Inspection #999...

[boojman]

I have 2 questions that I thought I would lump together as one, as maybe they are related. A little background first - maybe some remember Booj had been given antibiotics for an e-coli problem about 6-8 weeks(?) ago. He seems better except for a tail bob that I am not 100% sure is a problem or not because he has had it since I got him in June. In light of his little health issue however, I wonder if it should be looked into and may still call the vet. Right now I just study it daily. Anyway, he does seem to be in the midst of a molt, and that brings me to my first question:

1. Do budgies, being so varied, have different feather texture/thickness/quantity - like people's hair? The reason I ask is because after observing some other budgies recently I noticed that Booj's normal 'feather coat' seems rather thin and fine. No balding, just what I would I compare to as 'fine thin hair' on a human.

2. Secondly, I noticed that his cere seems a bit dry around the edges. Does this go hand in hand with molting, or cold weather, or is this also something I should look into? I tried to take a picture but could not get a clear one. It looks basically like a dry cere, no crustiness involved.

Poor guy - always being studied and inspected....perhaps that is why he is biting, lol.

Thanks again in advance for your opinions!!!

[Hezz]

A thin smear of vegetable oil on his cere can help, just to stop the dryness. If he is moulting, the two can go hand-in-hand. If you are sure that that is all it is. I would suggest you also check his legs for scaleyness, just to make sure that mites aren't his problem. It shouldn't be - he is an only bird, but does he have contact with other birds?

As for the feathers, I could only suggest that the other budgies may be from exhibition stock where the emphasis has been on a more feathered bird.

[boojman]

Yes I think I may have noticed it looking dry once or twice before but it seems a little bit more prominent this time. I also think maybe it was during a molt, not sure though. His legs look good - nice and pink - and no, he has no bird friends....sniff

[stace]

The dry cere could just be Booj being out of condition due to the moult. It's hard to know without a good close up pic. Keep an eye on it, and see if it improves once he's out of moult.

[barrieshutt]

We often get dry ceres , i just wipe the area with baby oil................feathers are off a different density on different birds , fine feathers often on cinnamons but the feather can range from fine ( classed as yellow in the budgerigar world) or intermediate which is a thicker feather.

[boojman]

I looked at it this morning and seems a little better - I now think it maybe is because of the molt - thanks Stace. If it persists I will try and get a good photo. Barrie that answers my question about the feathers which I kind of figured with there being so many varieties - density - that is the word I was seeking, thanks.