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Female Budgie Feather Problem - Has Anyone Seen This Before?


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Hi All,

 

I bought my female budgie, Olive, almost 6 months ago from a pet store and she appears to have a feather problem, amongst other things.

 

Where feathers should be, near the tops of both wings, there is just a grey downy fluff instead. When I first got her, I thought this was because she was still a baby and her feathers just hadn't fully come in yet, but it's still the same almost 6 months later.

 

As far as I can see, she also doesn't appear to have some of the typical budgie features associated with getting older - she still has bars running almost to the front of her head, and very short tail and wing feathers. The only thing that has changed in almost 6 months is that she has developed an iris ring and her cere has gone a dark brown colour. It's very odd because, to me, she still looks like a really young baby budgie. Has anyone seen this before?

 

I've tried searching the internet and various budgie forums, but can't find anything similar to this. I've also treated her for mites and worms, and none of the other budgies in the cage with her have any problems at all.

 

Any suggestions as to what might be going on?

 

Thanks :)

 

Here's some photos taken of her today:

 

Olive9_zpskbzcdkl0.jpg

 

Olive8_zps83ajlehp.jpg

 

Olive1_zpshpkwxmbj.jpg

 

Olive2_zpsdo5auyoa.jpg

 

Olive4_zpsuulrzu7q.jpg

 

Olive3_zpsokulgjmz.jpg

 

Olive5_zpsdgv0hitv.jpg

 

Olive6_zpsrvlgtr77.jpg

 

Olive7_zpsxg8sd8oa.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

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Took Olive to the vet and it turns out she has something called 'budgerigar fledgling disease' or 'papova-virus' or APV.

 

Nesting and juvenile birds are most susceptible, so the vet advised I cannot have her around my my current breeding budgies and that it may be best to re-home her because I have breeding budgies. He said she would be fine around other adult birds and not pass this disease on to them, but she shouldn't be around baby budgies and she shouldn't be bred from. Vet said she will pretty much look like a baby budgie the rest of her life. Apparently most baby budgies die from this disease in the nest.

 

I had never heard of this before, has anyone else?

 

Here's the link:

http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/ecc30ec4-f63e-4ef7-8662-35d9ddcb4a36/files/avian-polyomavirus-infection.pdf

 

Took Olive to the place I bought her from on the way home from the vet, and the bird store owner says he has never heard of this disease before, but will keep an eye out for it before he purchases any new baby budgies.

 

It was sad, but I re-homed Olive this afternoon to someone that will keep her with other adult birds that are not going to be bred from.

 

I have now had to move all the remaining budgies from that cage, into my other flight cage, and then disinfect the other huge flight cage and all the toys before I put my budgies back in there. Such a big job.

 

I had kept Olive quarantined when I first got her but, other than the feather problem that just looked like baby feathers growing in, she seemed happy and fine and had no other problems that I could see. Live and learn I guess.

 

At least she'll be okay and will live out her life with other adult budgies :)

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  • 4 years later...

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Hi can you share the images again please ?

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Is it like this one ?

Untitled.png

IMG_20191022_102317.jpg

IMG_20191021_135547.jpg

IMG_20191021_140316.jpg

IMG_20191021_160357.jpg

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