Why is my cockatiel chewing on his chest?

[Jess&Wes]

Hi everyone

My cockatiel Westley recently started chewing on his chest feathers, but only the ones as far up as he can reach, just under his beak/cheeks. He’s not plucking them, just nibbling on them. I’ve checked for pin feathers or anything that might be bothering him and he seems fine, though he HATES when i try to touch that area but he’s fine when I touch him anywhere else. He only seems to do it when he’s frustrated/ caught doing something he knows he shouldn’t be doing. He has tons of toys and stuff to chew on, but I can’t get him to leave his chest feathers alone. Any idea why he does this? Is it worrisome enough to take him to the vet?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rebel]

Im going to quote something someone told me. Take it for what you will. The guy who told me this is the founder of a company who makes animal probiotics. He claims that when birds chew at their chest feathers, they are after protein. Dont shoot the messenger. I found it a little hard to believe but who am i to judge.

 

[sunnysmom]

Is he plucking as in pulling them out? What is the humidity level in your house? Like is it cold and you're running the furnace? Sometimes when it's too dry it can cause some agitation. You can buy a cheap humidity reader on Amazon. Moisture level in the house should be 30-50% for birds. And if a bird suddenly starts plucking, I always think it's good to rule out a medical reason first.

 

[Jess&Wes]

Im going to quote something someone told me. Take it for what you will. The guy who told me this is the founder of a company who makes animal probiotics. He claims that when birds chew at their chest feathers, they are after protein. Dont shoot the messenger. I found it a little hard to believe but who am i to judge.

That’s so interesting, thank you. I’ll have to look further into it

 

[Jess&Wes]

Is he plucking as in pulling them out? What is the humidity level in your house? Like is it cold and you're running the furnace? Sometimes when it's too dry it can cause some agitation. You can buy a cheap humidity reader on Amazon. Moisture level in the house should be 30-50% for birds. And if a bird suddenly starts plucking, I always think it's good to rule out a medical reason first.

He’s not plucking or pulling feathers at all, just chewing on them and it’s just in one area. Humidity could definitely be a factor as it has been pretty dry lately. Thanks for the info!