How do you know when a budgie has been through its first moult? I have read a few different websites and articles about this, and it seems like they all have slightly different indicators, although most of them seem to agree that the loss of the bars right up to the front of the head means they've had the first moult.

 

I'm not so sure about Cosmo. He's definitely yellow above his cere, but it's not like really bright and strong like adults. It's still kind of soft and pale, and if you look closely at the tips of all his yellow cap feathers, they still have a slightly black edge to them. His eye is still dark, and he's only just lost the black tip to his beak. His throat spots are a bit random and incomplete looking.

 

Otherwise, his body feathers are soft, a bit paler than adult colours, and a little bit mottly in colour... and he has a lot of fluffy white down feathers underneath. Every time he preens his stomach and puffs out, I see a lot of white fuzz underneath.

 

He has no pin feathers at the moment and i've never seen him with one, nor are there many feathers lying around so I don't think he's moulting right at this moment.

 

Any guesses? Or is there a "second moult" that makes them look even more adult-like than the first?

Edited October 6, 200816 yr by krosp

with Bing (who is also a yellowface blue) he didn't moult until he was about 3 months old, and it lasted for about 2 months which i know inst normal but he had a heavy one, and he is just finishing his 2nd moult now at 9 months but his colour hasn't really changed, if anything the yellow cap on his head has faded into a whiter yellow, when they have pin feathers, then you know they are moulting...

Edited October 6, 200816 yr by Neat

I have Mac who is 9 months old and only just finishing his first moult ... As he was an inside bird ..

Oh okay... that's interesting... but did his cap change colour before the moult? Because Cosmo's cap has already lost the bands, but it's still soft and pale. I remember all my other birds used to have quite hard thick sort of feathers on the cap. So that makes me think he might not have had his first moult, but then would his bands still be there?

My guy Buddy has only just started his first molt, I think, he is showing signs of it. Yet his cage mate who is the same age is on this third one! so go figure how it happens.

Cosmo hasn't hit his first moult yet.

He has what can be looked on as receded bars at the top of his head but they have not moulted out that way, it's natural in some birds to develop not so strong ones... When he's had his first moult you'll see the difference

some birds bar lines are not the strong and that is very normal, a first molt will start around the 3-4 month mark and can last a couple month, Merlin's bar lines were not very strong at all.

 

Thanks everyone - I had a feeling Cosmo hasn't had his first moult, but wasn't sure about the cap thing. Cosmo looks a LOT like Merlin in that picture, in terms of his markings and everything, and even his cere colour.

I think they are the same a violet but Cosmo has a yellow face, Merlin still has has white fuzz down.

okay so we have established that Cosmo has not moulted yet. When he does moult eventually, what is that supplement that's good for them and where can I get it? Or is there a better way of taking care of them during the moult?

As it says above, around the 3-4 month mark is their first molt, the best thing you can do is not really change anything too much like their diet, keep the temperature in the house consistent, Moult Aide is what I believe Kaz has advised I think you get that at a pet store, and you can offer them a bath and head scratch if they like them, other then that they may become more moody, grumpy and quiet but they should not act sick like listless or fluffed up.

...and you can offer them a bath and head scratch if they like them...

 

 

Haha in response to that- check out my new signature! Yes he likes them a lot - if it's done with a chopstick.

 

 

Thanks for that - it's great advice! Well, good to know that he's probably still quite young and what to do once the moult eventually starts