Budgie is tearing at his skin

[nwdavis1]

My young budgie started digging (scratching?) at his side 3 days ago. On the 2nd day I noticed that he had blood on his beak from digging at himself. Now he has removed all his feathers from an area about the size of a nickel and is still scratching at the skin. It looks terrible. His behavior is otherwise unchanged; he still eats and plays with his cage mate. The other budgie in the cage has shown no symptoms. I will not be able to get him to a vet until next week because I will have to wait for my paycheck (no credit either). Does anyone know what the cause of this is? Is it likely that he will make it until his vet visit? I am considering letting him out of his cage today so that I can tranfer him to an isolated cage. Thank you to anyone who has any info or tips.

[Ki-Ki101]

I can only say that you should maybe clean the wound out! I'm not much of an expert on those kind of things! Stay calm. Wait for someone who know more about this to answer. Sorry for the lack of tips!

[absolutangel]

It's not something I've heard of before in budgies. If I were you I'd trying phoning the vet, explaining what's going on and asking them if they think it's urgent and if so is there a chance you can pay a small amount on the day and the rest next week. Some are open to payment plans. For him to be doing that I'd hazard a guess at some sort of mite irritating the skin, hopefully someone else can give you a more educated suggestion.

[nwdavis1]

Thank you both for your quick replies. I wish I had a photo to upload so people could see what I am talking about but I do not have a digital camera.

[Rebeccaveggie]

I really dont know what to say. Im hoping for the best.

[Hopper]

If you have an extra cage handy Id seperate him from the others just in case.

[bugster23]

you have a feather plucker.. it is uncommon with budgies..but it does happen..
it can be for several reasons.. bordom.. attention seeking.. and the most likely.. ill health..

Toos for example.. actually to an extent get addicted to self mutilation.. because like us.. their bodies release chemicals that is meant to sooth the pain.. these chemicals can become addictive.. so the need to hurt themselfs becomes stronger..

you have to seperate your little guy from the rest of the flock.. keep him warm and try getting him a heating lamp.. an open wound could lead to an infection.. under no circumstances should you try to clean out the wound yourself.. you do not know the degree of damage your bird has really inflicted on itself.. and you could just make things worse..

keep the bird quiet by keeping the atmosphere around him quiet.. try giving him as much attention as you can.. and ask yourself a few questions.. it may help you slow him down till you can get him to a vet..

is he really a he?... female budgies tend to be more of pluckers from what iv read..
do you know his history.. was he plucked as a baby by the parents?..
since you have other budgies.. are you sure that he is the one doing the plucking and cutting and not some other budgie?..

what kind of diet do you have them on.. do they get enough calcium.. veggies.. enough sunlight?...

try adjusting his envoirment putting him somewhere new for distraction or carrying him around with you in his own cage or on your shoulder to keep him busy..

do what you can to keep him oocupied till you can get to an avain vet..

[Pippin's mom]

Very helpful post Bug!:D

[bugster23]

Very helpful post Bug!:D

thank you Julea :).. i just hope it helps

[nwdavis1]

I am not really sure that he is a he. There is only one other budgie in the cage with him and I know the other is not causing the damage. Both of them are extremely active and chirpy. I doubt he is seeking attention because he is quite bonded to his cage pal, in fact neither of them really want my attention. They are both fairly wild. I have been trying to teach them to step-up for 5 months now with little success. They will do it only when they want to. I have been unable to get them to eat pellets or veggies. I have put fresh veggies and pellets in their dishes every day since I got them but they won't touch the veggies and they throw the pellets on the floor. They will occasionally eat sprouts but only sometimes. They have some cuttle bone and a vitamin block that they both use. As for lighting they get 8 hours of light a day from a day-light balanced fluorescent lamp (my apartment never gets any direct sunlight). And as for carrying him around with me, I wish I could but like I said he does not like me much. If I let either of them out all they do is try to hide. If, and only if, they get tired of being out they will step up on my finger to allow me to pick them up. They will then fly back to their cage as soon as its in site.

[nwdavis1]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions but unfortunately he died this morning. He was alert and eating early this morning but when I returned from my class at noon he was gone. Judging by the amount of blood at the bottom of the cage I'd say he must have dug too deep. His cage mate seems pretty depressed now. I am gone most of the day so I'd like to get him another friend sometime. How long should I wait before trying to introduce a new bird to the cage?

[Robin's Nest]

NW, I am so sorry for your loss.:( If your bird had FDB (feather destructive behavior), it can be from a number of physical and/or psychological conditions. Very difficult to diagnose and treat since it is multi-dimensional.

From the standpoint of introducing a new bird, you will at least need to wait through the quarantine period (no less than 30 days) of the new bird having no contact with your existing bird(s) whatsoever. Thereafter you can introduce them slowly; there is no guarantee that any two birds will like one another even if the same species. But a slow careful introduction will up the odds.;)

Again, I am so sorry for your loss.

[absolutangel]

Oh no, I'm really sorry to hear of your loss. As Robin says you really ought to quarantine for a minimum of 30 days before introducing a new bird, then put them in the same room with cages next to each other for a few days with some supervised play time together. This will allow them to get used to each other and hopefully reduce the risk of conflict when you move them in together.

[pal0m1n0]

I am so sorry to hear about this. If you could have afforded it, it might have been very useful to find out what actually happened so that you can assess any danger to the other or a new bird.

[lorri]

I'm sorry to hear what had happened to your budgie and I wished I could've helped but I haven't been about. I could've looked up on goggle for you and see what I could've find on there.