# Losing wing and tail feathers!



## GigiAndJoey (Jan 24, 2013)

So my little Gigi (hatched December 19, 2011) is starting to lose little down feathers, 2 crest feathers, and 5 super long feathers! This is all within a 1.5 week period.

I've only had him for less than 2 months, so I haven't seem him moult ever. I've had a couple of budgies before, and they would lose some feathers, but not this rapidly.

When he's losing them, he is sitting on my shoulder and preening. All of a sudden I see him doing this:









LOL

This is his collection so far:









I'm thankful that he lost his broken tail feather lol

Is this normal moulting? How many can I expect him to lose? 

Thanks guys!


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

Yup, looks like the start of a full moult. My tiel Echo is going through a heavy moult at the moment and she lost an awful lot of feathers! She loves playing with them too lol.

I think a moult normally takes a few weeks.


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## GigiAndJoey (Jan 24, 2013)

Loopy Lou said:


> Yup, looks like the start of a full moult. My tiel Echo is going through a heavy moult at the moment and she lost an awful lot of feathers! She loves playing with them too lol.
> 
> I think a moult normally takes a few weeks.


They're way too cute when they play with them lol. Do they get hormonal when they moult?


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

Hmm... you know what, i'm really not sure lol. I know tiels, especially males go through their "teenage" stage at roundabout 9months-a year old when their hormones are raging. I really don't know if its connected to moulting or not.

Echo picks up a feather from the floor of the cage and alternates between holding it in her foot and her beak to carry it all the way to the top, then looks sad when she drops it lol.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

When Snowy molts, there are so many white feathers on the floor that it looks like she exploded. Gigi is having a normal molt.


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## flippityjib (Dec 13, 2012)

So....my two are mouting? Both are about to have no tailfeathers and Mica broke all the flights she had during the last fright. that's what I thought was going on. Now I may be wrong and they are both moulting. Hmmm

They both look pretty rough looking.

I know what a moult looks like on a budgie and my girl is the most miserable looking creature at the moment and white fluff is all over the room.


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## Charlie's Mom (Jan 16, 2013)

My new boy is not molting yet but I have chickens can you imagine how a large bird looks with most of their feathers gone, they lose about 90% it scared the daylights out of me the first time.

Is the usual time in Spring? that is what I read..


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