# Does the droppings change during molting?



## Island (Feb 23, 2016)

Hi, Cloud is 4 months old now (may be lil over 4 months, dont know the exact age) and he is starting his first molt I think. I see some pin feathers coming on his head/neck and cheeks. His droppings are normal but sometimes I see some droppings are lighter green color. Could it be because I feed him different veggies/greens or could it be because of his molting started?


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

The slight changes on a budgie's droppings can certainly be directly affected by what they eat. It's also normal for moulting budgies to occasionally have a few watery poops and this can be linked to the stress caused by the moult.


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## Island (Feb 23, 2016)

Thank you very much for the response! Should I be offering him anything different when he is molting? Now he eats carrots/broccoli/leafy greens everyday and seed mix. I tried beans he eats them but not a big fan of it. I also give him hard boiled egg once a week. He has a cuttle bone in his cage and eats it when he needs it for calcium. Anything else you suggest needs to be done differently during molting? Btw he does not like taking a bath on his own, I heard baths can help during molting. I misted him once and he got mad at me for couple hours until his feathers got dry and he made sure he preened them back well in place. Watery leafy greens is another option, but he licks the water of the greens and eats it, does not really rub himself on the green.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Please take a look at these threads:

http://talkbudgies.com/your-budgies-health/35938-molting-faqs.html

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-general-budgie-info/104927-miserable-molting.html*


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## Island (Feb 23, 2016)

Thank you  As far as food goes, I supply daily seed mix/veggies as suggested in the link and hard boiled eggs once a week. One concern is the bath, as Cloud does not like to take baths nor he does not rub himself to wet greens and he got really mad at me when I misted him once. I am afraid giving him baths that frequently and he hates me for that. May be I could try less frequent once every two weeks? He also makes me scratch his neck/head all the time, my other concern is I see pin feathers now, so I avoid touching the pin feathers, cuz I don't want to accidentally hurt him.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Some budgies don't like to bathe, and that's okay. Forcing him to be misted or bathe won't help him feel better if he doesn't enjoy it, so I wouldn't even do that. 

You can scratch him lightly, that will help him with the itchy pin feathers. The pin feathers themselves aren't very delicate, it's the occasional blood feather that would be a problem, but those aren't even affected when you scratch him lightly. If he enjoys having his head and neck "preened" by you, that's just fine


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*You should never force your budgie to bathe.
You can offer shallow dishes of water and or leaves for him to roll on or rub against.
If he doesn't enjoy being misted it will add to the stress he's already feeling over his molt.

Star is correct about you gently rubbing or scratching Cloud's head. As long as you are gentle, it will feel good to him and will help relieve the itchiness of the pin-feathers on his head and neck.

You can increase the frequency you are giving Cloud egg food every 2 or 3 days during the time he is molting. The protein will help ensure his new feathers are nice and healthy.
You can also add a drop of flax seed oil to his seed or vegetable mix each day during his molt if you'd like.*


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## Island (Feb 23, 2016)

Great advice thanks a lot! Yeah Cloud makes me scratch his head and neck whenever he gets an opportunity lol  I feel like he is acting like a cat other than a budgie during head scratching sessions. Yes, I was also thinking giving him hard boiled eggs more often, since he needs more energy and protein. Thanks for letting me know, I thought pin feathers are very sensitive and I might hurt him when scathing his head.


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## Teddscau (Jun 27, 2012)

Well, I don't know about _never_ forcing your budgies to bathe. If Samantha had it her way, her feathers would never see a drop of water. If we're going to be completely honest, Samantha, Charlie, Rumi, Lara, and Pollo would be pretty grimy if it weren't for me spraying them against their will. They may not enjoy it, but sometimes you just have to do things. Children being vaccinated; dogs, cats, and bunnies being neutered; animals getting their nails clipped; income tax returns...

You could also add extra flax seeds to his diet while he's moulting, since they have oils in them that are good for skin and feathers (and fur).


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