Can Budgies Pluck?

[RayOfSunshine]

Sorry this post is a little long, but I'm panicking a little haha. I'm a relatively new parrot keeper. I got my budgie almost 9 months ago. He has lost feathers every day. However, it was never enough to seem serious, and I just assumed he was molting (there were never any patches of skin or signs of mites). Just today I noticed there was a small patch of exposed skin on each shoulder. Almost like a feather or two was missing each side. Now, because I've never owned a bird before this, I don't know if this is molting or if it's the start of some form of plucking. He's in an ok-sized cage (a little on the smaller side, but definitely big enough for a lone bird). I've been working on his diet and right now he's on a mix of pellets and seed. He has plenty of toys that he loves, and that I occasionally rotate out, and I spend several hours next to his cage talking and training with him. He hasn't been allowed to leave the cage yet though, because last time he ran into a wall really hard, so I've been working on getting him to step up before we try again. I've been checking off the boxes as to what might lead to feather plucking. Unfortunately I don't have an avian vet anywhere near me, but regardless, physically he acts and looks like a normal happy budgie. I've seen him preen, but never actually pull anything out. The only things I can think of are that he feels lonely, or that his cage isn't spacious enough. However, nobody is ever gone from the house for more that 3 hours, so it's not like I leave him for too long. Plus, I've heard that budgies aren't prone to plucking, so I'm really confused if it's anything at all. I don't know how long this has been going on, or if it's why so many feathers end up on the ground. I just feel like I'm doing something horribly wrong for him to resort to self-mutilation, or that I should have noticed earlier. I never even considered it a possibility because of his species, and because of his normal behavior. I thought I was doing everything right. Would getting him an even bigger cage help? Maybe a friend? I just don't know what to do. I'll try to post some pictures later in the day though. Thank you for any help or advice!

 

[zERo]

Yes, unfortunately budgies can pluck, it's not too common. Getting him a friend could possibly help. Could you post a pic of him?

 

[RayOfSunshine]

I wont be home until later, so I'll post one when I can. However, it's almost exactly like I described. Normal feathers everywhere, but a small bald path on both joints where the wings meet the back. Barely noticeable, but I check him over every day so I can clearly see that there are feathers gone. The other feathers are covering the patches, so it's hard to tell, but I heard any skin at all exposed is bad.

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Yes, budgies can pluck. It's rare though and I'm very sorry about everything. Since you don't have a vet near you, maybe consult with one online? It's not as good but at least you can get some advice.

 

[RayOfSunshine]

I didn't know online vets were a thing? That's a little cool. It seems like this is a psychological thing to me, though. He isn't showing any other symptoms. I'm even suspecting that this has been going on for a while, just not to an extent I would notice...ugh.

 

[RayOfSunshine]

Here are some pics. You can see how it looks ragged on his shoulders.

 

[BirdyBee]

I think it's ok.. But just keep an eye on her! my budgie John once had some small bald spot but he was having a rough molt. Do you see any pin feather? if so she's probably molting. If not, keep an eye on him and if it worsens severely I'd recommend contacting an avian vet(an online avian vet will also be OK). You can also try an exotic that treats birds. It's not the best, but it's better than a normal vet.

 

[BirdyBee]

On a second note, I think it's a female since she has a white-ish blue cere which indicates a young female or female out of breeding condition.