Is my cockatiel molting, normal or sick?

SafamirzašŸ¤

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2022
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Cockatiel
Hello! I posted something about my cockatiel on ā€œtalkcockatiels,ā€ but I never get a response over there so I thought I should post about this over here because I always get fast and helpful information :)

So, Iā€™ve noticed that my cockatiel, Kiko, has less feathers on the area under his eyes and above his beak. (Pic 1 and 4) and on both sides of his face. I donā€™t know if this is normal, if itā€™s molting (because he is around 6 months old) or if heā€™s sick ?? He hasnā€™t shown any signs of illness, though. I heard that some birds who get an eye infection or respiratory problems can lose feathers there but Kiko doesnā€™t seem to have any of that. Also, I took him to the vet like mid April and was told that he is very healthy and nothing is wrong with him.

He also has less feathers under his wings. I donā€™t know what the area is called and I donā€™t have any pics because he will never let me open his wing, but I circled where Iā€™m talking about in a pic below (pic 2) I have also attached a pic of the area under his beak; (pic 3) is that normal looking or is there supposed to be feathers there?

I just needed some assurance or info on this. I donā€™t THINK that heā€™s sick but I donā€™t know if this is normal. Maybe itā€™s normal and I noticed it just now šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø

Iā€™m also sorry if I seem clueless šŸ˜… Every time I notice or experience something new about Kiko, I get a bit scared and try to find info on it. He is our first bird, so we have never experienced any of this. Kiko is kinda like taking care of an actual human baby, and every new thing that happens worries me šŸ˜­ he even behaves exactly like a baby/toddler.

Thank you to anyone who replies ā¤ļø
 

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SafamirzašŸ¤

SafamirzašŸ¤

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2022
283
365
Parrots
Cockatiel
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  • Thread starter
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Hello! I posted something about my cockatiel on ā€œtalkcockatiels,ā€ but I never get a response over there so I thought I should post about this over here because I always get fast and helpful information :)

So, Iā€™ve noticed that my cockatiel, Kiko, has less feathers on the area under his eyes and above his beak. (Pic 1 and 4) and on both sides of his face. I donā€™t know if this is normal, if itā€™s molting (because he is around 6 months old) or if heā€™s sick ?? He hasnā€™t shown any signs of illness, though. I heard that some birds who get an eye infection or respiratory problems can lose feathers there but Kiko doesnā€™t seem to have any of that. Also, I took him to the vet like mid April and was told that he is very healthy and nothing is wrong with him.

He also has less feathers under his wings. I donā€™t know what the area is called and I donā€™t have any pics because he will never let me open his wing, but I circled where Iā€™m talking about in a pic below (pic 2) I have also attached a pic of the area under his beak; (pic 3) is that normal looking or is there supposed to be feathers there?

I just needed some assurance or info on this. I donā€™t THINK that heā€™s sick but I donā€™t know if this is normal. Maybe itā€™s normal and I noticed it just now šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø

Iā€™m also sorry if I seem clueless šŸ˜… Every time I notice or experience something new about Kiko, I get a bit scared and try to find info on it. He is our first bird, so we have never experienced any of this. Kiko is kinda like taking care of an actual human baby, and every new thing that happens worries me šŸ˜­ he even behaves exactly like a baby/toddler.

Thank you to anyone who replies ā¤ļø
Also, his beak is green because he just ate a lot of spinach!
 

wrench13

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Looks normal to me. Honestly the best way to monitor parrot health is to weigh every day at the same time , after the big morning poop and before he eats breakfast. Keep a log, a weight loss of 3% or more is a sign of something wrong.
 

BirdyBee

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My cockatiel also has less feather under beak/wings. I think it's normal.
 

SailBoat

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Jul 10, 2015
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A young Tiel will complete a couple of molts prior to Adulthood.

It is important to remember that a healthy Parrot has the energy stores to undergo an extensive molt, where a Parrot that is fighting an illness will vastly reduce the number of feathers are molted as a means of fighting the illness.

As a result, it is more likely that your Parrot is undergoing an extensive molt, especially at 6 months of age.

Hope to see you contributing here!
 

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