cockatiel dust

[naturelover]

hi i know cockatiel are not wildlife from this country but i wondered if any one can answer this,why do cockatiels have a dust fall from their feathers all the time,i have often wondered why and what is it for i thought some one on this site must know with all the knolage there is,i have an avery out in the back garden with about thirty cockatiels in it dust every where,also i have two inside in a large parrot cage as they cant fly,they live in my conservatory among the plants and you would be amazed how much dust there is on the windowsils every morning,dont get me wrong it dosnt bother me its just curiosity,i love them to bits and my female ( hunny ) loves me too she is so loving its unbeliveable,i hope this dosenot upset anyone as they are australian wild life not british.

[thunder]

I think it's not just cockatiels that have this dust. I know when birds fly against windows you can often see the imprint if the bird in a ghostly shape made of dust. Pigeons in particular leave such marks. I am not sure what the dust is ,though. Possibly something from the preen gland.

henrya

[clicka15]

I'm not certain, but it could be dead scales from the feathers. If that is the case then all birds should emit dust...just a suggestion, but I'm not sure.

Steven.

[naturelover]

Originally Posted by clicka15

I'm not certain, but it could be dead scales from the feathers. If that is the case then all birds should emit dust...just a suggestion, but I'm not sure.

Steven.

thanks yes i supose you are right,all birds must have it,perhaps its their waterproofing who knows.

[emmz]

I have 4 cockateils & find that they do tend to leave some type of "dust" about as I let them fly about the conservatory.

I am not sure what it is, but had an idea it might be some form of skin ( like our skin we shed) well they probably do too, as with other birds.

With this, I put water down, a couple like to bathe, and a couple of stubborn ones don't. I end up having to spray them with lukewarm water, then they acually clean and preen themselves.

The worst thing is though, I only had a couple, a female and a male. It took several years and they eventually gave some eggs, of which did hatch and the male was more interested than the female......spose made a good house husband lol lol.

One of the babies was dying, which was sad, so my daughter took him home and fed him regular, raised him & he is the most loveable bird going. They managed to teach him the "Adams Family song" in whistling, he did it fantastic, aswell as danced too, all of his own accord.

He seems so lonely & would have him back in a second, if I was sure he would be ok with the others, but mine are stubborn and well like the main male one, dam arrogant and very nasty cannot be tamed, this came from the age he was bought.

I would love it if they all could get along, but as best is tried, it seems they are wild as such here & stuck in their ways.

Any advice on this I would appreciate as I am no good at all training them, they are too fast for me lol.

[naturelover]

Originally Posted by emmz

I have 4 cockateils & find that they do tend to leave some type of "dust" about as I let them fly about the conservatory.

I am not sure what it is, but had an idea it might be some form of skin ( like our skin we shed) well they probably do too, as with other birds.

With this, I put water down, a couple like to bathe, and a couple of stubborn ones don't. I end up having to spray them with lukewarm water, then they acually clean and preen themselves.

The worst thing is though, I only had a couple, a female and a male. It took several years and they eventually gave some eggs, of which did hatch and the male was more interested than the female......spose made a good house husband lol lol.

One of the babies was dying, which was sad, so my daughter took him home and fed him regular, raised him & he is the most loveable bird going. They managed to teach him the "Adams Family song" in whistling, he did it fantastic, aswell as danced too, all of his own accord.

He seems so lonely & would have him back in a second, if I was sure he would be ok with the others, but mine are stubborn and well like the main male one, dam arrogant and very nasty cannot be tamed, this came from the age he was bought.

I would love it if they all could get along, but as best is tried, it seems they are wild as such here & stuck in their ways.

Any advice on this I would appreciate as I am no good at all training them, they are too fast for me lol.

hi i understand you had babies from your two cockatiels,did this happen in the cage and did you have a nest box for them?,as you know i have two cockatiels in the house one male one femail,the male is always singing trying to get round the female but she wont have any of it,she goes nasty at him trying to bite him i think she thinks i am her mate how she is with me so loveing,as for the dust yes i think you must be right it is dead skin i should imagin and i spray them with a humidifier they love it,mind you i get every thing in the conservatory wet but it soon drys