Feathers play a big part in the appearance of your bird, feathers are usually brightly colored, have a slight waxy layer on them, and are usually straight, until they aren’t.
This article is a close look into why your bird’s feathers are curled up
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Birds’ feathers curling up:
The appearance of your bird, the appearance of the bird’s feathers included, is one way that the bird’s body communicates if there is anything wrong with the bird.
If your bird’s feathers are curled up then this can be because of a number of reasons including:
Dry feathers:
If you’re raising a bird in a dry climate, and that species of bird is not used to living in a dry climate, then the bird’s feathers may simply have a lack of moisture and be drying out because of this.
If too dry the feathers may start to curl up and even split because they are so dry.
What to do:
Test if this is what is happening with your bird, try spraying some water onto your bird’s feathers and smoothing them down. If the feathers do smooth down, and stay down, then this may be the issue.
You can maintain higher levels of humidity in your bird’s room by using a humidifier in the room.
Incorrect cage size:
Birds need cages that can accommodate their size, if the bird’s cage is too small for a bird then issues can develop, issues like a curling of the bird’s feathers.
If you notice that your bird’s tail feathers are curling up then this may mean that the cage is too small for the bird and is causing the bird’s tail feathers to bend.
It may also mean that you’ve placed the bird’s perch too low causing the bird’s tail to bend at the bottom and curl up when the bird perches.
If there are too many toys in the cage then this could also be an issue. If the toys take up too much space at the bottom of the cage then this can cause the bird’s tail to curl up as well.
A bird that walks on the cage floor too much will also have curled tail feathers because its tail feathers don’t have space to freely stretch out.
If the above is what is happening with your bird then the tail will also look very tattered and damaged because it is rubbing against the cage floor or the toys.
What to do:
The tail curling isn’t permanent and it can be rectified quite easily.
Firstly, you’d need to get a bigger cage for your bird if that is the issue, or, you’d need to move the perch so that it is high enough that the bird’s tail isn’t curling at the bottom of the cage, or, you’d need to reduce how many toys the bird has in the cage to allow the birds tail to stretch out and not touch the floor.
After doing the above you can get the bird’s tail back to looking as normal by dampening it, which will soften it up, and make it malleable, then straightening the bird’s tail with your fingers.
The bird’s tail should dry in this position as long as the tail isn’t bending against anything anymore.
Type of bird:
Feather curling is normal in certain types of birds.
For example, if you’re raising a longtailed asiatic parrot, and the bird’s tail feathers curl as they come out of the shaft then you have nothing to worry about, this is quite normal for these birds
Another type of bird that has curly feathers is the frillback pigeon. These birds developed through selective breeding and they have curls, or frills, on the wing shield feathers which cover about a third of their bodies.
What to do:
If you do indeed have an asiatic parrot then the bird’s tailfeathers will straighten out as the bird ages. Let the bird be and wait until the bird’s tail straightens out with age.
If you have a frillback pigeon you don’t have to worry either, while the feathers on these will not stop growing, the feather curling is not an issue.
Inbreeding:
Inbreeding can cause some issues in your bird, one such issue is the bird’s feathers curling up.
This feather curling will be seen quite early on in the bird’s life and if you know that the bird’s parents are related then this may be the reason behind the bird’s feathers curling up.
What to do:
If this is the case with your bird then you may have a special bird on your hands, take the bird to the vet to see if the bird is indeed inbred.
If the bird is inbred then the vet will be able to give you tips on how to raise this bird.
Poor bird health:
If the curling is not due to the type of bird you’re raising and isn’t happening due to the tail curling against something in the cage, dry air, or curling because of the type of bird then the bird’s tail may be curling because the bird is in poor health.
Feather curling can happen if the bird has a disease of the feather follicle, because of nutritional deficiencies, liver disease, a poor diet, fungal infections, allergies, metal poisoning, or a bacterial infection.
What to do:
Because there is a variety of reasons why the bird’s feathers may be curling you may want to take your bird to an avian vet for a diagnosis.
The vet will run some tests on the bird and will do a physical exam on the bird to figure out what the problem is.
If the vet can pinpoint what the issue is, and can treat the bird, then they will treat the burd and your bird’s feathers should go back to normal.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Cockatiel Signs Of Stress, Cockatiel Temperament, Baby Bird Heat Lamp, Hand Feeding Cockatiel Problems, Why Does My Budgie Put His Foot On The Other Budgie?, Why Are My Conures Feathers Turning White?, Natural Anti-Inflammatory For Birds,