My irritable tiel.

Question
QUESTION: Hi! I have 2 questions about my cockatiel, Gabi. First, why are her feathers growing so weird, and second.. what can I do about her aggressiveness?

She is a normal gray, I say 4-5 years old, and is a rescue bird. When I got her, she had been abused by other birds owned by the previous owner, and she was about 6 months - 1 year old and COMPLETELY naked. She had NO feathers and was the ugliest thing I had ever seen in my life.

Well, I've had her for 4 years September 1st.
Recently (past few months) her personality changed, she has become a little brat, and she began picking her feathers from her wings and from her tail. At first I thought she was just molting, but she was very obviously tearing her feathers.
She has stopped tearing her feathers now, but the feathers are growing in crooked! The feathers on her wings are growing in at the exact opposite direction feathers normally grow. I think they may be painful for her, and I think it could be a reason why she has been a little brat. She's aggressive and mean to everyone lately, and I think it's due to her feathers growing in at an uncomfortable position.

Is there a reason her feathers are growing this way, and would the best option be a vet? There are no avian vets nearby that I know of, and due to my current financial status, I cannot drive out of state for one.

I live in Alabama. The closest Avian vet I know of is several hours away.

If it's not due to pain, why has she suddenly had a personality change? To my knowledge, nothing in my life has changed. I did rearrange the room she is in, but it was very recent and she has been a brat since about May of this year, right before she began to pull her feathers.
I try to give her toys, but she wants nothing to with them. I can't get her to chew on cuttle, she doesn't want to play, and she screeches and flogs me if I try to handle her.
I can't let her sit on my shoulder anymore because she rips out my hair and bites my ears, and if I try to remove her she will bite and attack my fingers.

For the first year or so I had her, she was a nice bird. She would step up, step down, she loved her toys, and loved having new things put into her cage.
But not anymore, and due to her refusing to play or chew on anything, her beak is starting to get long and sharply pointed. Whenever she bites, it's guaranteed to puncture.

I really just wanna know why she has become so aggressive lately, and if it might be due to her feathers being painful.

Thanks in advance and so sorry for my really long question ^^;;

I just try to describe in detail everything, since it's usually easier for the person I'm asking.

ANSWER: Hello desi and thank you for your post.
There is no need to be sorry, you are right.  The more detail that you can give, the better I will be able to answer your question.
It could be that she's so mean because of the way her feathers are growing in.  If they're growing in backwards, it is very painful for her, and this can cause feather plucking also.
Your best option is to take her to a Certified Avian or Exotic Animal Vet to have a check up done on her.  Try giving her some Avian Vitamins, she might be lacking something in her diet, especially if she is on an all seed diet.
Get a large Calcium Block.  You can pick them up either at your local pet shop or from Wal Mart.  They come in the shape of either a banana or a pineapple (I am assuming that those are the flavors). She might go for them instead of a cuttle bone ( I have one Cockatiel that is like that).
Also, she will need to be seen by a Certified Avian or Exotic Animal Vet to have her beak trimmed because it is so long.
I understand that finances are tight for you, but your little friend needs to have the proper care so that she can become her sweet self again.  Most vets will work out some kind of payment arrangements or take a post dated check (or a few of them to help soften the blow of the expense).

Please keep me updated.

Good luck and God Bless.
Dianna

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your reply!
I always refer to that thing as a cuttle bone, it is indeed a banana shaped calcium block. She seems to be a bit scared of it and the most she does it use it as a perch. I split in several pieces and tied them with string in various parts of her cage, but she hasn't interacted with it yet.

I will be making an appointment with a vet tomorrow who, to my knowledge, has experience with animals such as birds and reptiles. I'll definitely keep you posted, thank you!

Answer
Hello again Desi,
If you can find one, they do make the large calcium blocks in pink, I think it's berry shaped, but I can't remember.  It is possible that your tiel doesn't like the color of yellow (I had one that wouldn't touch the yellow ones, but went for the pink ones like crazy).
I am glad that you are going to make an appointment with a vet.  She really should be seen and her beak trimmed down a bit.

God Bless.
Dianna