its peoples choice, and my mide was changed, and I have opened my mind to what you are saying if itis forthe bird's saftey., I am not trying to be rude, but that is just how I feel. I will post the article that changed my view 6 years ago if you would like,but as far as I am concerned I am done discussing this, because it will be a never ending debate.

I don't believe that wing clipping is either harsh or shortens life.