parakeet pinfeathers won't unfurl

[space cadet]

My sister has a pair of parakeets about seven years old. One of them is very healthy and lively, but for the last few months the other seems to be getting worse and worse. He isn't nearly as active as he used to be and is usually pretty listless. Sometimes he shivers on his perch even though the room is not drafty.

He seems to have lost a lot of feathers on his body but not on his wings or tail. What look like very large pinfeathers are growing in all over him, especially around his face and the top of his head. I thought at first he was just moulting, but the pinfeathers aren't unfulring or developing any further; they're just sticking out all over him and not growing at all.

I know the other parakeet hasn't been beating up on him because she's always been pretty sweet to him. She doesn't show any signs of feather loss or sickness.

I thought it might be a vitamin deficiency but we havn't been able to get him to eat any of the supplementary foods suggested by our parakeet handbook. Can anyone think of something I haven't already tried?

[TheBlackCat]

There isn't anything in the environment stressing him out is there? Any recent changes to the area in which they live? How well are you keeping the temperature regulated? I think parakeets are very sensetive to temperature, they are tropical animals so what may seem cold to him may not be for you, especially considering how small he is and that he is missing his insulation. There isn't an air conditioning vent blowing on him, is there? What about toys, is there enough there to keep him entertained? Have you considered moving the cage to another room, or perhaps moving him to his own cage out of sight of his companion, and give him a little time to see if that helps? Is he in front of a window? Is there a possibility something outside is upsetting him? Is the cage big enough for two birds? Has he been checked for parasites? (although you would think they would have spread to his companion if it has been months)

Is he bleeding anywhere, or does he have any scabs? That would be an indication he is pulling them out himself. Although a lack of bleeding doesn't not prove he isn't pulling them out, its presence is a strong indication he is, or that the companion is beating up on him when you aren't looking.

Are you sure the pinfeathers aren't unfurling? Is it possible the parakeet is simply tearing them out as soon as they unfurl, and thus you never see them?

It's been a long time since I have owned a parakeet, a while since I owned a bird period.

[space cadet]

The room is in a basement so it doesn't need air conditioning. It's generally about 75 degrees down there year round. There is a large window in the room with a view into the back yard, but but the cage is on the opposite wall and the back yard is a pretty quiet place. He has a lot of toys but doesn't play with them or his companion anymore. The cage is about three feet tall and two feet wide, so I think that should be fine for two parakeets. He used to like to come outside when we opened the cage door and fly around the room, but now he'd rather just sit in his cage all the time. He doesn't want excersise anymore.

The only thing I can think of that might be upsetting him are my sister's cockatiels, although both parakeets seem more curious about these new additions than frightened. The cockatiels are kept in a cage next to the parakeets and generally ignore the smaller birds, although occasionally they have alighted on top of the parakeets cage. When this happens the parakeets like to nibble on the cockatiel's feet; they don't fly in panic like they would if they were upset.

Now that I think about it, however, the gradual decline in the parakeet's health did begin around the same time my sister got the cockatiels. The cockatiels don't seem to scare the parakeets, but they could harbor some kind of allergen; that would explain why the other parakeet isn't feeling sick.

I will move the parakeets upstairs for a while and see if that helps. Thanks for the advice. Let me know if you think of anything else.