If your companion parrot gets a lot of pinfeathers on unreachable parts of his/her body — this would mostly be the head — then you should really try to preen them yourself. Basically, you gently squish the sheath surrounding the pinfeather so it'll break off into little flakes. If you have to squish too hard, the sheath isn't ready. I use the fingernails on my index finger and thumb, kept long for this very purpose. But fingernails aren't always long enough, or precise enough to groom the head of a tiny parrotlet.

Another option is to get a soft-bristled toothbrush, probably kids' size. If your bird isn't terrified of it, you can use it to gently brush the pinfeather — along the grain, in this case you're trying to knock off any pinfeather flakes that are ready to go. If that doesn't work, use the tip of a finger (probably the one with the longest fingernail) to gently rub all the bird's feathers the wrong way. Literally. Push your finger into the bird's head until you get under a few feathers, and push them up. With luck, this will also help knock off any pinfeather flakes that are ready to go.

Never force preen your bird. It might take a few tries, over days or months, for your bird to get used to being preened by a human. This should be a nice, bonding experience.

Be gentle. And good luck.

By the way, has anyone heard of using velcro? I haven't.