Cockatiel pin feathers for 6 months!

[LouLou's helper]

Hello! Much appreciate any guidance... our 11-13+ year old cockatiel (we got him as a rescue) has had this tangle of pin feathers for about 6 months now. He does preen the rest of hte body so not sure what is going on here...?

He is also starting to get some bald spots (noticeably the inner leg, middle of the back) would love any recommendations. We did move from a coastal area to the desert earlier this year so wondering if it's just the dryness?

He is the grumpiest cockatiel around, hates other birds, doesn't play with toys, refuses to eat anything but seeds and the occasional houseplant nibble, only takes a bath if we spray him, likes us next to him but no touching but we love him dearly.

 

[zERo]

Sorry to hear, but boy is most likely female since he's a pearl, unless you Dna tested him and he's a rare male pearl.
What's the humidity in his living area? You can safely spray him daily.
Are you sure he isn't picking out feathers?
Have you tried mixing his seed into chop? Or you could try making birdie bread, there's many great recipes on here and tips for diet conversion.

 

[LouLou's helper]

Sorry to hear, but boy is most likely female since he's a pearl, unless you Dna tested him and he's a rare male pearl.
What's the humidity in his living area? You can safely spray him daily.
Are you sure he isn't picking out feathers?
Have you tried mixing his seed into chop? Or you could try making birdie bread, there's many great recipes on here and tips for diet conversion.

 

[LouLou's helper]

Thank you so much for the answer!!!

I always had my suspicions Loulou/Lulu was a girl. Or not sure if birds can be androgynous? When we got him/her the comb feathers were bright yellow, and the old owner said it was a boy... After about a year, a lot of grey started to come in and she started flirting like a girl bird...

We will try to spray her every day... hope it will help the pin feathers... She HATES it!

She pulls out her fluff feathers occasionally, the ones she does seem not to be fully formed (they they have a weird nub and bothers her). This one I am concerned about is a whole set of pin feathers I have been watching for 6 months that just doesn't seems to grow or loose the outer casing.

I have tried chop with seed and will try again... Maybe it's just because it's such an old bird but literally the only veggie I ever got her to eat is some tomato seed (and that might have been a mistake). Grumpiest bird I've ever met...!

 

[texsize]

Those bent pin feathers look to be malformed.
I don't know what would cause that other than damaged follicles.
Can only suggest asking a certified avian vet and not to mess with them, they would cause your bird pain.