# pellet diet or moulting?



## sheli (Dec 19, 2016)

I brought my new Budgie Mr Hyunh home early November. He is about 5 months old now. Since he came home, I switched him and his mate Phoebe to a pellet diet. Both are doing well eating it. They both get nutri berries or millet spray when they come out and hang with me in the evening. I still havent been able to get either interested in fruits veggies or egg but I am still offering each morning. I noticed he was getting his pin feathers on top of his head and he seemed more fluffed shortly after he got home, so I figured he was going through his first moult. Now 4 weeks later, he still is fluffed and not a happy little guy. He is not loosing any feathers and all the pin feathers are gone. He is eating , and clean, poops normal, no weight change. He is sleeping a bit more during the day too, not chirpy like Phoebe. Neither play or explore, just sit or eat, but I see phoebe is cooncerned for him and will groom and sit with him. I noticed in the last week when he is eating his pellets, he seems to have trouble almost as I would describe as a human eating peanut butter, He does fine with his berries or millet though. Although, I do notice he will not eat only the millet and a tiny other seed in the berry, won't eat the oats. Could it be just his preference for the millet? Or still having moulting issues? or Pellets are not for every birdie?

I have added vitamins to their water just since this morning, have additional heat for him incase his feathers are just a bit thinner right now, and he is in a quiet room. I do turn on an avian light every day for about 20-30 minutes too.

Any thoughts or advise is welcomed because I am not sure what more I can do other than switch back to the berries as his main diet but I dont really wanna go that route.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

If a bird is fluffed, other than when sleeping during normal hours, something is wrong, it is not normal for a bird to be fluffed up and sleepy. How did you do the transition to pellets, and what were the birds eating previous to the conversion. What brand of pellets are you using? When you say he is not a happy guy, what is he doing or not doing to make you say that? Can you post a picture of him?


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## sheli (Dec 19, 2016)

I can try to get a photo of him tomorrow. Yes, I know the fluffing is not good, that's why I am trying to figure out what the problem could be. It is Lafaber's pellets, I transitioned by adding the nutriberries smashed up along with pellet berries and they both took to it well. They were eating Kaytee seed mix at the breeder. As far as not being happy, my Phoebe sings and is alert ( she is more scared than he ) He just sits on his perches or is at the food dish eating in his peanut butter kind of way. He will come out of the cage easier than her though, has since day 1. both know up and are not afraid of hands. He knows when I get him out of cage he gets his treats and is quite calm except when he franically eats.


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## sheli (Dec 19, 2016)

Here are a couple of photos right after I woke them. 💤. Oops. Mr. Hyunh is of course the fluffed blue one


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## sheli (Dec 19, 2016)

Anyone? I was just observing him again. Quiet, fluffy sleepy. Phoebe was grooming his little noggin. And then he went to the food dish- He acts as though he is starving , wanted out of cage for his treats but I offered the slice of egg that I put in earlier. He avoided it ( scared until he tasted it and then went to town with it as if he is starving yet he is eating his pellets. I really am at a loss. I still question moulting related vs pellet diet but wants his treats. But he is eating well. Eats more than Phoebe


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

He looks uncomfortable to me, do you have a picture of his droppings you can post? Are your certain that he is actually eating and not just picking around at the food?


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## sheli (Dec 19, 2016)

He is eating the pellets. He does throw some out of the cage but I sit here and watch him eat and in the photo you can see he has some stuck to the side of his beak. Stools normal (excuse the threads. This was on my crafting table). I can still see some of the pins when I look very closely so I am chalking it up to still moult and a spoiled boy


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

He is so adorable sitting on your finger, love the throat spots. If you are concerned about his eating you could weight him on a gram scale just to make sure he is maintaining his weight or not gaining too much.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Mr Hyunh is a real cutie.
Moulting can take a lot of energy which could well be why he's been fluffed and less active.
Please give us another update on his condition in a few days.*


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## sheli (Dec 19, 2016)

*Mr Hyunh*

Mr. Hyunh is a teen that would rather eat bags and bags of doritos instead of a healthy meal. I figured him out! He is doing fine. He is still a tiny bit fluffed but yesterday wa the first in joined Phoebe in singing! I started mixing his pellets with boiled egg and a couple of smashed pellet berries. THe dish was almost empty by evening so he is taking to the change from millet based seeds to this. I hope to eventually wean him from the seeds totally except for a treat when he comes to join me at my craft table. I still wander if he is coming out of a moult too as I never found an abundance of feathers but saw his pin feathers on head (now gone)and about 5-6 downy belly feathers- probably a combination of new diet, new home and being a teen. Now Phoebe's turn :001_tongue:


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Glad to hear you've determined the problem and found a solution! 
This little creatures certainly keep us on our toes. *


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