# Can Cockatiels catch French Moult?



## Kiwigal67 (Nov 21, 2010)

This is my first year breeding and I am been tried with most unusual problems. My current one is my first clutch of budgies (that finally got a clutch to hatch) ended up with French Moult. Me in my eagerness handled the babies that had french moult (which I didn't know until they fledged) and then handled the babies in the next 2 nest boxes too so gave it to them. I now have 15 babies that could be affected with French Moult and 2 babies that were put with the 3 new babies before I new what problem I had.

We are in the process of finishing an aviary for the cockatiels but I don't want to put them in it if they will catch French Moult from the nursery aviary with the babies. I have just been advised to buy Virkon S to disinfect the babies and aviary but have given the babies two dettols baths so far.



















Many thanks for your help.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

French molt is primarily a budgie problem but can occur in some other species. Avian web does list it as a cockatiel disease at http://www.avianweb.com/cockatieldiseases.html

There's more info at 
http://www.avianweb.com/frenchmolt.html


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...cockatiels can also get French molt. If you have had deaths in the nest at a young age, with bruising on the body you may even have polyoma, which some of the feathering problems are similar.

What is the demensions on the cage/flights of the birds? They look small to me, which is also going to be stress on the birds, especially if colony breeding, and this will just compound your problems. 

I would NOT put the cockatiel babies anywhere near where those budgie babies were.

Shut down all pairs from breeding, to lower some stress levels. Remove them from the flights and totally disinfect everything...which includes the cage wire, changing material on the ground, putting in new perches. If you can make the colony flights larger that will help to.


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