Plucking or uneven molt? New Show Budgie

Hi everyone,

For those who don't know yet, I brought home two new show budgies a week or so ago.They got the all-clear from the vet (along with deworming and de-parasiting, etc) on Monday. They are still being quarantined.

Buttercup (the female) was molting when I brought her home. The vet didn't notice anything wrong with her wings, but today I noticed that almost all of her flight feathers on her right wing are missing. I'm pretty observant, and I honestly would have noticed immediately if she was missing flight feathers when I got her. I noticed a few longer feathers in the cage during the week, but I assumed it was just due to the molt (tail feathers/flight feathers). I haven't been watching them constantly, but what I have seen is normal, active budgie behaviour - playing and talking. I've never seen her pluck, just groom. However, because of these missing feathers, she obviously can't fly properly at all.

Molting is usually symmetrical and even, and to me it just seems strange that she has lost a huge chunk like that. One of my other shows, Mango, used to pluck his wing and tail feathers out when he got stressed. I am obviously really worried that Buttercup has a similar problem, and has found the moving process very stressful.

I'm just giving her more time to settle, and trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible. I think she has moved homes a few times, but she is now in her forever home, and hopefully will be able to move into the aviary when her flight feathers grow out and the quarantine process is over.

Thoughts or suggestions?

All primary feathers on one wing is like 6 to 8 on budgies (I believe) and a like number of secondary feathers. Have you seen that number of feathers recently? Any possibility that the male has removed them from her Wing?

We both know you have several nervous weeks in front of you as you determine if this is short term Stress or on going plucking issue.

May this be short term Stress!

Should be 10 primary flight feathers and 10 secondary flight feathers.

There is a possibility that she was startled and lost those feathers due to a fight or flight response.


Either way, wouldn't be too concerned as long as she *does* grow them back! Keep a close eye on her and do what you can to prevent her from hurting herself.

They are growing out nicely!


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