# Feather Loss Above Cere + Tail Bobbing



## Isabella dJ (May 30, 2021)

Hello! Hope you’re well! I have a 6-month-old budgie, Peetrie. His gender is unknown but we suspect he’s a male. He’s apart of a flock of seven; three other budgies, and three cockatiels. They do pick on him from time to time but I haven’t seen them done actual harm to him. We’ve raised him since he was 17 days old. He’s always been a momma’s boy but lately he’s been aggressive, biting us or peeping aggressively whenever another bird or us comes near. But I think it’s hormones, not going to lie. This isn’t my actual problem, though. He’s constantly bobbing his tail. I know people say that that’s a sign of breathing issues, but it’s sort of always been like that. I’d take him to a vet, but the ones here aren’t my choice of preference. They’ve told me he looks good a couple of months ago, when it was also like that. Peetrie is also a slow flier. You can sort of hear his wings clap whereas with the other budgies it’s just sort of a buzz. He doesn’t fly as high, often or as quick as them. And he’s breathing a bit more quickly than the others. I am a bit worried but I’d think he’d be very sick now if it was very serious. I’ve tried looking for help online but so far I haven’t had luck. Peetrie eats, drinks, flies occasionally and runs around. He’s anti-social, so he mostly hangs out alone. He’s only puffed up when he’s relaxing or sleeping. His beak grinds often, which I know is good. Another thing that scares me is that over the last...two(?) days I’ve noticed that he’s missing a few feathers above his cere. It might be the other birds but I really don’t think so. He has a few pin feathers on that area so it might just be that. Please don’t think I’m trying to use this forum as a substitute for a vet. It’s Judy the vets here in my area aren’t really avian specialists, and don’t do much. Unfortunately, I learned that the hard way. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Can you post a picture of him, where are you located?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi, Welcome to Talk Budgies!

I agree with Cody - having a picture of the area above the cere and a video of the tail bobbing would be helpful.

This video shows pronounced Tail Bobbing:
Tail Bobbing Indicating Illness

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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.*

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## Isabella dJ (May 30, 2021)

Thank you all so much for your responses. I will surely read through the stickies. Here’s a photo of Peetrie. Please keep in mind that this photo was taken right before bed time. If one in daylight is needed, please let me know! Thank you so much!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Peetrie is a girl, I do not see anything above the cere that looks abnormal. She does look to be a bit heavy which could be the reason for the difficulty in flying and the labored breathing. Do you have a gram scale that you could use to weigh her? What is her main diet?


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## Isabella dJ (May 30, 2021)

Cody said:


> Peetrie is a girl, I do not see anything above the cere that looks abnormal. She does look to be a bit heavy which could be the reason for the difficulty in flying and the labored breathing. Do you have a gram scale that you could use to weigh her? What is her main diet?


Wow! A girl? That’s so cool? How can you tell? I just know the basic ‘blue is male, pink/brown is female’ cere thing. But I know for some mutations it can differ. Peetrie is a bit lazy so that might be the reason he..._she_ seems overweight. But it might also just be because its nighttime and she‘s getting ready for bed. Unfortunately we don’t have a scale, they omly Have basic pet shops here where I live and they don’t sell miniature scales, only regulars. But I’m planning on getting one for birds online, along with a lot of other bird things. Her main diet is seeds at the moment. I know that’s bad. She being converted from seeds to chop. She has unfort been weaned onto seeds but right now she’s being converted to chop. She gets fresh broccoli daily, along with some other veggies and occasional fruit. Peetrie is actually probably the healthiest eater out of the bunch. She eats the most of the daily broccoli they get. Maybe it’s just because she eats a lot. I’ll also try to get her on some quality pellets, like, TOP’s. They don’t sell that here, and they don’t ship the pellets outside of the USA. So I’ll have to get a good brand elsewhere. But my main focus is veggies. They also get a lot of sprouted seeds, which I think is good. Thanks for letting me know!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

The cere of a female can be anywhere from a very pale blue to a tan to a darker brown when they are in breeding condition. A young male will have deep pink cere sometimes with a purple cast to it that will change in most mutations to a deep blue as they mature, in some mutations they will keep the pink cere their entire life. You do not need to buy a special scale, gram scales are usually sold as kitchen scales for weighing food, that would be fine. Please take a look at this regarding seed and other articles on the forum about diet. Quality Seed Mix


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Peetrie is a pretty little girl that does look a bit overweight as Cody indicated.*

*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*

*Quality Seed Mix*

*CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses*

*Obesity/Hepatic Lipidosis/Fatty Liver Disease*


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## Isabella dJ (May 30, 2021)

Thank you so much for all your helpful responses! I’ll definitely look at your links. And I’m looking at buying a gram scale, thank you! I am trying recall training with Peetrie but she’s not at all motivated. In fact, she bites me whenever I come near. It wasn’t always like this. She used to love having me near her. One of the male budgies is a bit aggressive and Peetrie absolutely hates him. She gets very anxious if he comes near. In most cases, she would try to find me and come sit on my shoulder where I could protect her, if I can say that. But now it’s not like that anymore. Please confirm if this is right, but I think it’s hormones. It’s only been like this for a couple of weeks.
I’m also looking to buy an aviator harness and after some harness training, hopefully Peetrie becomes more fit, once we go out. I’ll attach some photos of her. It’s daytime now, so you can see her better. Thank you for all your help! It’s much appreciated.

P.S. I’m not worried about the feather loss above her cere now. There are some pin feathers coming out and she doesn’t look as bold in that spot anymore, so I suspect its moulting.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Hormones can definitely cause a change in behavior but if you see her being bullied by another bird you have to step in and separate them . We do not condone the use of harnesses or flight suits for budgies, please read this Say NO to Harnesses and/or Flight Suits


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Never ever use an avian harness on a budgie.
Additionally, budgies should never be outdoors unless they are securely locked in a cage and under supervision the entire time.*


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## Isabella dJ (May 30, 2021)

Cody said:


> Hormones can definitely cause a change in behavior but if you see her being bullied by another bird you have to step in and separate them . We do not condone the use of harnesses or flight suits for budgies, please read this Say NO to Harnesses and/or Flight Suits


Thanks! I do separate them now. They sleep in separate cages, too. They’re out the entire day but at night, Peetrie sleeps with this cockatiel she adores. She’s her age, too. They grew up together, and I think Peetrie thinks she’s a cockatiel😂😂I’ll read that about the harnesses. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know that they shouldn’t be used on budgies. According to the research I did, harnesse work on budgies if the budgie is comfortable with it. But i appreciate you telling me that I shouldn’t use it. I’ll definitely look up on that. Thanks!



FaeryBee said:


> *Never ever use an avian harness on a budgie.
> Additionally, budgies should never be outdoors unless they are securely locked in a cage and under supervision the entire time.*


Thank you! Like I told Cody, I honestly thought that if you have the correct size and good quality harness, and the budgie feels comfortable with it, then you’re okay. But I’ll for sure read up on that. Thank you!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Budgies are much too small and their bones are too fragile. 
Companies who sponsor products often provide misinformation with regard to the "safety" of the products they sell for budgies.
For your budgies' sake, you need to find a way to help her get more exercise indoors.*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and welcome to the forums!

Peatrie is so cute! What a sweet looking girl  

You've been given great advice above by FaeryBee and I completely agree with her.

You've come to a great place to learn even more about the best of budgie care practices, so please be sure to read through all the links provided above, which include the forums' many articles and "stickies" (threads "stuck" to the top of each subforum for easy reference) to ensure you're up to date on everything! 

If you have any questions after doing so, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help. 

Please keep us posted on how things are going!

Best wishes 👋


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