i was scrolling through some photo bucket albums and happened to come across this picture,

correct me if i'm wrong but it looks like a budgie judging by the face.

That's a "feather duster" budgie. It's a genetic mutation where their feathers don't stop growing. Unfortunately this causes their deaths early in life.

 

If you do a search on this forum for feather dusters you will find more about them.

 

Edited June 2, 200915 yr by Chrysocome

Ohh wow...

haha! wow i have heard about them never seen one though isnt it sad about their life span though

If you do a search here and just in the net you will find that a Feather Duster is a Chromosmal Defect, and the reason why they don't live long is that their feathers continously grow which deprives the bird's body of nutrition. Kaz and Daz have had personal experiences with having a feather duster.

Feather dusters are adorable freaks of nature. I have seen them in the flesh (or is that feather lol ) and they are so soft and dopey. It's a shame they don't live long as they really are amazing.

Poor birds

If you do a search here and just in the net you will find that a Feather Duster is a Chromosmal Defect, and the reason why they don't live long is that their feathers continously grow which deprives the bird's body of nutrition. Kaz and Daz have had personal experiences with having a feather duster.

 

 

Yes and I am hope that I don't get any this year. I've had too many over the past few years.

I havent had a feather duster yet.

And im Sure you hope you never get one :hi:

what a terribly unfortunate circumstance for the budgie though, such a short lifespan, really sad.

I hope that it won't be a "cool thing" to have feather dusters. Like you say, it is a disease that is very hard for the birds even though it may look "sweet" och "fun" to people without knowledges. Yuck, poor birds. I hate when people breed birds without thinking about their best.

Why is there still the persistance that these birds die young. It has been shown on many occasions with proper care they can last for quite some time. I bred and researched them for a number of years. It is most likely a genetic defect as stated in this thread and as far as I know that has not be proven scientifically but it may well be a good guess. It is not a disease!

I know of some that lived to around 2 years of age, one of those died only at the hands of another budgie.

Why is there still the persistance that these birds die young. It has been shown on many occasions with proper care they can last for quite some time. I bred and researched them for a number of years. It is most likely a genetic defect as stated in this thread and as far as I know that has not be proven scientifically but it may well be a good guess. It is not a disease!

 

From what I understand, they certainly don't live a normal lifespan.

 

I guess it depends on your definition of "disease". Genetic defects can cause "disease" in my book because it causes severe impairment of normal body functions. Perhaps "disorder" is more apporpriate.

 

Can I ask what research you have done? I'm interested in knowing more about them. I have often heard that it is a trisomy defect, where the chromosomes do not divide properly in the gametes. I don't know if there is scientific proof of this.

Edited June 7, 200915 yr by Chrysocome