ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 16, 1996 TAG: 9606180001
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: claws & paws
SOURCE: JILL BOWEN
Q: I have a male cockatiel that has recently started some odd behavior. He bobs up and down in front of his mirror and then smears some sort of white stuff over his head. The other thing he does is to pluck out his feathers so that he really looks dreadful. He used to look so pretty. What can I do?
A: Feather picking is not uncommon in psittacine birds, which is the family to which your cockatiel belongs. Feather picking or feather mutilation is primarily a condition of captivity, where the birds starts by over-preening and progresses to plucking or chewing its feathers and sometimes even to skin mutilation. Feather picking is not a disease, but the sign of an underlying problem.
Finding out what the problem is can be very frustrating and very difficult. The two common causes, behavioral and medical, often overlap. Feather picking is much easier to cure in the early phases than after it becomes established.
Some things you ought to consider and correct are:
1.) Size of the bird cage; is it large enough? Feather picking often starts from boredom. The smaller the cage, the more likely the bird is to become bored.
2.) Where is the cage situated? It should be somewhere the family congregates.
3.) How much time does he spend alone? Does he have a variety of toys to play with that are changed from time to time?
4.) Is he ever allowed out of his cage to fly around the room? Also, on warm summer days, the cage should be hung outside in the shade so the bird can get fresh air and a change of scenery.
Cockatiels are particularly susceptible to cigarette smoke. The tar that accumulates on its feathers can lead to excess preening. Providing a small bowl of water occasionally will encourage your bird to take a bath, which they enjoy and helps keep the feathers clean.
Improper nutrition can result in a delayed or incomplete molt; these retained, dull-looking feathers can result in over-preening. All caged birds should have commercial bird seed available; check to make sure that your brand has had vitamins and minerals added.
Bobbing in front of the mirror and regurgitating this white substance is typical courtship and mating behavior. Your cocky sees his image in the mirror as a potential mate and is going through an elaborate courtship ritual. The white material is regurgitated food, which proves him the ideal mate, able to feed the hen while incubating and later feed the freshly hatched chicks. Once spring has passed this should end.
If the feather-picking persists, a trip to your veterinarian is a good idea.
LENGTH: Medium: 54 linesby CNB