budgie pulling feathers out

[rodrigo]

Im really worried for my little budgie taking his feathers out! i found 4 full length feathers in my budgies cage im scared and dont know what to do to help him!

 

[reeb]

Is he molting or is he plucking? Have you seen him pull his feathers out? Birds naturally lose and replace feathers a few times a year, that is why I am asking.

If he is plucking there is most likely a stressor that is triggering this behaviour. This may include but is not limited to:

- Anxiety (often separation from either a bird companion or an owner)
- Loneliness
- Boredom (Not having enough space to exercise, not having enough toys)
- Poor diet
- Skin diseases and/or skin irritation and itching

There are a few steps you can take. I had a budgie who used to pull his tail feathers out so I have some experience:

- make an appointment with your vet, preferably an avian vet if there is one available in your region, in order to get a better understanding of what is wrong.
- Rethink the entire living situation of the bird. Is the cage big enough? When last did you update or rearrange his toys and perches? Is he on a good diet (fresh foods)? Does he get enough attention? Once you have critically analysed the current situation, you should be able to make adjustments for him.

I hope this helps in some way. It sounds like the case isn’t too severe yet, and I hope you can get to the bottom of it! Thanks for reaching out.