Broken Tailfeathers

[Leafstem]

Hello! I got my first parrot November of 2015. He's a green cheek conure rescue. He's a pretty active bird, and in that activeness he's actually broken all of his tailfeathers just from climbing in small places, and getting startled and jumping and then when he lands, some of his tailfeathers would break.
I just want to know if I need to pluck the remaining stems of the feathers for him to grow in new ones, or if I should leave them?

 

[Animallover03]

Welcome! It really depends on a few things. If you aren't sure, the vet is always the best place to go. @Sylvi_ can probably help out more.

 

[Sylvi_]

Personally, I wouldn't try to pluck them. You may do more damage.
The broken tail feathers will molt out, and over time new ones will grow.
Did he break them in his cage? You may have to get him a bigger cage to prevent things like this happening in the future.
If in doubt, a vet visit is always recommended.

 

[expressmailtome]

Young birds, including conures, can be rough on their feathers while they are learning how to move around. Also, young conures are very active and can break tail feathers while playing. As Sylvi said, it is best to let them naturally molt the feathers. Tail feathers are used in flying, so keep an eye on him when he flies.

Matt

 

[Lynn96]

Welcome to the avenue! And thank you for taking in a rescue bird, most people don't bother.

 

[Jaguar]

A bigger cage with more thoughtfully spaced out perches can't hurt. Keep things low and leave lots of room so he can't bang himself up too much.

Is he clipped? An improper clip will remove his ability to stabilize himself and he will be more prone to falling and hurting himself if so.

Otherwise, he should learn how to maneuver better in time. My tiel Phoenix is nearly 2 and still has a half bare butt, but tiels are notoriously clumsy.

 

[LemonGrass]

My little cockatiel also had the same incident when he was younger. Just leave it, it will molt out

 

[Senneth]

My QP destroyed his tail feathers as well, mostly due to his inexperience I'd say. I would say leave them and they'll grow out. The solution to mine was a bigger cage with plenty of space to keep his tail clear of damage and his own practice at caring for them.

 

[Leafstem]

Thank you for all the replies!

He's about two years old, and he broke the majority of his tail feathers outside his cage actually. He likes to go in and out of shirts and go in and out of blankets, stuff like that. But I hope to get a larger cage for him in the future.

His wings aren't actually clipped, but he can't really fly, even before he broke all his tail feathers.

But thank you so much for all these answers! I'll just leave it for the next molt. ^.^

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

welcome

 

[Macawnutz]

 

[Jennyday]

Welcome! Cheeks are awesome!

 

[rocky'smom]

those tail feather will moult out on their own, until then your cheekie has duck bum. and that is so cute.