cockatiel behaviourable problem

Question
i have just brought a young pearl cockatiel which is constantly trying to eat at its tail feathers.
We also have a young grey who pulls at the pearls tail feathers also.
I was just wondering why do they do this and what if there us anything i can do to stop them from doing this

Answer
Hi, Sarah,

How old is this young tiel?  Are you sure the bird is trying to eat its tail feathers or could the bird have a buildup of feces at its vent area (the vent is the bird's bottom)?  Young tiels often play like this and they often play like this with each other...it can depend on the age of the birds.  As long as the birds are not pulling each others tail feathers out, chewing them up, etc., then I wouldn't worry too much about it.  Birds also preen themselves many times each day, so it could be that the bird is preening its tail feathers.  I don't really think there is a way to stop them from doing this, as I believe from what you've stated in your post, it doesn't appear to be malicious behavior.  I believe its their way of playing.

Chrys