Cockatiel Care Continued![]() Cleaning the environmentAll parrots have very sensitive respiratory systems and digestive systems. They can easily become sick from bacterias and fumes in the air and around/in the cage. Cleanliness is important. For frequent cleaning in the cage, I wash the surface area with "poop-off" to remove droppings, rinse and then rinse with a grapeseed extract and water solution to reduce the bacterial load in the cage area. You could Bleach the cage monthly (more frequent if you've a recently sick bird) but the bird must be removed from the cage and the cleaning done in a separate area of the house. Make sure you rinse the cage very well after bleaching and let dry thoroughly. Grooming
A healthy cockatiel will be seen cleaning their own feathers known as preening. If you see them pulling feathers throught their beak this is normal. If you see them chewing/breaking feathers, and especially pulling out numerous feathers, they may be plucking. They will have bald areas, most predominantly on the breast or rump area. During the course of preening, they may pull out the occasional feather during the molting season, which is generally annually in birds older than 1 yr old. The molt will generally last 2 to 4 months and they may look raggedy, but will not have bald spots. Lutinos (white or yellowish cockatiels) may have a bald spot at (under) the head crest, but should fill in, may be thin (too much inbreeding years ago to produce the white/yellow mutation, has resulted in the thinner feathering of the lutino). onal/food requirements |
|
Subscribe to our
Cynthia Castellon
![]()
|
|
Site created by Cynthia Castellon. Webmistress/owner of castellonenterprises.com as well as Simplyletters.com and Simplycockatiels.com Actual Website coding done by Dan Castellon |