I have a cockatiel who bent her tail feathers by backing up to the side of her cage (and anything else including the side of my head) and by bending them with her beak. As a result she does not have the beautiful tail feathers that she had a few weeks ago. She had been clipped and we weren't sure if she behaved in this manner because she wants to fly and somehow thinks that by reshaping her tail feathers she can do this. (She also has been trying to pull on her wing feathers to lengthen them.) Do tiels do this? What can we do?
Mary A.
Mary,
Bent or broken feathers are common, especially with young birds. A healthy bird will grow new feathers through the natural process of molting. From your description, it sounds as though she's preening. It is helpful and healthy if you provide her with a shallow dish of water for bathing or mist her every two or three days. We doubt her pulling on her feathers is associated with clipped wings.