# Wing feathers disorder



## Aleksandar (Nov 23, 2016)

I'm afraid and don't know what could this be. So Harley is trying to do something but it's even worse or it's good I don't know. He is about 3 years old, and he wasn't sick till now. He is in a new room but he was here before. I don't know maybe cage is too small or... I don't know what to say. See pictures below and please help if you know what it is.

And this little feathers are falling from his wings.


----------



## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Welcome to the forums!

Did the feathers grow that way or was this something that happened out of the blue? Only one side of the wing is affected, the other one looks good.
It's possible that your budgie has bent and damaged the wing feathers during a night fright accident or in another situation where Harley got his wing stuck something like a toy, for example.

Those little feathers you mentioned are actually the barbs of one of the wing feathers. Most likely your budgie is feeling discomfort from the dishevelled feathers when trying to preen them back to place and the barbs fall off in the process.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

You mentioned that perhaps Harley's cage is too small...
Could you please provide the dimension of the cage Length x Width x Height

If the cage is too small or Harley had a night fright, he may have damaged his feathers in that manner.

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-general-budgie-info/103899-explanations-night-frights.html

How long have the feathers looked like this?

Giving Harley the biggest cage possible is important.
The very minimum recommended size cage for one budgie would be 18"x18"x18". However, bigger is better as long as you ensure the spacing between the bars is no more than 1/2"

You'll also want to take a look at this link:
http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/31719-essentials-great-cage.html

Please take the time to read through all of the How To Guides, the FAQs and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

You'll find most of your basic questions about budgies and caring for them will have been answered after you've read through all of them.

Site Guidelines
How-To Guides
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Budgie Articles
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295001-list-stickies.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/333106-posting-forums.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/295033-prepared-veterinary-care-expense.html
Avian First Aid
Why Quarantine?

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-general-budgie-info/227841-50-common-budgie-dangers-watch-out.html

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding/327881-heartfelt-plea-forum-members-new-old.html

http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/24411-cage-sizes.html
http://talkbudgies.com/housing-budgies/31719-essentials-great-cage.html
http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/339826-resource-directory.html

When you upload pictures as thumbnail attachments directly from your computer, tablet or phone, the forum automatically defaults to landscape.

To upload full-sized pictures with the proper orientation, please use a photo-sharing service such as PhotoBucket and follow the steps in these instructions:
http://talkbudgies.com/how-guides/175818-how-post-pictures-photobucket.html

For gender and/or mutation help - Lighting and Angle DOES matter

By the way, all photos entered in any of our forum contests must be a full-size photo and not a thumbnail attachment so it's good to know how to upload them! 

If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask!

Glad you decided to join us and looking forward to seeing you around the forums.

:wave:*


----------



## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

FaeryBee and Aluz have given you some great advice. I'm sure that little Harley is just fine. His wing feathers look like those of our Dove, Tilda. She flaps around a lot and is quite clumsy, so her tail feathers are always disheveled even though she has space to fly properly. 

It seems from the photos that this is all that is; perhaps he caught his wing on something and broke his feathers getting free, or had a night fright, as detailed above. 

Please keep us posted on your little Harley's condition! 

Meanwhile, be sure to read through the links posted above by FaeryBee, as they will help you to stay updated on the very best of budgie care practices  

If you have any questions afterwards, please do ask as we'd love to help!

Cheers! :wave:


----------



## Aleksandar (Nov 23, 2016)

Okay, so I can't measure the cage, I'll make a photo tomorrow so you could see, but it is small it's not even close to 18"18"18". About the feathers, this is new I can say from this morning, he is playful and everything but he can't fly because of his feathers. I'll do my best to make him feel good and proud. Thanks a lot, you save my day.


----------



## mexicoandice (Sep 15, 2015)

If it's smaller than 18x18x18, then you need to start considering a new cage. Those measurements are the bare minimum, and bigger is always better.

Good luck with your budgie's feather problem.  The fact that he's not able to fly causes me to worry, but hopefully some more experienced members will come along with some advice in regards to that.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*


Aleksandar said:



Okay, so I can't measure the cage, I'll make a photo tomorrow so you could see, but it is small it's not even close to 18"18"18". About the feathers, this is new I can say from this morning, he is playful and everything but he can't fly because of his feathers. I'll do my best to make him feel good and proud. Thanks a lot, you save my day.

Click to expand...

As I mentioned earlier - it is important for Harley to have a bigger cage if the one you have does not meet at least the minimum recommended size requirements.

It does sound as if he damaged the feathers in the cage overnight - especially since the cage is too small.

The damaged feathers will come out in his next molt and be replaced with new feathers which will allow him to fly again at that time.

The cage linked below would be an appropriate size for one budgie:

Pawhut Cage Overall Dimension: 77L x 52W x 52H (cm)

*


----------

