Budgie

[Donna McNamara]

Why does my budgie go from one molt right into another? He will eat nothing but his bird seed. Seems he molts way to much. He is a happy bird but very nervous. He is about 3 years old. Another thing he does is talk so low I can't hear him and he doesn't want me to because if I look at him he stops. I hope this new found forum will help me. Thanks, Donna

 

[expressmailtome]

Bump.

 

[galah!]

have you had him all his life? if so, has he been like this forever?

 

[Nami]

Sometimes temperature changes, hormones and stress can trigger them to stay in a molt. I would really try to make sure he is getting a proper diet to ensure he stays healthy throughout his prolonged molt. Seed diets don't meet all the criteria a budgie needs in their diet, it can be difficult to introduce greens and pellets into a budgies diet but if you are persistent he may catch on (there are lots of methods on introducing veg to a budgies diet online).
I'd try improving his diet, making sure he gets the right amount of sunlight and around 12 hours of sleep daily (budgies need more rest during their molt, make sure to cover his cage and give him a nice dark quiet place to sleep at night). Have a chat with your vet on the phone for any additional advice, they may want to give him a checkup.

 

[Lady Jane]

You write about two issues. First the all seed diet will eventually put your budgie into liver failure. Budgies are very much flock oriented and I have found over the years they will eat better if there is a cage mate. Persistence is the key. I make fresh chop every morning (tiny pieces) with assorted greens, broccoli, carrots and other veggies. Then I sprinkle some millet seed over the top. It took repeated efforts and food waste to finally get my budgies to eat from a shallow dish. Now they love it! When you freshen the seed dish each morning put the veggie dish in the cage first before the seed offerings. How tame is he? Does he sit on your shoulder and step up? Do you give him enough out of cage time? Exercise may help his confidence and nervousness. How long have you had this bird?

 

[Shinobi]

In Australia, wild Budgerigars have a granivorous diet and mainly eats seeds, grains and nuts from native herbs and grasses. Foraging on the ground, they sometimes climb tussocks to strip the plant. Budgerigars usually drink during the morning, up to 5.5% of their body weight each day. They’re very water hardy due to living in an arid environment, If there’s no puddles or bodies of water nearby, they will drink early morning dew and bathe in wet grass.