# My budgie has no flight feathers



## Gasolina (Sep 19, 2021)

I got two budgies around 3 months ago. They were clipped when I bought them, but I want them to grow out their feathers. One of them grew their feathers out just fine, but the other one still doesn't have them. Yesterday I thought I saw him pull out a growing flight feather. My first thought was that he was stressed, but he's not pulling out any other feathers. Maybe his growing feathers hurt? Or they're not growing in properly so he's pulling them out? Maybe he is stressed and I'm doing something wrong? Please help


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

When a bird is growing new feathers they can feel very itchy, can you post a picture of the bird in question?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi, Welcome to Talk Budgies!

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*Has the budgie gone into a full molt yet?
Have you only seen it pull out the one growing flight feather or has it pulled out more?
What diet are you feeding your budgies?*
*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*
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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hello and welcome to the forums! 

Cody and FaeryBee have given you great advice. 

Meanwhile, you’ve come to a great place to learn even more about the best of budgie care practices! Please be sure to have a look around the forums’ many budgie articles and “stickies”, included above, to ensure you’re up to date on everything! If you have questions after doing so, please be sure to ask as we’d love to help. 

Please keep us posted! 

Cheers! 👋


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## Gasolina (Sep 19, 2021)

Cody said:


> When a bird is growing new feathers they can feel very itchy, can you post a picture of the bird in question?


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## Gasolina (Sep 19, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *Hi, Welcome to Talk Budgies!
> 
> The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being*
> *Avian Association of Veterinarians*
> ...


I think he's gone into a full molt, since he lost all of his clipped feathers and my floor was littered with feathers several times.
I've only seen him pull out one flight feather, but it's been a few months and he hasn't grown any full flight feathers. The other one has fully grown flight feathers though.
I give them Harrison's Bird Food pellets, veggies and fruits (lettuce, cucumber, clovers, etc.), and millet for a treat.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*How long has it been since the all of the flight feathers grew in on the one wing?
What size is the cage you have the two budgies in? Length, Width and Height
What are your budgies' names?

I recommend you remove the wooden dowel perches in the cage and replace them with natural wooden perches of varying diameters to help prevent pressure sores.
Pressure Sores
The information in this link will give examples of better options for perches:
Essentials for a Great Cage
*


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## Gasolina (Sep 19, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *How long has it been since the all of the flight feathers grew in on the one wing?
> What size is the cage you have the two budgies in? Length, Width and Height
> What are your budgies' names?
> 
> ...


Sorry, I meant my other budgie, not the other wing. He has no fully grown flight feathers in general.

The cage is about 2 and a half feet long, about 2 feet tall, and more than a foot deep (eyeballing it). I'm planning on getting a bigger cage soon, but I'm taking my time since buying it online means I can't really see what it's like in person.

My Budgie's names are Sam (Blue) and Saki (White). I know Sam is a male, but I'm not sure what gender Saki is.

There is only one wooden dowel perch, I have 3 other perches in the cage that I got from a plum tree outside (I boiled the branches before putting them in there). I don't have a stick long enough to go across the entire cage, which is why I keep the dowel perch in there, but I might remove it after reading those pages.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Safe Natural Wood for Budgies*

*Please remove the plum branches from your budgies' cage immediately.
They are are the list of UNSAFE WOODS for Budgies as you can see in the above link.

Which budgie is which?
We need full frontal pictures of the ceres taken in natural light (no flash and no direct sunlight) to advise you of their genders.

IF you have a mixed gender pair, you need to be doing everything necessary to prevent breeding.*
*A heartfelt plea to forum members new and old*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*
*
Rearranging their cage frequently will help tremendously. 
Please be sure you never put a nest box or anything that could be used as a nesting site in their cage.
Limit the light they get to 8 hours a day. 
When they come into condition, limit the amount of protein in their diet at that time.

I'm totally confused with regard to your question at this point. 
Have both budgies gone through a full molt?
If not, which budgie has gone through a full molt --the one with or without flight feathers?*


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## Gasolina (Sep 19, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *Safe Natural Wood for Budgies*
> 
> *Please remove the plum branches from your budgies' cage immediately.
> They are are the list of UNSAFE WOODS for Budgies as you can see in the above link.
> ...


I'll remove the plum branches asap.

Sam is the budgie who I saw pluck his flight feathers. Saki is the one with full flight feathers.

They are scared of my phone for some reason, so it'll be hard to take a picture of their ceres, but I'll try.

I'll limit they light they get, but I have to ask, why?

I'm pretty sure they've both been through a full molt, I've seen feathers coming off of both of them (normally, not through plucking).


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## Gasolina (Sep 19, 2021)

These are the best pictures I could get of them.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Saki is definitely a female. 

I actually can't see Sam's cere well enough to tell if it is a deep pinkish-purple or if it is a very light pink with white around the nares.
What do you see in "real-life"?
You seem certain that Sam is a male. How was that determined?

When you have a mixed gender pair, you want to ensure they do not breed. 
Limiting the light helps keep the budgie's from becoming hormonal and wanting to mate.
I would only limit the light to 8 hours when they are in condition
When they are not in condition, you can let them have 10-12 hours of daylight

Budgies should have a set bed-time and a set time to get up in the morning.
These are birds that love routine. 

I'm wondering if Sam's flight feathers were clipped too short and damaged.
Have you had the birds examined by an Avian Veterinarian?

Avian Association of Veterinarians

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma.
This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet.
When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment.
This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable.
The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.
If there are no Avian Vets near you, please find an Exotic Pet Veterinarian with experience in dealing with small birds.
Having your budgie examined by an Avian Vet allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet in case your bird needs care for an injury or illness in the future.
Additionally, it is always helpful for the vet to have a baseline for your bird to refer to should it need future treatment.*


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## Gasolina (Sep 19, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *Saki is definitely a female.
> 
> I actually can't see Sam's cere well enough to tell if it is a deep pinkish-purple or if it is a very light pink with white around the nares.
> What do you see in "real-life"?
> ...


Sam has a purple-pink cere. The light is making it look lighter. I learned that a purple or blue cere means the budgie is male, so I figured he was a male. Not only that, he has tried to "stand on" Saki once, but she flew away. I wasn't sure if Saki was female because I heard that males can try to breed with other males due to frustration.

I do have a set bedtime for them.

Sadly, we don't have an avian vet around my area. We do have a vet clinic around here though, and they've treated our chickens pretty well (we have little bantam chickens too). I'll try to get an appointment with the vet to examine both my budgies.

Thank you so much for your advice!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Sending you a Private Message.*


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