I realy hope you wont think this is a daft question but Major one of my 4 budgies is looking old in his face all my 4 are around the 12 month mark..the others all look the same but he has a white face and is a small budgie very slim and agile..but over the past couple of weeks he looks like he is getting heavy round his middle and last wek he had what looked like black pine needles sticking out of his face and now they are white but still look like needles and he looks scruffy...I will be most embaressed if this is normal at this age but if I dont ask I will never know...Linda

sounds like he is going threw a molt. Go here and click on grooming, does it look like that? http://www.budgietalk.com/

Yep that's it alright I have never seen this before..thank you once more Lovey the only thing that has baffeled me is he is a lot older than 4 months but after saying that I think he is a runt..he is very tiny could he be a bit behind with development...Linda

they can moult 2x a year, and you may be right he could be behind, but it usually caused by the right condition too, maybe your home has been warmer then usual too. If you give him a bath or spray him it helps shed them, I do it with Pretty and he looks better afterwards. Your welcome.

(Laughing out loud)...I think it's been colder here we are having minus 4s ect and I rarely have the heating on I have been spraying him everyday he didnt used to like the spray but now he sits on the front perch when he see's the bottle I cant get any of my 4 in a bath and I have bought everyone on the market (Laughing out loud)...Linda

spraying is cool, it helps with the itchness, and if he lets you scratch his head it helps if not that is okay. Pretty started to moult in the cold weather too but it was probably time to moult. It has been going slow though.

I would love to help him but if I go near any of my 4 they flap off and cling to the back of the cage bars and look at me like I am a bad monster (Laughing out loud)..every morning when I take their cover off their cage it seems as if half a bugie drops on the floor there is that many feathers..Linda

if you check they may all be moulting at the same time too.