# Does he have french moult?



## emma_llew (May 5, 2010)

This is Skedaddle. He was in beautiful condition before his first moult, but since then he's looked like this. He can't grow his wing feathers. I also noticed he has a striking black pattern under his tail, but he doesn't have any black elsewhere. Is this a specific mutation?


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

The black colour on his "fan" tail feathers is perfectly normal, he is a pied budgie so the markings considered normal may not be present, but those black markings on the tail are present on budgies of normal colour mutations too.

Did your budgie have his wing feathers clipped? How long did he moulted out the primary flight feathers?

It can take 3 - 4 weeks on average to fully grow them back. I notice he still has the big tail feathers and that is a good sign. 
His feather condition doesn't look the best at the moment, and this is very likely due to the current moult. Be sure to supplement his diet with food rich in protein. Give him plenty of egg food and mix some flax seed into it too. This will help in promoting good and improved feather growth.

If he has gone through multiple moults already and the flight feathers have never grown back and the feather condition has deteriorated despite a good diet, then he can have French moult.

To have an accurate diagnosis you will have to take Skedaddle to an avian vet in order to be properly examined. If it's confirmed the French moult diagnosis, then the vet will work with you on a special diet plan for your budgie, and this will depend on the type and level of severity of the French moult.

Good luck with everything!


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## emma_llew (May 5, 2010)

Hi, thank you so much for your reply. I rescued him from a bird charity. They help sick and injured wild birds and occasionally take in lost pet birds. Skedaddle was a found budgie who was never claimed, so I rehomed him. He escaped from wherever he lived and managed to fly near a main road and into the window of a motor showroom! He must have been only 8 weeks or so when I got him and that was in March. He went through his first moult and has been like this since. Yes, his tail feather is very much intact, so I'm glad of that. It seems his wings are the worst. He has an amazing diet with fresh veg & fruit, egg food and a wide variety of seeds. I've been cleaning his feathers by hand with luke warm water to help any discomfort. He seemed very miserable until he paired off with one of my hens and now he's very happy. 
Unfortunately, there are no avian vets in the area I live in. It would be a long, stressful journey for him to visit one. The nearby vets do see my birds in emergencies to give medication, but they stress that there are no avian specialists for me to see. 
Thank you for letting me know about his markings, too. I think they're beautiful. Here is a pic of him and his mate.


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## CaptainHowdy (Feb 9, 2010)

emma_llew said:


> Hi, thank you so much for your reply. I rescued him from a bird charity. They help sick and injured wild birds and occasionally take in lost pet birds. Skedaddle was a found budgie who was never claimed, so I rehomed him. He escaped from wherever he lived and managed to fly near a main road and into the window of a motor showroom! He must have been only 8 weeks or so when I got him and that was in March. He went through his first moult and has been like this since. Yes, his tail feather is very much intact, so I'm glad of that. It seems his wings are the worst. He has an amazing diet with fresh veg & fruit, egg food and a wide variety of seeds. I've been cleaning his feathers by hand with luke warm water to help any discomfort. He seemed very miserable until he paired off with one of my hens and now he's very happy.
> Unfortunately, there are no avian vets in the area I live in. It would be a long, stressful journey for him to visit one. The nearby vets do see my birds in emergencies to give medication, but they stress that there are no avian specialists for me to see.
> Thank you for letting me know about his markings, too. I think they're beautiful. Here is a pic of him and his mate.


It is highly unlikely he was only 8 weeks when you got him. This the age they become independant from their parents.

How long have you had him now in total? Does he bathe in a dish on his own? Cleaning him by hand could be causing some issues with the feathering.
Can you take pictures of his wings held out gently from top and bottom so we can see what feathers are missing and if there is any growth.


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## emma_llew (May 5, 2010)

I've only just started cleaning him by hand. I used to do it with another budgie of mine who had French moult and it helped the growth a lot. He looks a lot more comfortable after I help him. 
He does have a large water dish that he can fit his whole body in and I also have a large bird bath that I attach to the cage, but he's never had a dunk in either, that I've seen. I will take photos later when I'm able to.

Also I've had him for 9 months now.


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## emma_llew (May 5, 2010)

Sorry for taking so long to write here. I'm looking after a baby budgie. I will get photos of skedaddle as soon as I can. He is looking a lot better at the moment. Some of his feathers have managed to stay and he's looking a little fuller. I do think it's french moult, though. 
I put extra flax seeds in one of those tube containers to see if he eats them, but he's not bothered. So I don't think he eats them in his mixed seeds. None of my other budgies bother with them, either.


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## emma_llew (May 5, 2010)

Okay, here we go! I finally got my good camera out to take some pics. I should have taken some of his back also, because he looks sore there and under his wings. He has improved a little bit from when I posted this, but here are his wings stretched out for you to see the growth. ALL help is appreciated. Thank you.


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## emma_llew (May 5, 2010)

He has the widest range of seeds imaginable. I buy from a website. He also has egg food every day and fresh leaves and veg. I also use avigold in the water. I don't know how much that helps, but the condition of my 16 year old cockatiel has changed a lot since adding it to the water.


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