Parakeet

Question
I found out today, that one of my parrakeets lost all her tail feathers, I have 5 parakeets, and none of the other have lost their feathers... I have no way to tell how old this one is, as it was  given to me, I'm worried about her because I've never seen all the tail feathers fall out at once like this.


Also, I was wondering if there might be any reason why sometimes all my brids randomly start to fly around their cage at night.

Answer
Hi Clint,

Well, spring is here and that usually means moulting feathers.  But birds are built to lose their feathers gradually as to not interrupt the ability of flight.  There could be a few possibilities going on with your little budgie.  Either he's plucking them out himself - which usually is coupled with plucking in other areas, a cage mate may be plucking them out (as sometimes they do during the breeding season), or there is something medical going on.  The first thing I would do is get her to an avian vet for an examination to rule out any medical issues.  That's always the best place to start and rule out.  

In regard to the flying in the cage at night, some birds experience "night frights".  Cockatiels are especially known for this behavior, but any bird can have them.  Is the room they sleep in completely dark when this happens?  And/or are their cages covered completely?  If either apply, leave a portion of the cage uncovered and provide a small amount of light (night light) to them at night so they can see inside their cage should something startle them throughout the night.  This can become very dangerous as they cannot see where they are going and sometimes run into things head first or break a blood feather and bleed to death.  If you can - be sure there is a small amount of light in the room if you can - while assuring that the room is still quiet enough for them to sleep uninterrupted.  

I hope this information helps and wish you and your babies the best.