Return to Top Care and Grooming Birds usually keep themselves pretty clean. Birds will artfully twist and contort themselves so their bills reach all body parts except their heads, napes and throats. In addition to grooming the plumage, birds also spread oil from their preen gland, located near the base of the tail, onto the feathers to help waterproof them. Physically and emotionally healthy birds spend a great deal of time preening. Unfortunately for allergy sufferers, the twisting and rubbing movements of the head and bill during preening, and the shaking of the feathers causes a great deal of feather dust to be released into the environment.
All birds molt regularly, gradually replacing their old worn-out feathers with new ones.
A variety of factors, including time of year, locality, temperature, humidity, diet, sex and egg laying, influence the molting cycle. It's normal to find feathers in the bottom of the cage every now and then, but excessive moulting and bare skin patches may be a sign of illness. Check with your veterinarian about this, as well as about any periodic trimming of the nails, beak and wings that is necessary. Return to Top Bathing Bathing is an extremely satisfying activity for birds. They enjoy baths or showers a couple of times a week, and it helps them, especially Cockatoos and Cockatiels, get rid of excessive feather dust.