Pin like thing on head

I would like to ask all of anyone know what it is on the head of parrot and what can I do to get rid of that from the pic attached. It was present in the budgies head who lived in the same cage for some days. Look to me like a spread decease.

This is normal. New feathers are covered in a sheath as they grow. When tge featget is grown they crumble off. Partots can preen most areas except head so they rake care of it. You can gently pinch and crumble it off, be careful not to pull the feather out!!! Its a learned skill.

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/bird-behavior/

That's quite normal. It's called a 'pin feather'. It's a young feather which has recently replaced a moulted one. The feather grows out with a hard sheath that protects the filaments. In the wild, other birds would preen their friends and crush the flaky coating from the pin feathers, allowing them to open out. In captivity, your bird has to find other ways (like rubbing its head on something or asking you to do it for him).

If your bird will allow you to touch his head, you can *gently* squash the pin between your fingers, scraping the coating away with your nail. You need to be careful because the pin feathers are quite sensitive and, I imagine, feel like pins sticking into the bird if you push them the wrong way. If you can't squash the pin, then try gently scratching along its length.

This is one of the reasons I like to keep my birds in pairs. My two Alexes do this small service for each other while my Corella has to depend on me to do it for her.

Totally normal-- all new feathers look like skinny straws in sort of a plastic case with a pointy end. The base is often filled with blood, which recedes back as the feather grows. The plastic-looking/clear part can be pinched off (if your bird will let you-- remember, these can be sensitive). Do not pinch too close to the blood-filled base, as that can be dangerous and painful. They can't reach the feathers on their heads unless they have help from a flock-mate or a tool, so if you can do so, try to help with these--but not if your bird is scared or jerks away etc. As long as you dont get too close to the blood portion-- you can still p23aqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq <<<<that was Noodles' input.... *SMH*


Anyway, you can still pinch /roll the keratin portion as long as you stay a few CM away from the blood base.

Thanks guys, and my parrot is just 1 year old how can I know the gender if I want to give him a company?

blood sexing at a vet..or waiting, as it is my understanding that the females don't get as prominent a ring at sexual maturity...but they can still have a slight one...They do sell mail-in sexing kits as well, but then you would have to pull out a feather, which could set you back with your bird.

What do you feed your parrot?
His beak makes me think he or she needs some fresh veggies and leafy greens added to the diet. And offer big sturdy dish with an inch or so of water ever few days so tgey can take a bath.

That metal on the cage looks like it could be unsafe???? Most metal has a zinc coating that is toxic to birds, sometimes this shows up slowly as zinc toxicity, and can be fatal

I know this took me a bit to upload, but here is a picture of one of Noodles' pin feathers for reference when I talk about the blood-filled base etc.



PS: U2s have a bald spot on their heads, so what is shown in the picture is normal lol! [/IMG]


here is what comes off of hers when I pinch the non-blood portion:

Laurasea said:

That metal on the cage looks like it could be unsafe???? Most metal has a zinc coating that is toxic to birds, sometimes this shows up slowly as zinc toxicity, and can be fatal

Click to expand...

I 100% agree--zinc poisoning (while not an issue so much for shorter lived birds, like chickens) is a major risk for parrots. Nothing with zinc should be used. The preferred metals are stainless or iron with a bird-safe powder coating.

Feather structure info
https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/feathers-article/

Jg000, where do you live? We can advise you better if we have an idea of what's available to you and what methods you can use to shop for supplies.

I'm afraid you won't know what gender your bird is until s/he reaches three years of age. If you have access to a bird-vet, then you can pay for a DNA test, which will find out for you right away.

Do keep asking questions, though. We're all happy to help!