The baldness is apparently permanent

[Siobhan]

I thought Trixie was starting to molt a while back, but she lost a couple of feathers and that was it. She seemed to do a bit more preening, but not a lot more.

Then I did a big cleaning of the room she shares with my starling instead of the hit-and-miss I do most of the time, and lo and behold, that little stinker had tossed her shed feathers and downy fluff behind the dresser where her cage sits, which is why I only ever saw a couple of feathers. She did molt and did it so discreetly that I missed nearly the whole thing.

However, nothing came back on her little bald head. Not even one little pinfeather. So the baldness must be permanent for whatever reason. She has -- and has had since I first got her -- one little feather on the bald part that sticks straight up like a cowlick and always makes me smile but that's it.

[WrenNAustinTX]

Isnt the usual suspect in balding Gouldians a lack of iodine? Could it be the same issue here?

[lovezebs]

Siobhan

I'm sorry, I forget what species Trixie is. Is she a Society?

Regarding feathers not coming back after a molt. If she was plucked for a long period of time, they may not make a come back. How is the skin on her head looking? Does it look like there might be some little pin feathers poking through?

~Elana~

[Siobhan]

She's a canary. That's her in my profile pic. She's all yellow on the front but on her back she's got brown patterns among the yellow. The skin on her head is pink and smooth like a baby's butt. No sign of pnnies, no sore spots. She was cleared by a vet after blood tests and everything as perfectly healthy, with no medical reason for the baldness. The store thought it was from rubbing her head and I think it was from a former roommate. They used to have two canaries in that enclosure -- I visit that store weekly to buy supplies for the flock and I remember this -- but she was alone in it when I got her and the other canary was alone in a separate cage. She's alone in her cage here and shares her room with my starling and a leopard gecko.

[Sheather]

My Java sparrow hen Luna came to me in July with the back of her neck bald, it remains bald to this day after a thorough moult. If they've been plucked in that spot it seems prone that they remain bald there.

[lovezebs]

Siobhan

It sounds like you might have to make her a little feathered wig .

If this other Canary was repeatedly plucking her, then it is possible that there was enough damage done, that the feathers will not come back.

If she was a boy, you could have named her Friar Tuck...

As long as she's happy and healthy, that's all that matters.

~Elana~

[Siobhan]

Oh, I don't care if she's bald. That is, in fact, how she ended up here. I saw her at the store a couple of weeks after I'd lost a bird unexpectedly, and there she was, bald and with a clearance tag on her cage. I couldn't leave her there and I brought her home. But I was told that it might be temporary and I'd know for sure after her next molt and here she is, still bald. I actually think it's kind of cute.

[wilkifam]

I have a ceamino ShaftTail who must have been plucked on his neck before I got him. Nothing growing back there either. Waiting to see what happens after he molts.

[MiaCarter]

I bet you're probably right. It probably is going to be permanent.

If there's enough plucking or rubbing, then it can become permanent due to damage to the follicle.
Though they can surprise you. Sometimes the feathers do grow back after a year or even longer. I have no idea why this happens. I've seen it in a couple birds who were bald in areas due to chronic self-plucking.

At first, I'd assumed they were still plucking on the sly, but after much observation and the use of garments/cones, we confirmed that it wasn't the case. It was definitely due to follicle damage.
So I assumed they'd stay bald in the plucked areas. And they did for quite a while, but in a couple cases, they ultimately re-grew some feathers. The coverage was thin, but feathers nevertheless!

My best guess is that in time, perhaps some of the follicles heal and start producing feathers again.

I'd definitely give her some Feather Fast supplement if you haven't already. Sometimes, they're bald for a bit due to malnutrition.
Kelp powder is good too, as that has iodine. And lots of protein is great for feathers too!

I'm glad to hear that you'll love her even if she's imperfect.
They always seem to make up for any aesthetic shortcomings with lots of personality!

Another thought: you said she was vet-checked.
Did they do a skin scraping?
And has she ever been treated for mites?
If not, I would treat her just to ensure that's ruled out as a potential cause. Some mites don't show up on skin scrapings (because they live inside the follicles) so a skin scraping doesn't always reveal the culprit until the infestation is severe. (I learned this the hard way with sarcoptic mange. By the time it was finally diagnosed on the 7th skin scraping --- seventh!! --- EVERYONE had it. All the cats and dogs, plus my husband and I!)
So if she's never been treated, I might consider it just to cover that base.

[PiedBirdman]

Dried KELP(seaweed meal) clears up any baldness in birds!