My 10-week-old cockatiel has no tail. Will his feathers grow back?

Sometimes a delay in regrowth of feathers can be due to husbandry and diet, or it can be due to disease. I would recommend evaluating your husbandry closely to start. If there is an abnormal day/night cycle, temperatures that are out of the comfortable range for the species, a diet that is too high in fat or deficient in nutrients, or if the humidity is not correct, a lack of feather growth may occur. If you evaluate all of these parameters and they are normal and appropriate, then it may be secondary to disease or stress. At that point, I would recommend that you take Mitu to a veterinarian for evaluation. They can take samples of the feathers, evaluate the skin, and may also recommend additional diagnostic testing in the form of blood work to evaluate systemic health and radiographs (x-rays). I hope this gives you a place to start, and good luck!

Thank you for your question about Cripp. As long as the feathers are otherwise healthy, and Cripp is fed a well-balanced and healthy diet, his feathers should grow back. Birds routinely shed their feathers, and it is called molting. After the old feathers are lost, new feathers will grow in their place. If you would like for Cripp to be able to fly, you would not want to cut the feathers again. If you did want to prevent him from flying, you would need to have the feathers cut again. There are numerous ways to perform wing trims on birds, and you may elect to choose a less severe trim in the future. I hope that helps, and I hope you enjoy your new pets!

Thanks for reaching out about Tilo and including a photo. It is not normal for feathers to fall out in birds this young. The picture appears as if the feather is fractured and broken. Review nutrition as lack of protein and vitamins can lead to weak feathers. Correct husbandry to prevent falling and traumatizing feathers. A veterinary visit can help to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment/husbandry recommendations. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Rio and including a photo. Nutritional deficiencies, bacterial infections of the feather follicle, some viral diseases, are all possibilities (among others). With how "pinched" to tip of the feather appears, concerns over Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease, should be ruled out. A veterinary visit is recommended for testing and a nutritional consult. Feather growth requires a substantial protein expenditure so plant based proteins (beans, sprouted seeds, legumes) should be a component of the diet. Good luck.

Thanks for the picture and reaching out about Kore. This could be either a fractures feather, possibly weakened by a nutritional deficiency. Protein and several vitamin and minerals are important for feather strength and integrity. Check to see if the calamus is still in place inside the follicle. Usually the birds will chew it and work it out. Another possible condition is one of a few viral diseases that can damage feathers. If the condition continues, a veterinary visit is recommended.

Thanks for reaching out about Peru and including a photo. Birds usually molt in spring but if all the feathers were knocked out, new feathers should grow in soon. Poor nutrition and some diseases can affect new feather growth and a veterinary visit is needed if problems persist. Good luck.

Thanks for your question about Rio. It is normal for birds’ feathers to fall out at regular intervals. This process is referred to as molting. As feathers get older, they lose some of their function so they are replaced by new ones. In most species, this occurs one to two times per year. Where things become concerning is when a bird is losing their feathers between molting times. When this happens, it can be due to illness or to behavioral problems. I hope that helps to answer your question, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.