Why is my parakeet scratching bald spots above eyes? Mites or age?

Question

I have a 7 month old white parakeet. She seems to be molting, although not excessively, except the area above both eyes is bald due to scratching. It does seem to be growing back though. Is this age related? I have a Bird Protector on her cage, so don't think she has any mites. Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Female | 7 months and 20 days old

Jessica Desrosiers · Accepted Answer

Without seeing any photos it is hard to tell what is going on. Molting can happen as a natural part of replacing the feathers, and isn't really age related more so than environment/nature related. It is also possible that there are still mites present even with the protector, or that there is another issue such as an allergy, nutrition issues, or irritation around the eyes causing her to scratch and pull out the feathers there. Examining the skin for any signs of injury, small wounds, redness, irritation, etc can help you determine if this might be the case. Boredom can also sometimes cause behaviorally based scratching or feather plucking, however this usually occurs in areas birds can more easily reach such as the chest or back- that said, if you have another bird housed with Silver Angel, it could be the other bird is overgrooming her and causing the feather loss.

Why is my parakeet scratching bald spots above eyes? Mites or age?

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