# Is my budgie molting or sick?



## maryamb (Apr 20, 2019)

Hi everyone! 

I got two little budgies a few weeks ago and recently I've noticed that their feathers are coming off. They're about 3 months old so I'm assuming they're beginning their first molt. My female budgie (Mila) has had some pretty watery and discolored droppings for the past few days. I've kept their diet strictly on seeds for 2 days now hoping that it'll help her droppings form but I've had no success and as a first time budgie owner am starting to get worried. She's still very active and playing with her other budgie friend, is eating and drinking and sleeps throughout the night as well as takes naps during the day. Is this a normal molting symptom or should I take her to the vet?

Thanks in advance for your help!


----------



## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

Welcome to talk budgies:welcome:
Being new to your home, and also probably starting first molt can cause that but it really isn't something to guess at or let go as budgies can get dehydrated rather quickly. I would recommend getting an appointment to the closest "avian" veterinarian and getting a good wellness check on your new friend's. This will also get them established and on record in case there are any issues in future. There is a lot of really good info here in the sub forums that will benefit you as a new owner. Would love to see some pic's of your bird's when you get a chance...:001_smile:


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

Jonah has offered you excellent advice and I agree completely.

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.

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

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

Site Guidelines
Posting on the Forums
Please do not use Emojis from Phones - use Forum Smilies Only
Let's Talk Budgies
How-To Guides
FAQs Frequently Asked Questions
Budgie Articles
List of Stickies
Be Prepared for Veterinary Expense
Avian First Aid
Why Quarantine?

A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Guidance regarding Breeding Advice Threads

Recommended Minimum Cage Sizes
Essentials for a Great Cage
Resource Directory

When you upload pictures as attachments directly from your computer, tablet or phone, the forum automatically defaults to landscape. Additionally, the picture appears as what we term a "thumbnail" attachment.

To upload full-sized pictures with the proper orientation, please use a photo-sharing service such as Imgur and follow the steps in these instructions:
How to Post Full Size Pictures from a Photo Sharing Site
You can practice uploading pictures in the site's "Test Forum:
Test Forum

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!

You've been given great advice  

Let us know how your little one is doing soon, and we hope to meet both your budgies soon! hoto:

Meanwhile, please be sure to read trough the links provided above by FaeryBee to ensure you're up to date on the best of budge care practices! If you have have any questions after reading, please feel free to ask as we'd love to help. 

Cheers and best wishes! :wave:


----------



## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Hi! :welcome:

Good advice is mentioned in the posts above. It’s always a good idea to take a new budgie in to an avian vet for a new pet check up anyway. 

We have lots of good up to date information on all aspects of budgie keeping, so we ask that all new members please take a look at the Stickies near the top of each forum section. They also contain answers to many common questions. 

Looking forward to hearing more about your feathered friends .


----------

