Sick or Wing clipped Budgie

April83

New member
Jul 21, 2022
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Hi my first post here and a very new owner of a Budgie. I bought a budgie yesterday and I am not sure if I was sold a sick budgie or a budgie that has their wings clipped. They seem very short and his tail also seems cut/damaged. I am trying to attach photos to this post for any help.
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Birdgirl24

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Dec 2, 2021
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I have 1 budgie, He is a male both. I have been looking into getting an Eclectus Parrot tho.
To be honest i wouldent worry to much about the tail it'll fall out eventually and grow back when i got my feathered babies they had some damaged tail feathers and they fell out and grew back in all nice and strait. And the pictures are a bit blurry but from what i can tell it looks like a botched clip job again with some time those cut flight feathers should molt out and grow back in. Also i noticed it kinda looks like u dont have many perches or toys in that cage maybe get some nice natural wooden perches and some shreadable small bird toys like a foraging mat maybe a segrass swing and some bird kabobs? Anyhow i hope this helps good look with ur little feather ball of cuteness šŸ’™ also side note something i forgot to mention when there clipped they have a tendancy to be a little bit more clumbsy so if u were to let him out for some free time id just keep a very close eye on him but other then that he looks amazing!
 
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April83

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Jul 21, 2022
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To be honest i wouldent worry to much about the tail it'll fall out eventually and grow back when i got my feathered babies they had some damaged tail feathers and they fell out and grew back in all nice and strait. And the pictures are a bit blurry but from what i can tell it looks like a botched clip job again with some time those cut flight feathers should molt out and grow back in. Also i noticed it kinda looks like u dont have many perches or toys in that cage maybe get some nice natural wooden perches and some shreadable small bird toys like a foraging mat maybe a segrass swing and some bird kabobs? Anyhow i hope this helps good look with ur little feather ball of cuteness šŸ’™ also side note something i forgot to mention when there clipped they have a tendancy to be a little bit more clumbsy so if u were to let him out for some free time id just keep a very close eye on him but other then that he looks amazing!
Thank you for your reply and it has made me feel a whole lot better. I started googling about his tail and feathers and thought the worst. The pictures are blurry as I zoomed in to take them, I don't want to frighten him getting close as he is hardly moving or chirping at all today. I think he is traumatised. Do you know when the feathers will grow back? The person told me he was about 5 months old. Thanks for the advice on the cage I will get onto that tomorrow.
 

Birdgirl24

Well-known member
Dec 2, 2021
1,756
1,154
North Dakota
Parrots
I have 1 budgie, He is a male both. I have been looking into getting an Eclectus Parrot tho.
Thank you for your reply and it has made me feel a whole lot better. I started googling about his tail and feathers and thought the worst. The pictures are blurry as I zoomed in to take them, I don't want to frighten him getting close as he is hardly moving or chirping at all today. I think he is traumatised. Do you know when the feathers will grow back? The person told me he was about 5 months old. Thanks for the advice on the cage I will get onto that tomorrow.
might be traumatised for a few days yet and may not talk but thats normal for bringing home a new bird. Personally my birds molt about twice a year? so it also depends on when he was clipped too i suppose? so he should get the majority of his flight feathers back 6-12 months after he was clipped again dont quote me on that ive had 3 clipped budgies so far and this is from my personally experience on letting there wings grow back out but im sure there are a hand full of more people here who could give u much better advice
 

fiddlejen

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Mar 28, 2019
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Sunny the Sun Conure (sept '18, gotcha 3/'19). Mr Jefferson Budgie & Mrs Calliope Budgie (albino) (nov'18 & jan'19). Summer 2021 Baby Budgies: Riker (Green); Patchouli, Keye, & Tiny (blue greywings).
Wings are clipped. Will grow out... pretty quickly, actually. I currently have two budgies with tail feathers like that, from their general movements around. Budgies moult relatively often (compared to the larger birds), and will regrow some nice straight tailfeathers after awhile.
 

HeatherG

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Apr 25, 2020
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Young birds often have ragged looking tails because they are learning to walk and fly and the tail gets dragged through things, bent, landed on, etc. some people call it ā€œBaby Tailā€ and itā€™s nothing to worry about.

And yes it looks like his wings were clipped and maybe a couple long feathers have grown back. But thatā€™s why your bird has funny short little clappers instead of long full wings.

Baby birds are fun! Everything is new and adorable. And naughty behaviors arenā€™t reinforced yet so you have a clean slate to work from.

What is budgieā€™s name?
 
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April83

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Jul 21, 2022
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Young birds often have ragged looking tails because they are learning to walk and fly and the tail gets dragged through things, bent, landed on, etc. some people call it ā€œBaby Tailā€ and itā€™s nothing to worry about.

And yes it looks like his wings were clipped and maybe a couple long feathers have grown back. But thatā€™s why your bird has funny short little clappers instead of long full wings.

Baby birds are fun! Everything is new and adorable. And naughty behaviors arenā€™t reinforced yet so you have a clean slate to work from.

What is budgieā€™s name?
Thank you for your reply. I will give him time to settle in before I go near him. The kids are still trying to come to an agreement on his name šŸ˜‚
 
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April83

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Jul 21, 2022
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Wings are clipped. Will grow out... pretty quickly, actually. I currently have two budgies with tail feathers like that, from their general movements around. Budgies moult relatively often (compared to the larger birds), and will regrow some nice straight tailfeathers after awhile.
Thank you for your reply
 

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