My Smudge is still a baby, less than three months. I got him from a pet store just yesterday (march 29). He is somewhat tame; he will step up on my finger only if I touch his chest above his feet. He usually sits there and chirps every now and then. And when i put my hand in the cage, he seems curious as to what it is. His wings are not clipped, and Smudgie is an only budgie. But anyway, back to the topic.

 

Smudge's fecal pass has a brown stain, and the feathers are scruffy... He is constantly scratching at it with his beak. However, Smudge's feces is perfectly fine, a little brown and then mostly white.

 

I want to know if Smudge is just stressed since it is his first day, or if he has a sickness?

 

a picture of Smudge:

 

Smudge

 

 

that's the best picture i could get of Smudge. I dont want to be too "in his face".

Could you get a picture of Smudge's cere we can look at it and see if he has scaley face (which is a form of mites). Scratching is normal but I am not sure how much your budgie is doing this to deem if he has mites or not.

 

Secondly, he is coming along great for just being home for one day you may want to read my article about taming your budgie in the FAQ section it has excellent points on bringing your new budgie home. Also budgies really don't like to be touched on their chest when another bird preens them they are preening the top or sides of the head. So instead of petting the chest area work on the head for scratches this is natural for them.

 

We also have more articles in the FAQ section that will assist you too

 

Welcome.

Could you get a picture of Smudge's cere we can look at it and see if he has scaley face (which is a form of mites). Scratching is normal but I am not sure how much your budgie is doing this to deem if he has mites or not.

 

He scratches at his pass every five minutes or so.

 

I couldn't get a clear picture of his cere, but it is a light pink color and it looks like all of the pictures i have seen online and in books. His face isn't scaley, if that is what the mites do. His feathers are all there and they are all bright and healthy feathers. The scruffy ones are only by his pass, but i think it's just from the scratching every now and then.

are his poos normal?

are his poos normal?

 

His poos are 1/4 greyish brown color with 3/4 greyish white color. I think that is normal for a budgie.

well they do preen down there and they do preen a lot lets see what others say, I think he has a dirty bum from being in that pet store and those feathers will molt out nice now that you have him, have you offered him a bath yet?

have you offered him a bath yet?

Some websites say it depends on what the budgie likes, but which method of bathing my budgie do you think would work best since he is new? Which has worked best for you?

those feathers will molt

They molt once a year, right? Do they always molt in the same season, and does their personality change?

Hello and welcome.

 

Congrats on your new budgie

 

Can you get a picture of his vent.

It's quite normal for a new budgie to have a poopy bottom and be stressed - He could be preening a lot from a mix of the two. It would be a good idea to worm him too.

Edited March 30, 200817 yr by **Liv**

Hello and welcome.Can you get a picture of his vent.

I have good news!After Elly said to bathe him, I searched on a way to bathe a budgie. I put a small tub with a centimeter of water in his cage. A few minutes later, I heard splashing, and saw him taking a bath. Now his pass is clean just like the rest of his body. However, he still preens, but it's probably just from stress. I'm not sure though. I'm going to schedule an appointment with an avian vet. For the appt. he will get a birdy check up and he will get his wings clipped (he already knows how to fly.)

Edited March 30, 200817 yr by Renna

They are so cute when having a bath - wet budgies

 

Sounds like a great plan to take him to an avian vet for a checkup. When his wings are clipped he will be even more tame

 

He will preen even more after his bath. Birds preen a lot in general so unless he is plucking feathers out or making a mess of himself, i wouldn't worry - The only other thing i can think of is mites, they can been seen under the wing if they are there. they could make him itchy.... but he looks great in his photo so i doubt he has mites

Edited March 30, 200817 yr by **Liv**

I have one last question for today:

 

Since this is called Budgie Breeders Club, do I have to be a breeder to be a part of this group/club?

 

I know it says that I am male and a breeder, but I am female and not a breeder. I have no idea why it says male and breeder.

 

thanks

Anyone is welcome Not just breeders... There are very talented breeders, budgie owners, vets, and non-budgie owners on here

 

If you are not a breeder, it's best to click "No" so people don't get the wrong idea - especially with you having 1 budgie people might think you are into cloning :dbb1: :dbb1: :hap:

When i click on your name you show up as pink, so i don't know why it says your male

Edited March 30, 200817 yr by **Liv**

excellent you figured out the bath and since you are new to budgies before I would medicate for mites a trip to the avian vet to make sure he is okay is the perfect idea . They will let you know because I think sometimes we may not be used to how much they actually preen especially down there. They actually have glands down there so when they preen they can spread the oils all over their body.

 

If your informtion is showing wrong you can fix that in your CONTROL PANEL located on the main page.

 

So you know if he does get clipped they molt out about every 3-4 months so this is a good time to work with taming and what I have found is if you can form a good strong bond during this time you probably won't have to clip again unless you do it for safetly reasons only .

Edited March 31, 200817 yr by Elly

If Smudge is 3 months old could be going thru a molt ...which can put Physicalstrain on he organism ( which is why during the molt they should get Lots of Nutritious foods ( greens , fruit and veg some add mulit vits ) and should b kept warm .... When birds are molting they tend to peck and scratch etc teir fleathers more then normal ( Different from Preening them selves)....

 

Re homing can also brin out stree in a bird

Edited March 31, 200817 yr by Neat

but he looks great in his photo so i doubt he has mites

Looking great is no indicator of whether or not a bird has mites

:ygbudgie: Congratulations on Smudge, looking good!!! And no, you do not have to be a breeder to be on this forum, we are here for, of course, breeding information but also for general budgie care and problems AND GREAT pictures and stories!!!. I myself, am not a breeder, I am a rescuer of birds and small animals and have many fosters in my home. That is why there is a hedgehog in my avatar. Plus I do wild animal rescue and rehabilitation as well. Welcome to BBC, check out the FAQs and ask about any budgie related concerns.

if you can form a good strong bond during this time you probably won't have to clip again unless you do it for safetly reasons only

 

newbie question - why does wing-clipping help with taming?

congrats on the new budgie!

good luck with taming him beautiful bird you have!

hope your troubles are over soon

 

♥Indy

if you can form a good strong bond during this time you probably won't have to clip again unless you do it for safetly reasons only

 

newbie question - why does wing-clipping help with taming?

 

It helps with taming because you are not chasing the bird all over the room and completely exhausting it. When you finally can get the bird to perch they are usually panting, nervous, under stress and are only sitting there because they are too tired to move. You want to work with a bird that is calm, in a frame of mind where he will listen to you and not worried about what his next move is to get away from you.

 

I have tamed both ways and I can tell you a wing clip makes a huge difference because now they are dependent on you to get around. If you work hard you will see the results within a week and by the time they get the lift to fly again which is usually within 2 months you will have a bird that considers you part of his flock and not his predator.

 

Many people are against wing clipping (but just as many are for it) I believe each individual situation needs to be examined. If I saw an aviary of 10 plus birds all clipped that would be very sad but if there was someone that had 1 bird lived in a house with ceiling fans going all the time & doors open the most common sense thing to protect your feathered friend would be to have him clipped for his saftey.

 

These are my views alone and why I feel this way.

Edited March 31, 200817 yr by Elly

Hi Renna,

 

Smudge sounds like he is happy and healthy. The avian vet will give him a thorough check over when you have your appointment. As was said in a previous post there is a preening gland at the base of their tail that they use to keep their feathers in good condition, absolutely vital for a wild budgie. Kazumi (one of my budgies) preens a LOT!.. He just like to look nice Before preening other feathers they rub their nose vigorously on this gland at the base of their tail

 

This is a picture of Kazumi rubbing his preening gland.

 

 

It is always a good idea to worm a new budgie and treat them for scaley face mites, just something else you can chat to your vet about.

 

 

Feathers.

It helps with taming because you are not chasing the bird all over the room and completely exhausting it. When you finally can get the bird to perch they are usually panting, nervous, under stress and are only sitting there because they are too tired to move. You want to work with a bird that is calm, in a frame of mind where he will listen to you and not worried about what his next move is to get away from you.

 

I have tamed both ways and I can tell you a wing clip makes a huge difference because now they are dependent on you to get around. If you work hard you will see the results within a week and by the time they get the lift to fly again which is usually within 2 months you will have a bird that considers you part of his flock and not his predator.

 

Many people are against wing clipping (but just as many are for it) I believe each individual situation needs to be examined. If I saw an aviary of 10 plus birds all clipped that would be very sad but if there was someone that had 1 bird lived in a house with ceiling fans going all the time & doors open the most common sense thing to protect your feathered friend would be to have him clipped for his saftey.

 

These are my views alone and why I feel this way.

 

Thanks for sharing/explaining, Elly. I see your points.

Thanks for everything! I learned a lot in these past couple days!

Renna, you will learn more trust me I just read my very first post (Laughing out loud) and Boy have I learnt ... Slowly hehhe