hi everyone,

i have finally worked out how to add photos onto these posts yay hehe!!!(as i said before i am not very computer savvy ). this is a picture of my matilda.she is almost 4 years old and as you can see she is missing feathers from her belly and also beneath her wings. her tail and wing feathers are in perfect condition. she has been to a vet when they first started to go and he thought she was pulling them out herself but this is not the case. I have since read on this forum about "french moult" and "viral plumage disease" but the vet has never mentioned either of these as being the cause (he is an avian vet) and she is otherwise healthy and it doesnt seem to be a problem. she has lived with her partner and he never lost any of his feathers and he wasnt responsible for pulling them out either. she last went to the vet a week ago as her partner riley was sick and has since passed and i was worried about her health but she is happy and healthy..my question is does anyone know what this is?????..maybe i should ask to have tests done???? what/how are budgies tested for these things???? the only thing it seems to be affecting is her appearance hehe!!! as my partner tells her how feral she looks ....i still think she is beautiful....

 

 

any ideas would be greatly appreciated....

She is beautiful

 

I was just wondering what is her average daily routine?? eg. Wake up time, home alone time, bed time, play time etc

Are you sure she is not pulling them? I would go to another vet get a second opinion, other then that how old is she?

 

Sorry i am not much more help then that

She is beautiful

 

I was just wondering what is her average daily routine?? eg. Wake up time, home alone time, bed time, play time etc

 

 

hi liv...thanks for the speedy response ... i work alot of night shifts so i partially cover her when i leave for work which is about 3pm...i leave a soft lamp on and the radio and fully cover her when i get home which as about 12-1230 am...we usually get up at about 11-1130am and have our breakfast in which she gets small amount of fruit n veg along with her seed mix which is supplied always..i talk to her frequently throughout the day at the moment im trying to get her more comfortable with handling since riley has gone..unfortunatley she does not come out of the cage but the cage is big enough for her to fly from one side to the other and stretch her wings (they are not clipped) ..your input on anything i could be doing better would be great as i have said i am very limited on my budgie knowledge but i try the best i can

I have to agree with feather plucking. I have looked at other birds who pull out their own feathers and they look JUST like her

 

I couldn't find any pictures of budgies, but these two parrots have plucked the feathers from the same region as your Matilda. There are heaps of other photos out there were birds have plucked the feathers from the chest area. It's the most common spot

 

 

 

It's usually related to boredom which is why i asked my initial question about her daily routine. He routine sounds okay too. You said she did this even when she had her partner???

 

There are products out there that you can spray on Matilda and make her feathers taste bitter.... But i dont know how affective this is as a bird still needs to preen it feathers daily...

 

I will be very interested to hear what others have to say.

Edited June 21, 200817 yr by **Liv**

I have to agree with feather plucking. I have looked at other birds who pull out their own feathers and they look JUST like her

 

I couldn't find any pictures of budgies, but these two parrots have plucked the feathers from the same region as your Matilda. There are heaps of other photos out there were birds have plucked the feathers from the chest area. It's the most common spot

 

 

 

It's usually related to boredom which is why i asked my initial question about her daily routine. He routine sounds okay too. You said she did this even when she had her partner???

 

There are products out there that you can spray on Matilda and make her feathers taste bitter.... But i dont know how affective this is as a bird still needs to preen it feathers daily...

 

I will be very interested to hear what others have to say.

 

oh...ive never actually seen her pull them out.....she must do it when im at work.... does it hurt them??? i hate to think it hurts when she pulls them...must be like plucking eyebrows...thats terrible :mellow: .....what else can i do for her while im at work???.. she has rings which she does summersaults through..2 mirror toys... once a week i give her millet stalks which keeps her entertained...she was like that even when riley was with her...i worry about certain toys as she has hurt herself before (i bought one of those hanging ones with bits of rope and the balls you hide fruit in it was only small not like the ones you buy for large parrots and she got caught up in in with her nails)

She has to be feather plucking as she has blood spots and that is indicative of feather plucking and as Liv says its in the right area.

It seems her go to bed time and wake up time works for you but isnt at all like a normal birds routine. A bird settles for bed at dusk and wakes with the sunlight. You have her waking halfway through the day.

Maybe she needs to be in a different room with no cover and she gets to see the sun go down and come up through a window ?

Also, what seed mix is she on ?

She has to be feather plucking as she has blood spots and that is indicative of feather plucking and as Liv says its in the right area.

It seems her go to bed time and wake up time works for you but isnt at all like a normal birds routine. A bird settles for bed at dusk and wakes with the sunlight. You have her waking halfway through the day.

Maybe she needs to be in a different room with no cover and she gets to see the sun go down and come up through a window ?

Also, what seed mix is she on ?

 

 

thanks for your response KAZ...i use "Whistler" budgie mix which according to the box has vitamin pellets and shell grit..i also buy a bag of hulled oats which i get from city farmers and mix that in as these are her favourite..is this okay??? does she not need to covered at night??? i can put her in the spare room at night time and leave her uncovered if this is okay???? usually she lives in the living area

She has to be feather plucking as she has blood spots and that is indicative of feather plucking and as Liv says its in the right area.

It seems her go to bed time and wake up time works for you but isnt at all like a normal birds routine. A bird settles for bed at dusk and wakes with the sunlight. You have her waking halfway through the day.

Maybe she needs to be in a different room with no cover and she gets to see the sun go down and come up through a window ?

Also, what seed mix is she on ?

 

 

thanks for your response KAZ...i use "Whistler" budgie mix which according to the box has vitamin pellets and shell grit..i also buy a bag of hulled oats which i get from city farmers and mix that in as these are her favourite..is this okay??? does she not need to covered at night??? i can put her in the spare room at night time and leave her uncovered if this is okay???? usually she lives in the living area

My suggestion about the covering of the cage is due to the bedtimes and wake up times she is forced to accomodate due to your hours. If she was to go to bed at dusk and wake up with the sun, perhaps she wouldnt pick at her feathers. I would suggest she picks between sun up and the time you uncover her.....for she is bored and waiting for her day to begin.

Also you could put that soft light on a timer so that it switches off at a better bed time for her. As far as the issue of not being able to preen I have had a bird with 'emotional issues' who self harmed and had to wear an elizabethan collar. He couldn't preen very well when he had it on but he was okay we used to take it off under supervision. I would give the spray a try personally as it will make it hard for her to preen for a little while but once she is out of the habit she will be better off in the long run

I dont think the spray is meant to be used on already irritated skin.

She has to be feather plucking as she has blood spots and that is indicative of feather plucking and as Liv says its in the right area.

It seems her go to bed time and wake up time works for you but isnt at all like a normal birds routine. A bird settles for bed at dusk and wakes with the sunlight. You have her waking halfway through the day.

Maybe she needs to be in a different room with no cover and she gets to see the sun go down and come up through a window ?

Also, what seed mix is she on ?

 

 

thanks for your response KAZ...i use "Whistler" budgie mix which according to the box has vitamin pellets and shell grit..i also buy a bag of hulled oats which i get from city farmers and mix that in as these are her favourite..is this okay??? does she not need to covered at night??? i can put her in the spare room at night time and leave her uncovered if this is okay???? usually she lives in the living area

My suggestion about the covering of the cage is due to the bedtimes and wake up times she is forced to accomodate due to your hours. If she was to go to bed at dusk and wake up with the sun, perhaps she wouldnt pick at her feathers. I would suggest she picks between sun up and the time you uncover her.....for she is bored and waiting for her day to begin.

 

i will try her in the spare room with no cover and see how she goes..is her seed adequate????

It will be hard to break such an ingrained habit though. My problem bird would actually bite his leg until it bled and yet the pain wouldn't stop him from doing it, it was about 2 years of careful training until we were ble to take the collar off fulltime. We used the spray to discourage him but we wouldn't spray it on him we would put it on a cotton bud and gently wipe it on the new feathers as they poked through leaving s skin untouched

Her seed is most likely fine although she doesnt need grit. And I have heard that the hulled oats is good for birds with feather issues.

Also you could put that soft light on a timer so that it switches off at a better bed time for her. As far as the issue of not being able to preen I have had a bird with 'emotional issues' who self harmed and had to wear an elizabethan collar. He couldn't preen very well when he had it on but he was okay we used to take it off under supervision. I would give the spray a try personally as it will make it hard for her to preen for a little while but once she is out of the habit she will be better off in the long run

 

 

thanks for your response..i didnt realise bed time was so important ..as i was saying to KAZ im going to try putting her in the spare room so she can wake with the sun...im going to miss her company though in the early evening but if its the best thing or her im all or it

You could possibly alter her body clock by covering her cage completely with a 100% blockout curtain fabric. Cover her about 12am (midnight) and leave her covered until 12pm (noon). Between noon and midnight, keep the lights bright and leave the TV or radio on for her. She should be able to adjust to the time change provided you stick to it and be consistent with her bed times

That's true LIv, or by putting her in a room with no windows during her new 'night' such as a laundry, etc

thanks everyone for your advice...i might try putting her in the spare room at night time for the next week or so and see how she goes..does a cover actually help in keeping her warm or is it just to prevent light/draft????

I don't actually cover mine at night, the house is cosy so there isn't the need to.

how often do you rearrange her cage and toys? you should try rearrange the cage, toys weekly or every few weeks. doing so might help with being bored.

thanks everyone for your advice...i might try putting her in the spare room at night time for the next week or so and see how she goes..does a cover actually help in keeping her warm or is it just to prevent light/draft????

 

The 100% blockout cover is to make it as dark as possible while it's her "night". Birds start waking up at first light so even a little light entering the cage could disturb her sleep (especially if she can hear other birds outside). She will need 12 hours of complete darkness and quiet. This is not a cure for her plucking, but it will allow you to enjoy her company better with your night shift hours

Edited June 21, 200817 yr by **Liv**

Frankly, if it was me...I wouldnt be letting her sleep until midday. A birds natural instincts are to wake with the sun. Your bird has taken on unnatural sleeping and waking pattern due to your working and sleeping life and this may well be the crux of her picking issues. Before all things I would try to get her back to normal hours for a bird.

Is there any way you can set your alarm and uncover her for a natural daytime at say 7 am ? and you go back to sleep ?

If she has a large cage with lots of toys and things to play with she will be a happier bird.

Frankly, if it was me...I wouldnt be letting her sleep until midday. A birds natural instincts are to wake with the sun. Your bird has taken on unnatural sleeping and waking pattern due to your working and sleeping life and this may well be the crux of her picking issues. Before all things I would try to get her back to normal hours for a bird.

Is there any way you can set your alarm and uncover her for a natural daytime at say 7 am ? and you go back to sleep ?

If she has a large cage with lots of toys and things to play with she will be a happier bird.

 

 

hi KAZ....starting today im going to put her to bed in the spare room at dusk...i will leave her uncovered...this will work during the week as i can do this before i go to work and put the radio in there with her on a timer then she wont be disturbed when i get home..This will hopefully get her back to normal hours her cage is big enough for her to fly to the other side and spread her wings....as for toys she does have a few..i put bits of fruit in different parts of the cage so she has to climb and work out how to get to them ...thanks again for everyones responses

Personally I think that you may find that this does deal with the original cause of the habit BUT at this point it is probably extremely ingrained. I do feel you will need to combine the changes Kaz has suggested with a physical discouragement in order to get the best result.

Personally I think that you may find that this does deal with the original cause of the habit BUT at this point it is probably extremely ingrained. I do feel you will need to combine the changes Kaz has suggested with a physical discouragement in order to get the best result.

 

 

thanks for your response..i will look into maybe a spray to help... all of you an this forum have been extremely helpful