# Balding Budgie- Multiple Treatments attempted



## aiya (Mar 20, 2018)

Hello everyone,

I am hoping someone here can offer some advice or help regarding an ongoing issue with my poor English budgie, Pip. He is almost 3 years old now and this issue started last year.

Since June 2019 we have been struggling with feather loss. I have taken him to the vet multiple times and we have tried antibiotics, anti-inflammatories (twice) and antihistamines (to rule out behavioural issues) and ivermectin for parasites (though there were none under the microscope). I just finished the second round of antibiotics/anti-inflammatories and he does have some feather growth coming back. The next stem would be more extensive testing of the feather follicles and a blood test.

He seems very irritated and "screams" while preening and when he is trying to rest, he will suddenly start "screaming" at his feathers as if something is biting him. He will look around his body and bite at his feathers but he does not pluck them from my observations. The feathers seem to just fall out and they seem to stay in pin feather form for a long time. Some are even curled a bit. There is always a pile of feathers at the bottom of his cage as if he is constantly moulting.

This most recent round of antibiotics seems to have been working and he wasn't screaming at himself and he looked more comfortable. That is until I let him have a bath. After that, he has been irritated again though some of the pinfeathers released and formed into normal feathers. Could he be allergic to water? Something in the water? I give my birds RO water to drink but regular tap water to bathe in. I will call my vet to discuss this as well.

Below are the images of his feather loss progression.


























After this image he was the most bald, his legs, chest, bum and neck. I didn't get pictures








This is after the most recent antibiotic round.










I know rope perches are bad but he falls off most perches very easily and can't catch himself. He doesn't chew it and it offers him some grip. He injured his leg 2 years ago and doesn't have full gripping strength in it. He has many other natural perches in his cage like a cork platform and branches.


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## PoukieBear (Sep 27, 2013)

Awww, poor little guy.

Has the vet tested for French moult?


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## aiya (Mar 20, 2018)

No, we haven't tested for it but he was a perfectly "normal" budgie when I got him. He had all his flight and tail feathers and he could fly okay. This didn't start until he was almost 2 years old. 

I believe he was born somewhere around Dec 2017 and this didn't start until June 2019. From what I have read, a budgie is usually born with French Moult and they lose their flight and tail feathers fairly quickly so that's why his case seems so strange. 

I have another budgie as well and he is fine, so I don't believe whatever Pip has is contagious.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Has PBFD, Psittacine beak and feather disease, been ruled out?


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## CaptainHowdy (Feb 9, 2010)

Please do blood work to check for pbfd, psittacosis and polyoma to start with.


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## Budget baby (Jan 1, 2013)

*Bald Budgie*

So sorry your boy is going through this, does he display any other symptoms?
Loss of appetite,change in his poop,you said he had a fall and can't grip very well.Was that spoke about with his vet?
He may be better off in a cage with platforms and ramps rather than perches.Please let us know what the vet says.


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## aiya (Mar 20, 2018)

I did take him to the vet when he injured his leg. I had x-rays done and there was no break, just some "trauma" to the joint area. He has healed from that aside from the slightly weakened grip in that leg. I have plenty of platforms for him and thinner perches, along with the rope perche so he can get a better grip. He is a bit of a "spazzy" budgie and gets himself into trouble, so he often takes a tumble when he plays too hard lol. 

I think the next step is getting bloodwork done, we just wanted to try other possible meds before that to rule out any other issues. No loss of appetite or change in poop and he is as feisty as ever, quite the chatterbox. 

When he was on this last round of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories he stopped biting at himself and he rarely did his irritated scream so I hope we are on to something and it isn't PBFD.


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## AprilW (Apr 2, 2017)

*Rope perches are bad?*



aiya said:


> I know rope perches are bad ...


Wondering what is wrong with rope perches. I read on this website that we should have different size wood perches. I use branches. But I also have 2 rope perches which they seem to prefer. Should I be concerned?

Thanks,
April

NVR MIND, I found the link [nomedia="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlI-hf-SGN8"]Budgie Health Tips from Doctor Ross Perry's Budgie Book Synthetic Rope Perches and Toys Hazard - YouTube[/nomedia] & watching it now.

& https://www.talkbudgies.com/your-budgies-health/288546-dangers-rope-perches-tasseled-toys.html


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## aiya (Mar 20, 2018)

I have the choice of 2 blood tests for Pip. One for polyoma/beak and feather disease and the other test will be viral testing. I cannot afford both so I have to choose.

I really don't think he has beak and feather disease because my other birds would have contracted it as well by this point. I think viral testing may be the way to go but please let me know your opinions for which testing to do.


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