Ask Lafeber

Cockatiel feathers

I bought a new cockatiel 2 weeks ago. She’ll be around 7 months old .Her feathers are not grown properly and her tail feathers are clumsy and broken. Why is this and is there a cure ?

Hi,

She is still young and young cockatiels are more likely to break their feathers, especially the tail feathers. She will soon begin to go through her first adult molt, and you will notice that her feather condition will improve. It’s important that her cage is large enough that it isn’t damaging her feathers, or she will just break the new feathers when they grow in.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda