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Moulting is part of the budgie’s yearly cycle, and involves the gradual replacement of all the feathers. The process is gradual, to ensure that the bird is still able to fly and keep warm as it moults. A budgie should never have bald patches during this time – if it does, it may be a sign of disease or stress. The new feathers first appear as white, sharp stubs known as pin-feathers. These give the budgie’s head an odd, spiky appearance.
No feather is safe from the moult – the large ones will collect at the bottom of the cage, and many of the smaller, downy feathers will drift across your furniture and floor, so light and insubstantial that they are almost impossible to sweep up. A wet cloth helps, but a vacuum cleaner is the best way of removing them, as long as your birds don’t fly into a panic whenever they see and hear it. If you’ve been cleaning the house regularly, they should be used to the vacuum cleaner by the time you unleash it on the escaped feathers. If you don’t clean the house regularly, you’re allowed a moment’s embarrassment before resorting to the wet cloth.
Like all birds, budgies have an annual moult
The moult should take two to three weeks to complete. With primary and tail feathers dropping out, a budgie might not feel confident flying, so don’t worry if he seems a bit perch-bound. A bird that’s used to flying around your living room might opt for a quiet night in; and, again, this is normal. He may also take on a ‘spiky’ look, as the new pin feathers thrust through the depleted head and neck feathers.
You can assist the process by making sure the food is always topped up, with a mineral block available at all times. Sprouted grains and fresh veg are good moulting foods, providing the good stuff a budgie needs for strong feather growth.
Budgie Moult Problems
Sometimes the moulting process stalls, usually due to malnutrition or stress. The head and neck region will look threadbare, and some new pin feathers will have black or brown tips. Any abnormal feather growth or feather loss should be referred to a vet, who will diagnose the problem and recommend an action to get your budgie moulting healthily again.
There is also a condition known as French moult, in which feathers drop out and don’t grow back - see the Budgie Feathers French Moult section, below.
Budgie Behaviour When Moulting
Inexperienced budgie keepers often worry when their birds' first moult, as their personalities seem to change and their energy is at low ebb. Moulting causes them no physical discomfort, but tends to make them more passive than usual. Moulting birds will often sit for long periods without saying or doing much. Older birds take the opportunity to grab some extra hours’ sleep. Sometimes a bird may by jumpier than usual, and will panic at a sudden noise or movement. Angry squawks and attempts to bite your hand will greet your attempts to pacify him, so it’s best to let the fit pass.
Comments
Los, 3 October 2024
My parakeet named Tito doesn’t want to whistle after we do it and he’s sleeping after waking up. I wonder why?
Muhammad, 6 August 2024
Budgies generally become more puffy so the feathers have more room to fall. The feathers fall in flight or the budgies scratch/preen them off to.They also just fall off like hair fall of ours.
Muhammad, 6 August 2024
@Theresa, There's no need to stress over the change in attitude.As stated birds become sluggish/play when rarely in mood.Id recommend feeding the lil puff some cucumber and getting a perch that they can scratch themselves on.Try approaching them in a happier mood and try to scratch the pins so dandruff and wax comes off a bit.if they no want,u no do.theyll be fine in a couple of months/next month make sure to provide calcium and vitamins(fruits n stuff). Another person asked about black spots on feathers,perhaps it's dirt or something.you asked of mites that generally harm the birbs beak and feet,see if they're turning crusty.Apply olive oil on it's nose and give the bird sprays in warm room (6-7 Neem plant leaves soaked in 1liter water for a few hours).if no help get vet ofc.
Theresa, 16 May 2024
hi! my parakeet male (miep) almost 1 year is molting, i feel this distance from him and its making me super sad bc when i get home from work he usually is happy to see me and chip chirps away. He doesn’t want to play peekaboo he isn’t coming to my calls. We don’t cage him during the day only night and i’ve been finding him at the highest purch available which he doesn’t really go to bc it’s by the ceiling. but a week ago i did a grab bc i wanted to check is nails. its only the second time ive ever grabbed him the other time was a night terror when i first got him. could he still be upset with me? i feel really sick to my stomach bc im starting to think he is sick. there are feathers everywhere. The first time i met him and this happened i took him to the vet which was fine bc he needed an initial vet visit but he had a clean bill of health. and i CANNOT afford a vet not now or the next three months. my bills are insane. anyone have a parakeet they treat like a child and know of this behavioral issues/molting please reach it! ty also i’ve been so insanely stressed. and im a bit worried he might have picked this up. but he usually relieves my stress. so now im insane. please note me he is super chill.
Jackie, 17 November 2022
When molting, do parakeets help the feathers fall out or do they fall out on their own?