How do I tell when my budgie is moulting?

[ilmatar]

I'm not sure how to tell if my birds are moulting or not. There was a period of time where there were a lot of small feathers around their cage (and in the floor near it), then it sort of slowed down. Now it seems to have picked up again. Maybe my male budgie is actually moulting? He shook his feathers out this morning and two smaller 'down-like' feathers flew away as well as two larger, wing (?) feathers. He doesn't look 'ragged' and I haven't seen anything like a pin feather appear. He's been singing and as active as usual and doesn't seem grouchy.

My question is, are budgies constantly losing some small feathers (like humans lose some hair daily) or has my bird begun to moult? How long does a budgie moult last?

Some info about their diet:
1. They eat seeds (pellets are not available where I live, so seeds are my only option).
2. They get a wide variety of chopped up fresh veggies daily.
3. They have a cuttle bone.
4. They have a mineral block.
5. I add a very small amount of vitamins and minerals to their seeds each day.
6. Treats (mostly niger seeds and millet) are limited to training sessions.

Also, there's been no change in diet, except now they get a healthier one than they were getting from the pet store we bought them from over 2 months ago, which only consisted of seeds and water. (I'm adding this bit of info, because I've read that diet changes can cause sudden moults.)

 

[Farfah]

My budgies do regularly lose some feathers but during a moult, they will lose a lot of feathers Including the larger ones. They should never have bald spots or look too raggedy. Pin feathers usually show up later during the moult. Sometimes in the beginning of a moult, it can be hard to tell because they gradually lose more feathers. Hope that helps. You might want to look into sprouting the seeds - my birds love sprouts.

 

[kayosa]

Your budgie is molting when you see so many feathers that it looks like a smol pillow exploded.
the fluffy down feathers are lost and replaced constantly, but tail and wing feathers are only replaced during molt(or if they get yanked out by accident)

 

[ilmatar]

Your budgie is molting when you see so many feathers that it looks like a smol pillow exploded.
the fluffy down feathers are lost and replaced constantly, but tail and wing feathers are only replaced during molt(or if they get yanked out by accident)

Okay, we haven't quite gotten to the small pillow explosion stage yet then. so far it's just been small feathers and a couple from the wings.

 

[ilmatar]

My budgies do regularly lose some feathers but during a moult, they will lose a lot of feathers Including the larger ones. They should never have bald spots or look too raggedy. Pin feathers usually show up later during the moult. Sometimes in the beginning of a moult, it can be hard to tell because they gradually lose more feathers. Hope that helps. You might want to look into sprouting the seeds - my birds love sprouts.

My birds also love sprouts. We buy these sproutable seeds in a special container for them sometimes to add variety. I forgot to mention that.

 

[PunLover]

I have a very simple way to tell: Is my hair full of feathers? Is everything else covered in feathers? Do my Budgies look like they're wet?
They get pin feathers, most noticable on their faces, during a moult, and they'll rub their faces on stuff to help break them open. With 5 budgies... So. Many. Feathers. Their cage is next to my bed, so they end up in my hair quite a lot. XD

 

[ilmatar]

Just wanted to post an update here:

My birds are now definitely molting. The small pillow has exploded . I have to vacuum twice a day now just to keep the feathers at bay. My male has started to rub his head on everything and I checked, and sure enough, his head is quite spiky looking, so we've got pin feathers.

 

[Farfah]

Best of luck to you and your vacuum!!

 

[MR. Mango]