My 13 1/2 year old cockatiel recently got a bald spot right over his beak. what could it be? its not mites...?

Question

I've seen what mites look like. this looks nothing like mites. I'm just wondering if there may be something wrong? or is it because hes so old?

Answer 1

My birds do this sometimes if they are biting the bars of the cage.  The bar above the one being bitten rubs the feathers off.  Is your bird trying to reach something beside the cage that is a new interest ? Is the cage metal?  Maybe he needs extra vitamins and minerals to stop chewing on the metal? Is his beak to long and he is chewing bars to trim it himself?  After all this time something must be going on to start this behavior.

Answer 2

This happened to my ten year old male tiel and I took him to the vet and he said it was a vitamin deficiency. He also tested his p**p for bad bacteria and found a little, but not enough for concern. He made me switch to a proper bird diet such as Harrison's or Rowdy Bush. Now his feathers are back and the bald spot on his head is going away.