# Feather plucking



## sheeta (Mar 26, 2018)

Hi guys 

I recently got two new budgies (I'm not sure about their gender) and they do everything together. However one of them is plucking the other's feathers! At first we thought our budgie was ill because it was losing so many feathers but then we saw it's feathers being plucked by the other budgie when they preen each other. 

Why does this happen and how can we stop this?


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## JRS (Sep 3, 2016)

Hi
They can lose a lot of feathers during a moult. 
If your bird is sitting still, allowing this to happen, tilting its head around to allow better access, then I suspect that this is simply occasional loose feathers falling during mutual preening.
Does your possibly plucked budgie have any bald patches? 
Are there any pin feathers coming through?
Can you post any photos or video clip?


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Hi Sheeta, Julia has asked some important questions above, to help us determine more accurately what might be going on. If they get along well and engage in mutual preening, I suspect that it is molting.


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## sheeta (Mar 26, 2018)

JRS said:


> Hi
> They can lose a lot of feathers during a moult.
> If your bird is sitting still, allowing this to happen, tilting its head around to allow better access, then I suspect that this is simply occasional loose feathers falling during mutual preening.
> Does your possibly plucked budgie have any bald patches?
> ...


Thank you for you reply.

Yes, she does allow it to happen. She has many pin feathers and a bald patch behind her head that is only visible when shes wet after a bath.

A few weeks back when we took her to the vet for the first time, a few of her loose feathers were on the floor including feathers from her wing and her long tail feathers. Thankfully her tail and wing feathers have grown back.

They're still afraid of me but I will try to post pictures/videos on here asap.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*From what you've written in answer to Julia's questions does sound as though your budgie is molting and the other budgie is preening her to get rid of the loose feathers.*


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## sheeta (Mar 26, 2018)

Thank you for your answers, I'm glad she's just molting. These are my new budgies  I'm assuming the green one is a female.. What about the yellow budgie?


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

You have two beautiful little girls! They're absolutely gorgeous


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Your girls are beautiful Sheeta! Thanks for sharing a pic of them.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Both of your budgie girls are beautiful! 
What have you named them?*


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## Therm (Aug 2, 2015)

Those girls are so cute. 

Seems like they have a great bond together as well.


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## sheeta (Mar 26, 2018)

Thank you!! Their names are Bubbles (yellow) and Buttercup (green) like the Powerpuff Girls 

Yes, they're really close. However, I noticed that the past few days they're fighting for food. Even if I put a few bowls of food, they still want to eat from the same bowl together(same goes to drinking water). They end up fighting and neither of them eat.. The only way to make them eat is if I separate them. These two start fighting even if one of them flies to a different perch but they always preen each other throughout the day. 

What should I do?  will a bigger cage solve this?

Sent from my vivo 1716 using Tapatalk


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## iHeartPieds (Jan 9, 2017)

sheeta said:


> Thank you!! Their names are Bubbles (yellow) and Buttercup (green) like the Powerpuff Girls
> 
> Yes, they're really close. However, I noticed that the past few days they're fighting for food. Even if I put a few bowls of food, they still want to eat from the same bowl together(same goes to drinking water). They end up fighting and neither of them eat.. The only way to make them eat is if I separate them. These two start fighting even if one of them flies to a different perch but they always preen each other throughout the day.
> 
> ...


How big is your current cage? And what do you mean by fighting?


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

If they are truly “fighting” and not just bickering, then Bubbles and Buttercup will need to be separated for their wellbeing, safety, and stress level. 

Do you have more than one food and water bowl? Especially food, there needs to be two bowls for the two girls. 

If they are really fighting (and again, not just having minor disagreements), I doubt a bigger cage will solve the issue (although the cage should be as large as at all possible anyway). New surroundings might help for a while, but there would be a chance they’ll settle back into the pattern of dominance and bullying once settled in a new cage. Some individuals just can’t get along once mature.

**Since they sit and preen each other; chances are they’re okay with each other. At any rate, try putting additional bowls in. Remind us how big your cage is?


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## sheeta (Mar 26, 2018)

iHeartPieds said:


> How big is your current cage? And what do you mean by fighting?


They start pecking each other because they want to do the same thing at the same time. For example, the want to eat from the same bowl, play with the same toy and sit on the same perch. We used to have a smaller cage but we recently got a bigger one. Since then they've stopped attacking each other as much as before


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## sheeta (Mar 26, 2018)

RavensGryf said:


> If they are truly "fighting" and not just bickering, then Bubbles and Buttercup will need to be separated for their wellbeing, safety, and stress level.
> 
> Do you have more than one food and water bowl? Especially food, there needs to be two bowls for the two girls.
> 
> ...


Thank you for telling me this 

They usually come out of their cage to eat and there's always two (sometimes three) bowls but they always eat together from the same bowl. I hope they get along better now..


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

I’m sure Bubbles and Buttercup were happy you got them a bigger cage . That’s good to hear that they have stopped bickering so much since they now have more space. 

It would be even better if you can add natural branch perches. If you can’t find a long one, at least one more short branch (similar to the one Bubbles is on) and maybe another swing and a couple more toys . Good job though, Sheeta!


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## sheeta (Mar 26, 2018)

RavensGryf said:


> I'm sure Bubbles and Buttercup were happy you got them a bigger cage . That's good to hear that they have stopped bickering so much since they now have more space.
> 
> It would be even better if you can add natural branch perches. If you can't find a long one, at least one more short branch (similar to the one Bubbles is on) and maybe another swing and a couple more toys . Good job though, Sheeta!


Thank you Julie  I try to give them all I can. Yes, I've already ordered some perches and toys for their new cage!!


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Sounds good :thumbsup:. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled with the new stuff. You’re a great budgie parent Sheeta .

On your other thread it sounds like Bubbles and Buttercup are not getting along? Your update here says they are...


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## sheeta (Mar 26, 2018)

RavensGryf said:


> Sounds good . I'm sure they'll be thrilled with the new stuff. You're a great budgie parent Sheeta .
> 
> On your other thread it sounds like Bubbles and Buttercup are not getting along? Your update here says they are...


If anyone deserves praise it's all of you on here who have helped me learn about budgies and how to care for them :')

Regarding bubbles and buttercup, the new cage helped them get along but the bickering hasn't completely stopped. However, since they have more space, then don't fight for food or perches anymore 

Sent from my vivo 1716 using Tapatalk


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Sounds good! As long as they’re not competing for resources; space, places to sit, food, water, toys, and they basically get along well, it sounds normal . A small amount of bickering will happen now and then.


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