dandruff

Hey yall! long time no chirp, but i've had a busy year! It's a pretty dry time of year, and my 7 yo budgie Genji, always sneezes a little more often this time of year. But this year i'm noticing it's more often than normal, along with a few other things. He's sneezing 5 or so times a day and...

So anyone who has larger birds, especially the powder down birds like cockatoos, probably know how much dander happens EVERYWHERE. Everywhere I turn there's either a down feather or a small pile of dandruff and fluff. I clean a few times a week and it still manages to clog up heaters and fans...

By this I mean the dander/dandruff that forms as a protective barrier when the feather grows. When this comes loose, is it okay to brush/pick this off? I'm slightly worried doing this will make the feathers weaker.