My budgie is losing feathers around the eye and forehead

Parrotlover497 · Jul 16, 2018

Please healp. My female budgie mint is losing feathers around her eye,on her forehead and she got thiner than usual and she got less active with other budgies when I get her out of the cage she doesn't fly and play like the rest she stays on a perch and sleeps but her feathers are not puffy and she never stays on the floor but she does enter the nest box alot and she doesn't lay eggs shes been having this problem ever since she layed the eggs but i thought that was normal and that she'd be okay but lately there has been more feather loss

charmedbyekkie · Jul 16, 2018

Have you taken her to a certified avian vet? It sounds like an urgent medical condition, especially since those are areas she couldn't be plucking herself and she's losing weight. If she's so much thinner than you can notice with your eye, it might be something serious.

Maybe we can help you locate a nearby vet if you're ok with sharing your general area.

Parrotlover497 · Jul 16, 2018

Is there any thing i can do at home to help her because there aren't good avian vets in my country but ill go to one but i know they will be of no help so if any one can help please tell me

itzjbean · Jul 16, 2018

Losing feathers around the eyes/forehead, loss of appetite and inactivity are all signs of a sick bird. Only a professional will be able to help your budgie and if you do not get help, I'm sorry to say that your budgie may not get better. I am unsure of any home remedies to help.

Aratingettar · Jul 16, 2018

Parrotlover497 said:
Is there any thing i can do at home to help her because there aren't good avian vets in my country but ill go to one but i know they will be of no help so if any one can help please tell me

If you have internet access, I think you will find a knowledgable Vet there. What country are you from? No one will be able to help just based on symptoms, which are quite general.

Parrotlover497 · Jul 16, 2018

itzjbean said:
Losing feathers around the eyes/forehead, loss of appetite and inactivity are all signs of a sick bird. Only a professional will be able to help your budgie and if you do not get help, I'm sorry to say that your budgie may not get better. I am unsure of any home remedies to help.

She didn't lose appetite she loves eating

Parrotlover497 · Jul 16, 2018

Aratingettar said:
Parrotlover497 said:

Is there any thing i can do at home to help her because there aren't good avian vets in my country but ill go to one but i know they will be of no help so if any one can help please tell me

Click to expand...

If you have internet access, I think you will find a knowledgable Vet there. What country are you from? No one will be able to help just based on symptoms, which are quite general.

I live in egypt

Scott · Jul 16, 2018

Welcome to the forums, sorry to know your female budgie is not well.

A vet specializing in avians (birds) is the only way to diagnose and help treat. There are so many symptoms and none of us are qualified as vets. Unfortunately a standard vet (dogs, cats) lacks knowledge and equipment to properly treat a budgie. Perhaps you are near a falconry club or zoo? They may be able to suggest an avian vet.

I hope you are able to find help for your budgie. In the meanwhile it may be best to isolate her from the other birds. Not just to prevent contagion, but to allow her to rest.

itzjbean · Jul 16, 2018

Parrotlover497 said:
itzjbean said:

Losing feathers around the eyes/forehead, loss of appetite and inactivity are all signs of a sick bird. Only a professional will be able to help your budgie and if you do not get help, I'm sorry to say that your budgie may not get better. I am unsure of any home remedies to help.

Click to expand...

She didn't lose appetite she loves eating

Oops I misread. That she is in fact eating is a good sign. But I agree with Scott, who mentioned separating her from your other birds and in her own cage, just so she can rest and gain strength back.

EllenD · Jul 16, 2018

Welcome to the forum! Let's see if we can help you at least find the closest Avian or even a Poultry Vet to you...in the meantime, can I ask you some questions about your Budgie?

I'm assuming that this is a Budgie that you have used as a breeder? Is that correct?

How old is she now? How many clutches has she laid in her lifetime? And when did she lay the last one that she started acting this way after?

Has she also been breathing heavily since this started? Panting, like a dog pants? And you said she's visibly thin, correct?

What is Mint's daily diet?

First of all, it's very important that you not breed Mint again, as this happens to female Budgies often after they have become extremely stressed after laying too many eggs...So the first thing you need to is make certain that she has no more clutches, which means that you must separate her from the male Budgie she has been mating with. They can stay in cages next to each other so they can still see each other, but they cannot be in the same cage anymore, as it's likely to kill her if she mates again...

Also, it's extremely important that she is getting ample water, ample food (hopefully pellets, seeds, and fresh veggies every single day)...adding EggFood to her daily diet is also going to help, and you can make this yourself if you can't buy it in a pet shop where you live, you simply cook her some scrambled eggs, but you must grind-up the shells finely and add them into the eggs...And she also needs to have access all the time to a Cuttlebone/Mineral Block, as she is most-likely suffering from not only malnutrition in-general, but also a severe Calcium deficiency, and this needs to be replaced starting now, and every day.

This is usually able to be corrected by lots and lots of rest, lots of water, food, and lots and lots of Calcium. What happens is they basically become very malnourished due to the egg-laying (both their bodies leeching nutrients from them to make the eggs, and then also the act of just laying the eggs exhausts them), along with the caring for babies, and of course the constant feeding of the babies for weeks and weeks. So this nutritional deficiency causes them to lose a lot of body weight, lose their feathers, and become extremely exhausted...

She needs to see an Avian Vet, as she would definitely benefit from a Calcium injection, among other things, and there may be something else going on with her, no one can know without examining her, taking cultures to rule-out an infection, etc. However, I understand that you're in a country with few vets, and this may not be possible...I can tell you from my 20+ years of Budgie-breeding experience that I've seen this a few times with female breeders...Budgies are hardy little birds, but they are little, and unfortunately they can often have massive clutches (I've had clutches of up to 13 fertile eggs before, too much for them to lay and care for) and this happens a lot of the time, so I'm guessing that this is the issue...So the first thing you need to do is put her in her own cage ASAP, with her own toys, her own ample amounts of food and water, Cuttlebone, Mineral Block, etc. And if she's feeding babies right now in the nest box, you're going to have to either try to get another pair to feed them, or feed them yourself, because she can't handle it right now, obviously. She needs lots of nutrition, water, Calcium, and rest by herself. It takes time, but they typically will start to recover within a couple of weeks if they are not too-far gone, but she absolutely cannot feed anymore babies, nor be bred again...

Parrotlover497 · Jul 16, 2018

EllenD said:
Welcome to the forum! Let's see if we can help you at least find the closest Avian or even a Poultry Vet to you...in the meantime, can I ask you some questions about your Budgie?

I'm assuming that this is a Budgie that you have used as a breeder? Is that correct?

How old is she now? How many clutches has she laid in her lifetime? And when did she lay the last one that she started acting this way after?

Has she also been breathing heavily since this started? Panting, like a dog pants? And you said she's visibly thin, correct?

What is Mint's daily diet?

First of all, it's very important that you not breed Mint again, as this happens to female Budgies often after they have become extremely stressed after laying too many eggs...So the first thing you need to is make certain that she has no more clutches, which means that you must separate her from the male Budgie she has been mating with. They can stay in cages next to each other so they can still see each other, but they cannot be in the same cage anymore, as it's likely to kill her if she mates again...

Also, it's extremely important that she is getting ample water, ample food (hopefully pellets, seeds, and fresh veggies every single day)...adding EggFood to her daily diet is also going to help, and you can make this yourself if you can't buy it in a pet shop where you live, you simply cook her some scrambled eggs, but you must grind-up the shells finely and add them into the eggs...And she also needs to have access all the time to a Cuttlebone/Mineral Block, as she is most-likely suffering from not only malnutrition in-general, but also a severe Calcium deficiency, and this needs to be replaced starting now, and every day.

This is usually able to be corrected by lots and lots of rest, lots of water, food, and lots and lots of Calcium. What happens is they basically become very malnourished due to the egg-laying (both their bodies leeching nutrients from them to make the eggs, and then also the act of just laying the eggs exhausts them), along with the caring for babies, and of course the constant feeding of the babies for weeks and weeks. So this nutritional deficiency causes them to lose a lot of body weight, lose their feathers, and become extremely exhausted...

She needs to see an Avian Vet, as she would definitely benefit from a Calcium injection, among other things, and there may be something else going on with her, no one can know without examining her, taking cultures to rule-out an infection, etc. However, I understand that you're in a country with few vets, and this may not be possible...I can tell you from my 20+ years of Budgie-breeding experience that I've seen this a few times with female breeders...Budgies are hardy little birds, but they are little, and unfortunately they can often have massive clutches (I've had clutches of up to 13 fertile eggs before, too much for them to lay and care for) and this happens a lot of the time, so I'm guessing that this is the issue...So the first thing you need to do is put her in her own cage ASAP, with her own toys, her own ample amounts of food and water, Cuttlebone, Mineral Block, etc. And if she's feeding babies right now in the nest box, you're going to have to either try to get another pair to feed them, or feed them yourself, because she can't handle it right now, obviously. She needs lots of nutrition, water, Calcium, and rest by herself. It takes time, but they typically will start to recover within a couple of weeks if they are not too-far gone, but she absolutely cannot feed anymore babies, nor be bred again...

She has a cuttlebone and a mineral block but i feed her hard boild eggs with its shell i might be going to a normal vet today or tomorrow but some people told me he he is good with parrots she layed her last egg 3 of February and she only had one batch

EllenD · Jul 16, 2018

How old is she? Do you know?

See, that's what I mean about getting her to a vet...If she laid the clutch that long ago, in February, it was only 3 eggs total, and it was the first clutch she has ever laid, then it's likely not due to this at all, but rather a serious illness, such as an infection going on, and she needs to get to a Vet immediately, as it sounds like she's been sick for quite a while if she's as visibly-symptomatic as you said...

i assumed this was a long-time breeder that had laid many clutches, and i also didn't know that the clutch was laid in February...So you can forget everything I wrote...EXCEPT for the fact that she needs a vet immediately, and that she still needs to be separated from your other birds, all of them in this case, especially any babies...

If she does in-fact have some type of Bacterial or Fungal Infection, it's going to spread like wildfire, especially if she's still feeding any babies...she shouldn't be if she laid the last clutch in February...

I'm confused about something you said though in your initial post...you stated that "She's not going inside the nest-box", which was one of the reasons I assumed she was either laying on a clutch now, or feeding babies...Why do you still have a nest-box in with her now?

Parrotlover497 · Jul 16, 2018

EllenD said:
How old is she? Do you know?

See, that's what I mean about getting her to a vet...If she laid the clutch that long ago, in February, it was only 3 eggs total, and it was the first clutch she has ever laid, then it's likely not due to this at all, but rather a serious illness, such as an infection going on, and she needs to get to a Vet immediately, as it sounds like she's been sick for quite a while if she's as visibly-symptomatic as you said...

i assumed this was a long-time breeder that had laid many clutches, and i also didn't know that the clutch was laid in February...So you can forget everything I wrote...EXCEPT for the fact that she needs a vet immediately, and that she still needs to be separated from your other birds, all of them in this case, especially any babies...

If she does in-fact have some type of Bacterial or Fungal Infection, it's going to spread like wildfire, especially if she's still feeding any babies...she shouldn't be if she laid the last clutch in February...

I'm confused about something you said though in your initial post...you stated that "She's not going inside the nest-box", which was one of the reasons I assumed she was either laying on a clutch now, or feeding babies...Why do you still have a nest-box in with her now?

Because she mated alot so i thought that she is going to lay a egg she just enters the nest for no reason she is about 1 year and 3 months

EllenD · Jul 16, 2018

Okay, well until you get her to a vet and figure out what is going on with her, I would consider keeping her separate and not allowing her to mate anymore. If she has an infection or an illness of some kind, which she obviously does, the last thing you want is for her to start laying eggs. Just removing the nest-box can help tremendously to stop the hormonal behavior of both the male and female, but at this point, I would separate her from the male(s) until you get her medical help. If she happens to have any eggs that she needs to lay, she will lay them without a nest-box, don't worry about that (usually they'll lay them in the food dish or at the bottom of the cage), but she can't handle laying any eggs right now, that could stress her body enough while it's already fighting-off an illness to actually make her much, much worse...

EllenD · Jul 16, 2018

Just to verify something, you did say that she's been acting sick since she laid her last clutch of eggs, back in February, correct? I just want to make sure that she didn't just start acting like she is sick recently, since you just stated that "she's been mating a lot"...I want to make sure we're ruling-out the possibility that she's egg-bound; if she's been acting this way for months and this isn't a fairly new thing, then it's not egg-binding...just want to make sure...

Parrotlover497 · Jul 16, 2018

EllenD said:
Just to verify something, you did say that she's been acting sick since she laid her last clutch of eggs, back in February, correct? I just want to make sure that she didn't just start acting like she is sick recently, since you just stated that "she's been mating a lot"...I want to make sure we're ruling-out the possibility that she's egg-bound; if she's been acting this way for months and this isn't a fairly new thing, then it's not egg-binding...just want to make sure...

Yes she's been like this for a long time

Aratingettar · Jul 16, 2018

Try contacting these: British Animal Hospital | ?????? ?? ? ????? ???????
If this fails, try to contact your local Zoological garden. They probably will have a contact to an avian vet.

Parrotlover497 · Jul 18, 2018

EllenD said:
Okay, well until you get her to a vet and figure out what is going on with her, I would consider keeping her separate and not allowing her to mate anymore. If she has an infection or an illness of some kind, which she obviously does, the last thing you want is for her to start laying eggs. Just removing the nest-box can help tremendously to stop the hormonal behavior of both the male and female, but at this point, I would separate her from the male(s) until you get her medical help. If she happens to have any eggs that she needs to lay, she will lay them without a nest-box, don't worry about that (usually they'll lay them in the food dish or at the bottom of the cage), but she can't handle laying any eggs right now, that could stress her body enough while it's already fighting-off an illness to actually make her much, much worse...

I whent to the vet and it turned out that she has feather mites and a fungle infection and now she is under medication

itzjbean · Jul 18, 2018

Parrotlover497 said:
EllenD said:

Okay, well until you get her to a vet and figure out what is going on with her, I would consider keeping her separate and not allowing her to mate anymore. If she has an infection or an illness of some kind, which she obviously does, the last thing you want is for her to start laying eggs. Just removing the nest-box can help tremendously to stop the hormonal behavior of both the male and female, but at this point, I would separate her from the male(s) until you get her medical help. If she happens to have any eggs that she needs to lay, she will lay them without a nest-box, don't worry about that (usually they'll lay them in the food dish or at the bottom of the cage), but she can't handle laying any eggs right now, that could stress her body enough while it's already fighting-off an illness to actually make her much, much worse...

Click to expand...

I whent to the vet and it turned out that she has feather mites and a fungle infection and now she is under medication

Glad to hear an update, glad to see she is on medication now to help her recover.

My budgie is losing feathers around the eye and forehead

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Hi Everyone!

Bella the ecelectus

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