what's wrong??

[shadesg53]

Hi Guys,

Looking for some help. I am New to keeping budgies so any advice you could offer would be great.

Bought a young budgie from our local pet shop which has settled in and becoming very tame however the last few days I have noticed a problem with his feathers??

Some of them don'. Seem to be in as good condition as the others, they seem matted together? He also has a patch on his head where the feathers seem hard?

Does anyone know what this is and how to sort it?

Everything else seems fine, he flys, he eats etc.

[stace]

Feather condition is an indicator of health. They shouldn't be matted or patchy at all. Especially so if this is a young bird.

You need to post a good clear photo, or photos for people to be able to give you an idea of what might be wrong.

[Learner]

How long have you had your new budgie?

Was it housed with others at the pet shop? - If so did they look OK?

Photos would certainly help the experts give you advice.

If it were me I would consider returning to the pet shop and asking them but it would be useful to have an idea of what is causing the problem before you go. Let's hope someone can you give your more information once they have seen a photo or two.

[shadesg53]

Thanks all the help guys.

The problem with photos is that I am using an android phone to access the forum so it's a bit fiddly trying to get photos on. I will give a try in the laptop. We bought our budgie late March and he was caged with other birds - after a bit of digging however I hear from some friends that the shop he came from don't exactly have the best reputation for housing their animals.

I also herd that mites was a problem in the shop on the reptiles. Could it maybe be mites?

[stace]

Jul 5, 2013 10:18:03 GMT shadesg53 said:

Thanks all the help guys.

The problem with photos is that I am using an android phone to access the forum so it's a bit fiddly trying to get photos on. I will give a try in the laptop. We bought our budgie late March and he was caged with other birds - after a bit of digging however I hear from some friends that the shop he came from don't exactly have the best reputation for housing their animals.

I also herd that mites was a problem in the shop on the reptiles. Could it maybe be mites?

It could be, but we'd need photos to see if is mites or maybe something else. 

[mizloco]

I use an android to access the forum a lot. There is an app for imageshack which you can put your photos onto and then get the link for putting them onto here that works really well.

[stace]

Look up mites on google for pictures. There are several different types.

You can try getting some Ivermectin 0.1%, which can be bought online in the UK. It must be 0.1% as that's the dilution needed for tiny birds. You catch your bird a put a drop on the back of their neck after parting their feathers. It's easiest to do this with two people. One to hold, one to put the drop on. I can't remember how many days to do it, I think it's once a week for a few weeks, but there will be instructions with the med.