Same question I had~~

[Jadewolf32]

Ok I need to know how do you tell if they are simply preening or crossing that line of feather plucking or tipping? Shadow loves his spray bathes so he gets them at least every other day because of the colder weather. Now there is a spot where I know he was tipping off his feathers on the lower front by his leg, so when I see him doing it i just make a noise or something to get his attention off that spot....Well I gave him a good soaking yesterday and I noticed a rather large spot on his back between his wings, you dont notice it unless he is wet and wings spread and now it seems that there are some other smaller patches that do not fill in, like his upper neck and middle chest..You notice it a lot more when wet..He is also 6 months old, tons of attention, most of the time with me or playing, tons of toys..So how do I know if he is just preening or could this become a issue? he is a Timneh, no dry skin issues, the biggest spot is between his wings on the back and there are down feathers there, how should I handle this??

[nims]

One oberservation I would make is that when they are wet most of the feathers are clumped together. So you can't be sure unless you check the same areas when they are dry and have more coverage.

 

Also have you noticed any feathers in his cage at the bottom or when cleaning near his cage?