# Darwin's feather loss



## Saphera (Aug 12, 2016)

Hey everybirdy!

I haven't made a thread in a while, but I have been paying attention to the forums, don't worry <3

I have a problem with my little girl, Darwin. The last month I've noticed that I can see her down (white fluffy) feathers around her crop. No outside feathers. At the time, she was molting, so I made a mental note of it and continued to watch her. I know she wasn't the healthiest budgie when I first rescued her. Dodgy breeder, dodgy clutch.

She hasn't molted correctly twice in a row now, I'm getting worried. The patch under her crop isn't getting bigger, but there are still no outside feathers, and the white fluff is not noticable when shes fluffed up.

Her behaviour is fine, I am worried that my male (her companion, Casper :cobalt is bullying her. I have noticed that he will pull on the feathers under her beak/crop area if she isn't responding to his flirty behaviour. She gets too stressed if I sperate them (different cages, different rooms), but is more comfortable with me handling her if the male isn't around. But sometimes I'm not sure if she is actually plucking the feathers out or not.
I'd say she's thin, but she always has been since I got her.

Both of my budgies have a good diet (or so i'd like to think). High quality seed mix, with seeded fruit mix, egg dust, grit, veggies (they LOVE kale) and little bits of fruit that they sometimes eat (their not keen on fruit, but again, love kale). Veggies are every other day, as I noticed they wouldn't pay attention to them if it was given daily.

She lost her primary flight feathers in the last molt and still hasn't got them back fully - unable to fly. So plucking because of non flight frustration? Being bullied by the male? Do i need to try and give her more vitamins? I really don't know. Other than this, she's still my happy budgie. Her poop is A* okay too.

Links to images attached. Hopefully they work. 

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http://instagr.am/p/BO5bkj2gUDu/


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http://instagr.am/p/BL9ARdeBOHO/


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http://instagr.am/p/BOpAp30AzED/


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Welcome back to the forums. 

It's important that you carefully observe how your budgies interact in order to then make a decision. If your male is truly trying to pluck and even sucessfully plucks any feathers off your Darwing, then this calls for immediate separation because that is aggression.
If you have to house your budgies separately, in time they will both adjust to the change. You can help them out by giving them extra support during that time.

The fact that the flight feathers aren't coming back is also a matter of concern and given your Darwin's current feather condition, it would be best to have her examined by an avian vet specialist and tested to see if she is a French moult carrier.

About the grit, it's simply best to replace it for a cuttlebone/calcium block and a mineral block.
You can check this link for the detailed info: http://talkbudgies.com/articles-diet-nutrition/103925-truth-about-grit.html


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## Saphera (Aug 12, 2016)

Thank you for the reply!

Darwin's other feathers are in good condition, and her primary feathers are coming back through! Just very slowly, I can see them peeking when she is resting and perching. If her feathers continue to drop even after I've permanently separated them, I'll rush her to a vet.

Thanks for the advice on the grit. They do have a cuttlebone, the grit i did give them was just a small pinch on top of the seed on occasion. <3


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