# Some basic budgie nails and weight gain questions



## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

Hello all!

Long time no see  Life has been busy. My boys are doing great. I just have some curiosities and am wondering if anyone has answers for me? Or good guesses?

I have two male budgies, Yuki and Momo, who live together in the same cage! They each have their own food bowls but they share / go back and forth between them. They get millet in very tiny amounts throughout the week during training sessions. Their diet I can go into more detail if you wish but they get a healthy mix of high-quality seed, veggies, whole grains, spices, etc. They get a heaping tablespoon a day total of food that they share. They have the ability to leave their cage and fly for about 8-9 hours a day and they make use of it, they are often flying around my room in bursts of energy and just hopping around in general so they get lots of great exercise!

So I'm wondering why it is that Momo weighs 38 grams and Yuki weighs 30 grams? They had way too much weight gain over the summer, so I cut back on their portions; Momo has lost no weight and Yuki lost 4 grams. Momo is the more dominant bird between them but Yuki is definitely more of a foodie, I see him eating more often than Momo, and I feel like he eats more than Momo overall. He definitely does not show signs of stress and he is able to eat peacefully, Momo doesn't attack him or prevent him from eating (he did in the beginning before I got them two separate bowls. Lol) so it's not like Yuki is starving or unable to eat. Does Momo just pack on more weight naturally??

Secondly, about their nails. Yuki's nails grow so much faster than Momo's!! They get way too long by the end of 3 months whereas Momo could go about twice that amount of time before he needs a trim. Every other time I bring them in to the vet for a trim (like today) the vet doesn't even cut Momo's nails because they're fine and Yuki's are super long. And they both have textured wooden perches in the cage, as well as those chunky ones that are smooth on top and grooved on the sides to file nails down naturally. They both sit on all the perches and are both super active. I wonder why Yuki's get so much longer?

If it's just genetics for both of these things that's fine, I just was curious if having these pretty noticeable differences between your birds is a common experience that other budgie owners have! I also wanted to say I think Momo molts more than Yuki. He gets a LOT of pin feathers and I feel like it happens way more often than it does with Yuki.

TL;DR — Momo is heavier than my other bird Yuki despite having the same amount of food and exercise, and his nails don't grow nearly as fast. Any ideas as to why?

Also here's a picture of them for your viewing pleasure. Momo is the blue one and Yuki is the white/gray one.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

8 grams is quite a big difference for budgies. He does look a little heavy in the photo, and additionally, since both are not English budgies then 38 is a bit on the heavy side. I know your boys are best of friends. It could be that Yuki is feeding Momo a lot and causing him to put on a little extra weight. I think genetics could also influence how they gain and store weight as well as the nail thing, too. Yuki's nails look alright in the photo, is this how they normally look? 

I'm glad to hear that they're, generally speaking, doing well


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

StarlingWings said:


> 8 grams is quite a big difference for budgies. He does look a little heavy in the photo, and additionally, since both are not English budgies then 38 is a bit on the heavy side. I know your boys are best of friends. It could be that Yuki is feeding Momo a lot and causing him to put on a little extra weight. I think genetics could also influence how they gain and store weight as well as the nail thing, too. Yuki's nails look alright in the photo, is this how they normally look?
> 
> I'm glad to hear that they're, generally speaking, doing well


Thanks for your input! The photo is from a few weeks ago so they're not too long, but right before getting them trimmed today they were quite long. Momo is very fluffed out in the photo, but he definitely is bigger than Yuki. Here are a few pics of him from yesterday and today with flat feathers--























Funny enough, I see Momo feeding Yuki allllll the time. Yuki feeding Momo is a little rarer to see, but I do see it happen sometimes!

I'll ask my vet in more detail when they have their annual, but I was curious about other's thoughts too. Momo is definitely on the heavy side. I just wondered how this happened! Thankfully he hasn't gained more weight since I adjusted their portions in August; he has remained at 38g since then.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Next vet visit I would ask to have the leg band removed, they have no function and should be removed.


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

Cody said:


> Next vet visit I would ask to have the leg band removed, they have no function and should be removed.


Oh, he got it removed at the vet visit yesterday, I just took those pictures before I went!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*What did the vet say about Momo's weight when you were there?*


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## Vixenfur (Nov 28, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *What did the vet say about Momo's weight when you were there?*


Nothing this time. At my vet, the nail trim is the only service they provide along with quickly weighing them, but I don't ever see the vet— only the nurse.Their annual checkup where everything will be discussed in detail is coming in March. I'll be sure to ask then!


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