I have a six month old grey cockatiel. It's wings were clipped at seven weeks of age. Since then the wing feathers have neither fallen out nor grown. Could you offer any suggestions as to why the wing feathers do not seem to be regrowing. Also the tail feathers are snapping halfway up from the stem and by now he has only broken tail feathers of approx 4cms . My cockatiel does not suffer from feather plucking nor does it's mate pluck them. I have consulted a vet who said there was no problem with mites and could not give me any further advice. If you could offer any advice it would be much appreciated.

Some of the offspring we have bred have naturally fantastic feathers and others have feathers that always seem soft. It's our feeling that the tendency for good feathers is inherited as is the tendency for bad feathers. We're not implying that your bird is poorly bred, rather it simply may have inherited "soft feathers."

At six months baby cockatiels tend to not care whether they break or frey feathers while they explore and play. Misting 2 to 4 times a week helps to maintain feather condition, while molting or pulling the feathers initiates growth of new ones. If you consider pulling, we suggest you have an experienced groomer or vet do this if you aren't experienced.