okay i'm not sure if this is the appropriate spot for this question if not may i ask it be moved to the right one? Herre goes, my two new keets both femals HAVE NO TAILS!! i mean it's not like they are bald or anything it's just like a EXTREMEMLY short tail is it possible that they just don't have long tails? is there a mutation that is like this? i have been after these two parakeets for 2 yrs now, and finally convinced the previous owners to give them to me, and i can't remember them EVER having tails

Can you post some pics so we can see ?

i'll try to get some posted tomorow i need new batteries for my camera

Are you getting lots of feathers in the bottom of the cage? Are the birds looking kind of scruffy? I was thinking maybe they're moulting or have just moulted and lost their long tail feathers. If they've really never had tails though, I don't know what that would be? Plucking maybe? I think we might have to wait to see pictures for a verdict on this one. I'll be interested to see them when you sort your camera out.

Babies budgies have shorter tails than the grown ups but to have no tails is a problem. They could have damaged them in the cage they were in or they might have a feather condition that is making then moult them too fast and so never grow the long tails not normal. It would be wise I think for a check up.

Definitely something odd going on here. What are their diets like? A poor diet can make for very weak feathers that break easily. Do the ends look like they've broken off or does it look like they were never grown to begin with or cleanly molted out? It could also be disease/illness.

How long have you had these two year old birds? A tail consists of two Quills and the other feathers of the tail. With out the quils they look like they have short tails. The quills can be lost through moult or stress. Usually caused by being moved. Common with older birds that have lived a long period in one spot. You said that you have been after these birds for two years. I take it that they have lived that time in one avery. The move and change of senery could account for the lost.

 

As you can't remember if if they had the tail feathers I would simply ask the breeder. :ausb: Put them on some Probotics or Sparks Electrolite to build back their strength and keep an eye on them :ausb:

they were bought in a pet store by a relative and then i recently was given them, i should say they do have tails but not very long ones, when i brought them home they didn't have tails, and i didn't notice any feathers in the bottom of the cage but they could have gone through a molt because now that you mention it the little yellow one looked pretty scruffy (like they do when molting) but she's looking a lot better now i am thinking they were fed the "cheap" food i feed both seeds and pellets to my birds (my tiels) my male keet gets bird food from the pet store and i also feed fruit (small amounts) maybe i should buy some vitamins for the girls? I got these two on easter sunday. I should also state that they were in a fairly dark room not black or anything like that but a dark room none the less, could it bee lack of sun?

 

I just went over and examined them the tails look like they have new growth coming, maybe it's just a molt but it's still baffling

Edited April 28, 200619 yr by lean2078

I was just wondering why the girl budgies don't get fruit but the boy does? Have you tried giving veggies rather than fruit? It's not fattening like sugary fruit.

Vitamins are just bandaids on a gaping wound. The best thing to do is get them on better diets. Give them as many healthy vegetables as they'll eat daily. Do it in the morning when they're usually most willing to try them out. Dark green or bright orange veggies are usually the most nutritious.

 

Definitely get them in to an avian vet for a checkup though. There could be some underlying problems related to why they're having trouble keeping their feathers in good condition.

 

And I definitely agree with Janette. Fruit is actually better as a treat/reward when training. Veggies are healthier.

The girls don't get fruit or veggies because they won't eat them.....i have been trying now for days to get them and they refuse to eat them, it's almost like they are scared I have an apt made for the vet but i have to go 2 hrs from where i live, there is no birdy vets around here very frustrating! Is there something i can do to encourage them to eat veggies? I tried brocolli in small pieces and fresh green beans, I was thinking of trying a different veggie maybe i haven't found one that they like, the biggest thing is anything new in the cage they get terrified and won't go near it

I think, given the birds history, an avian vet check would be money well spent. I find my budgies don't really like fruit, but give them a piece of spinach and they adore it It's mainly the larger parrots that enjoy fruit, try more vegies

okay making a grocery list for veggies spinach what else?

carrott, you can give them a hardboiled egg (at least 10 mins) mashed up with the shell as well, celery, ummm, basically everything you would eat. Bit of sweet potato is fine, you just need to boil that a bit, same for pumpkin

they were bought in a pet store by a relative and then i recently was given them, i should say they do have tails but not very long ones, when i brought them home they didn't have tails, and i didn't notice any feathers in the bottom of the cage but they could have gone through a molt because now that you mention it the little yellow one looked pretty scruffy (like they do when molting) but she's looking a lot better now i am thinking they were fed the "cheap" food i feed both seeds and pellets to my birds (my tiels) my male keet gets bird food from the pet store and i also feed fruit (small amounts) maybe i should buy some vitamins for the girls? I got these two on easter sunday. I should also state that they were in a fairly dark room not black or anything like that but a dark room none the less, could it bee lack of sun?

 

I just went over and examined them the tails look like they have new growth coming, maybe it's just a molt but it's still baffling

 

 

It sounds to me like they probably have vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies due to poor diet and stress. I wonder about them being kept in a dark room...was this to keep them quiet? Unhappy and stressed budgies will make a lot of noise to let you know they are unhappy about something. Lack of sunshine, UV light bulbs, or even regular indoor light will make a big difference in how long they keep their feathers, and what condition their feathers are in. If they didn't get much attention, it is no wonder they are terrified of you and anything you put in their cage. Since they are at least two years old, you will need a lot of patience to convert them to a better diet and to gain their trust.

 

Pellets will be a challenge, but eventually as they settle into a routine after their quarantine is over, they may be more willing to try them when they see your male budgie eat them. I found females are more likely to try new foods, toys, etc. first because they always want what another bird has. :hap: (Whoo-hoo - Make that jealous streak work foryou!) I'd start out by clipping baby spinach to the side of the cage near a favorite perch. Keep the stems on. You can use baby carrots too, but initially cut them in half because the new budgies are probably more afraid of the size of the food than anything. Smaller pieces are better in the beginning. Red leaf lettuce is good too, so is kale. Make sure they have plenty of water droplets on them. The birds may begin to investigate the water and then begin to nibble the food.

 

Keep us posted on your progress, and thank you for taking these birds and offering them a better home.

Some people have to try for months to get their birds to eat veggies. It's really worth persisting though. Just put a little bit in every day and eventually they'll get used to it being in their cage and may come to investigate. They've got to decide in their own time that the veggies aren't either a) a wild, ravenous creature come to devour them or b)poisonous. Budgies are naturally cautious, so give them time to adjust to having the veggies in their cage.

 

Also, you could try different ways of presenting the veg to them. Mine won't eat veggies if they're chopped in a bowl. They'll only have them hanging from a clip or wedged in the cage bars, but I know other people chop them up like little salads for them.

 

It could take a long time, but in the end it's worth it. They will eat them... eventually.

 

I was also wondering, do they have access to a bath at all? If they haven't, that might make it difficult for them to preen properly and keep their feathers in order.

i think they put them there cause i think they wanted to hear the birds they like the sounds but i don't think they realized that they needed more light, they do have a place to take a bath but i don't like it it's just a bowl, i am looking for an actual parakeet bath

 

 

i get the dr foster catelog but i was wondering if anyone could give me a suggestion for more places to get bird supples like cages etc

You could try a proper bath (I presume you mean the ones that fit on the side of the cage), but you could also spray them with a mister if they don't use the bath (mine don't). You just have to make sure the mist isn't too fine - more like little droplets than fine mist - so that they don't breath in too much water.

 

Phoebe mentioned making sure the veggies have drops of water on them to encourage them to eat; this can work as a bath too as they get all excited and roll in their veggies to wet their feathers. That was another thing that took a long time to persuade my birds to do - they did it for the first time yesterday - but it's worth it. It's so much more fun watching them spaz in their veggies than just spraying them with water.

yeah that's the one i am talking about i don't know why i didn't think about doing that with the veggies i used to do it with my first budgies UGH brain damage

My experience is it takes a few weeks for new birdies to settle. All of mine wouldn't touch veggies until they were truly settled in their new home - usually by the third week. I clip broccoli and romain to the cage bars. When new they don't touch it but once settled they begin to nibble - and now they all love it. Mine like romain lettuce, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, mesculin mix (mixed greens).

"i get the dr foster catelog but i was wondering if anyone could give me a suggestion for more places to get bird supples like cages etc"

 

 

 

Ebay is quite good for cages. In fact, it's quite good for a few bits of budgie stuff. Otherwise, just google it. There are loads of online petstores to buy from, just have a browse round and find the most reasonable ones. Just watch out for apparently cheap stores that then whack on huge postage. I do most of my budgie shopping on the net, all apart from veggies and seed.

Edited April 28, 200619 yr by Janette

A good rule to go by is, anything new that is bigger than their head will scare them. So cut all veggies down to that size until they get used to them and know what they are.

It took my two nearly three months to get them to eat veggies but I kept putting different things in their cage each day. It started with lettuce which I know is not very nutrious but then it went onto spinach. They wouldn't touch anything put into a dish though it would have to be clipped onto the side of the cage. It is really a persistance thing. There were times when I began to think my two would never eat veggie but it paid off in the end so just keep trying.