Help? New owner of budgies

[nicole s]

Hello, I’m new to Avian Avenue!
I recently got two budgies who a little over a year old (male and female)
I’ve noticed that they keep fluffing up their feathers here and others and occasionally itching/picking at their feathers. They also sneeze here and there. They’re eating fine and they’re active I’ve noticed very slight tail bobbing (not too extreme) Oh, and I also bought them the 8 in 1 ultra care mite spray in case they have pesky mites. Any suggestions whats going on?

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum. I would not use mite spray. I don't believe it's really safe. Unless your birds were kept outside, the chances of them having mites are slim. You can put white paper at the bottom of their cage at night and if there are like dots on it in the morning, they could have mites. If so, they should be treated by a vet. As for fluffing up, do they do it when they sleep or all the time? When they sleep/rest is normal. And birds preen their feathers on and off all day. How do their droppings look? A vet check is always a good idea for any new birds.

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue Nicole!

 

[Ripshod]

Budgies preen a LOT and they do fluff up slightly when they're resting and comfortable. Their tails do bob with normal breathing, significantly more when they're singing or have been exercising. A tail bob is not a concern to me unless it's significantly more than ⅛inch (3-4mm) when rested.

 

[nicole s]

Welcome to the forum. I would not use mite spray. I don't believe it's really safe. Unless your birds were kept outside, the chances of them having mites are slim. You can put white paper at the bottom of their cage at night and if there are like dots on it in the morning, they could have mites. If so, they should be treated by a vet. As for fluffing up, do they do it when they sleep or all the time? When they sleep/rest is normal. And birds preen their feathers on and off all day. How do their droppings look? A vet check is always a good idea for any new birds.

Hello, thank you for the reply! They mostly fluff up their feathers through out the day and I have noticed they’ve been preening quite a lot. They’re droppings a pretty normal but sometimes I notice some green droppings here and there (rare)

 

[clarousel]

Do you know if they're going through a moult? My budgie preened a lot more than usual when she got her new feathers. Like what Ripshod said, they're very clean birds and preen lots.

If you're feeding them seed and fresh food their poop would be green. Pellets would make their poop more brown in colour.

 

[nicole s]

Do you know if they're going through a moult? My budgie preened a lot more than usual when she got her new feathers. Like what Ripshod said, they're very clean birds and preen lots.

If you're feeding them seed and fresh food their poop would be green. Pellets would make their poop more brown in colour.

Hi thank you for your reply! And yes I’m feeding them a pictures of veggies and seeds. My only concern right now is that I keep noticing sneezes from

 

[clarousel]

Hi thank you for your reply! And yes I’m feeding them a pictures of veggies and seeds. My only concern right now is that I keep noticing sneezes from

Ah okay, that would explain the green poop!

For the sneezes, how often are they? Do you see them scratching their face/ceres when they sneeze?

They're quite sensitive so it could environmental. But if you've noticed an increase in the sneezing, it's best to get them checked out at the vet!