Help me broken feathers

Today I decided to try look and see can i see what is going on with Jodies tail feathers. I found she has broken feathers and some yellow bumps (maybe new feathers or cysts) we are going ti the vet on monday so I really want to show every problem that i see. I cleaned Jodie with a q tip and Saline water and she really seemed to like this. Should i try remove the broke black feather stumps or leave them?i have left a link here to photos I took.

https://imgur.com/gallery/K6yZnBH

Don't use saline. That salt when the bird preens is not good for them .

Unfortunately PBFD often only effects the tail feathers in budgies.. while it's very scary to think that could be a possibility. The good news is that for budgies that might be all that's effected, and they seem to be able to recover to a carrier state and not sucumb to the disease. But it also means you can not add other birds, and must be careful if you come into contact with other birds.

And I'm so glad you are going to the vet!! And I am not a vet, so while I have read of this presentation of PBFD it doesn't mean that's what's going on with your bird. I will look and see if I find the articles again

Good luck at the vet

Thank you very much. I will not use the water again. I had figured it would be better then tap water. She has no flight feathers in her wings either but i havent been at them yet to see anything. She was in with alot of budgies in a garden centre ans they ended up giving me her. We have no other birds here so she is ok here. I wasnt sure if she was being picked on by the other birds or there was other issues.

Here is the link that talks about tail and flight feathers being effected.
Parrot Beak and Feather Disease in Budgerigars

Proper nutrition goes a long way in helping a bird deal with illness, and in preventing illness. Do make sure your budgie gets lots of veggies and leafy greens. Once they learn these are food, they really enjoy and dig in!!! Mine eat everything! But if yours was only eating seeds, it takes some time and effort to get them also eating theses good things.

Also cleaning wounds of mammals with saline is actually great! It's just with birds, especially tiny ones they can't deal with the salt. If a birds has a bloody mess, you could use very dilute betadine , a drop of betadine to water so it's a very very light watery tea color is good.

That is strange looking--smart to take her to the vet.
How old is she?

I honestly am not sure what this could be without more information.

If it is PBFD (circovirus), there are generally a few manifestations--- one that impacts young birds (which tends to be pretty aggressive) and one that impacts older birds (which often can go on for years)...same virus---just different impact based on bird's immune response/exposure age etc.
To test for PBFD, they will generally do a blood-test in multi-bird homes. A feather test is available, but it can be even less accurate.

Do you have other birds?
If so, you will want to get them tested IF this is confirmed to be PBFD. If this bird has it, your other birds could be carriers, even if they test negative (it's hard to test for unless a bird is actively showing symptoms). A carrier bird can spread the virus without showing symptoms and without testing positive...so I would just keep that in mind if you have multiple birds-- especially when it comes to situations where they could spread the virus outside of your home.


It could also be plucking, parasites, polyomavirus

I would DEFINITELY get your bird tested for polyoma is you haven't (sometimes called "french molt virus").

Proper nutrition goes a long way in helping a bird deal with illness, and in preventing illness. Do make sure your budgie gets lots of veggies and leafy greens. Once they learn these are food, they really enjoy and dig in!!! Mine eat everything! But if yours was only eating seeds, it takes some time and effort to get them also eating theses good things.

Also cleaning wounds of mammals with saline is actually great! It's just with birds, especially tiny ones they can't deal with the salt. If a birds has a bloody mess, you could use very dilute betadine , a drop of betadine to water so it's a very very light watery tea color is good.[/QUOTE]


Thanks so much. Yes she had only been eating seeds so i am trying to introduce her to fresh food. She seemed to love grape and tried some yellow pepper.

Also the saline is gone. Hopefully on monday I will find out more.

Yes i have been trawling the internet to find what it could be. My first thought was french moult. We are going to the vet on monday. I have no idea how old she is. The garden centre said she was there 8 months. I read that once they have an iris it means they are 8 months plus and she does. She is an only bird, so we are happy to leave it this way. However she was in with alot of budgies. I wasnt really planning on getting a bird. But she is here and I will do my best to help her and fix her.

What i am really hoping for is plucking. She was smaller then the other budgies and i seen her fighting when they came near her. And from her tail end it looks like there are the ends of broken feather ends still stuck in her.

Either way Jodie has a home here for the rest of her life!