It may well have been the injury AV, especially if it was nasty leg injury which would impact on his ability to mount the hen. I would have thought it would actually help if anything, get the blood going to the bits

They use willow as food for stock along with poplar trees. I don't think that moulting is a painful process. It is probably just draining and a little itchy, because they have to put in extra energy into growing new feathers. Pain is usually there to stop tissue damage (make the animal rest more or get out of a damaging situation. It doesn't make much sense for moulting to hurt

SW, I have found when petting moulting budgies (and tiels), if you happen to touch a developing blood feather they **screech** out in pain

That's because it would be sensitive, but not necessarily painful all the time. However I'm not a budgie so I, nor anyone else would know whether it is truly painful or not. You can ask them though and they will tell you (if they can speak english). Alex the famous African grey, when asked how she felt during moulting said something along the lines of "dreadful" or "uncomfortable". She didn't point out any pain, but she may have meant it or she may have meant she was just tired and grumpy (she might not know a word for pain). So birds certainly have a tough time when they are moulting. Mine have never had any problems (that I can tell). By all means moulting may be painful. It just seems like it would be unnecessary pain. It is not a means to an end. It's a normal process and wouldn't be causing tissue damage. It would be very sensitive though.

Edited July 1, 200817 yr by Sailorwolf

As The Buddha said life is suffering…that’s why people get stuck on drugs…if you want completely pain relief Lonebudgies “24 ounce hammer” sounds as good as any...LOL...

As The Buddha said life is suffering…that’s why people get stuck on drugs…if you want completely pain relief Lonebudgies “24 ounce hammer” sounds as good as any...LOL...

 

 

I am not sure if I should laugh or be outraged!

 

I think that during Molting for a Budgie it is sort of like a womens cycle, annoying, draining and uncomfortable but something that has to happen.

 

As for the Budgie my dad had on willow bark, it took him 6 months to get intrested in a Hen again. It might have been he did not feel steady on his feet or it might have been that the willow reduced his sex drive. We will never know. Dad left him in the flights with a bunch of Hens to see if he would pair up with any of them he finally did and went on to have 4 or 5 clutches after the injury. However in winter he refused to breed so maybe the leg did give him issues.

His leg probably played up in the cold the poor boy