by Pattie Weber
(Biglerville, PA - USA)
I have 2 female Cockatiels and 1 male and have had them for 7 years. Zippy, the male, has recently started biting at his feathers. I thought that perhaps the house is too dry from winter/heating. They have a diet of seeds, oatmeal and sometimes shredded wheat, cheerios, eggs and veggies. They hate fruit for some reason.
I usually spray them with warm water when I bathe them, although it is not every day in winter, but I try to give them a spritz bath at least once a week.
Today, Zippy was showing off and spread his wings for me and that is when I noticed a dime-sized sore under his right wing. He does pick at it a little. I have no avian vet in my area..which is frustrating.
Is there anything that I can treat this with? This has never happened before, he has plenty of room in the large cage he shares with the females, he has his freedom to fly if he desires, because I keep the cage top and doors open during the day.
They are covered at night - and he's definitely not sexually frustrated, because one of my female Cockatiels is his "girlfriend"...so I can only assume at this point that he might have dry skin.
They have no reason to have mites - I thought of buying a cage protector, but the chemical content scares me and I don't want to have it on the cage where they could peck at it. I keep the cage clean, although I don't break it down and clean it completely as often as I should, but the tray is cleaned 3 times a week, and their food and water are changed every day.
Is there an ointment I could apply to his underwing? He displays no other symptoms, his droppings are normal, and he eats, flies, plays normally. I don't know how long the sore has been there, but I have noticed him excessively grooming himself for about a month. Please Help. Pattie
Comments for Cockatiel w/sore under his right wing
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