[tampaclavin]

My Angel has white pin feathers on her head and a few on her back. Is she in pain because of this? She will occasionally take dips in a bowl to rinse off, but she doesn't stay in long. Is there anything else I can do for her?--christine

[Andie's Mom]

Yes, you can actually preen her yourself by taking each individual pin and squeezing it between your thumb and finger to crack it open, they can't reach the backs of their heads obviously nor the backs of their neck so they need your help. This is also a good time to bond with your bird. Be careful how ever as some of them might be a little tender. I'm sure she'll let you know if you get one that is. Just do a few at a time while you sit and snuggle with her. Keep telling her what a good bird she is for letting you do it, and tell her what a pretty bird she is as well. Keep your sessions short to start and then increase them as she will allow. It won't be long till you'll have the majority of them gone and she'll be a happy camper again.

[tampaclavin]

I just went up to her and tried touching them. That white coating is tough to get off though. I will try again soon. Will the coating come off later , by itself? What will happen if I leave the pin feathers like that?

[Andie's Mom]

Eventually they will wear off but it will take some time.

Yes the coating is quite hard but if will crack and flake off. Spritzing them with water will help soften them and if you bathe him/her more often than normal that will help soften them even more.

A lot of times I will take my guys in the shower with me and soak them down really well, then I'll pinch the pins so they break and then shower them again to get the residue off. My guys seem to really enjoy that. We make a game out of it and it seems to take their mind off what I'm really doing.

Its not the end of the world if you don't help preen them off, but it just helps them get more comfortable sooner and makes them look better sooner.

In the wild a flock mate would do it for them and they would take turns preening each other to get the pesky things off. This too is also a bonding process.

[zoemc]

To help break the shaft I often use my thumb nail to break it and then lightly massage it off. Pluto also has a good little scratch afterwards to finish the job.

[tampaclavin]

thanks for the information! i'm glad there are so many informative people on this site. your input really helps out!

[TrekkieForLife]

Nabiki loves it when I help remove hers. I start my giving her normal head scritchies and work my way around the pin feathers. Before ya know it, we're both covered in white dust! A shower beforehand help quite a bit.