My Budgie

Question
Hey Alicia,


I have a female budgie whos just finished her first malt,
shes been fine when she was younger but all of a sudden from saturday shes started to peck me whenever i try to  put her on my finger, shes very tame ( or was ) and im annoyed she isnt wanting to co-operate with me.

Please can you help me?

Shes happy and chirps,preens and everything a normal budgie would do..

Thankyou  for your help


Jordan

Answer
hi. thanks for your question.  
what you are describing sounds perfectly normal for a bird who has just completed a molt.  
when a bird molts, as you know, she basically "sheds" out old feathers.  after the molt is done, new feathers have to come in and take their place. this process is easier said than done and can be very painful, itchy, and generally uncomfortable for your bird. this period can last anywhere from 1-3 weeks before she grows back her new feathers. the reason for the ongoing discomfort is that the new feathers growing in are "pin" feathers (they have to come in in the form of a pin; i.e. pointy and sharp in order to break through the skin). your bird most likely has sprouted her first pin feathers and is reacting to the pain and discomfort caused by the pin feathers.  the quills pushing through the skin most likely create and uncomfortable and itchy sensation. thus, your bird is in pain/uncomfortable and does not want to be bothered right now (imagine 10-20 needles pushing out through your skin...yikes!) especially if you try and pet her (the quills are VERY sensitive) and even just try and interact with her.  
i would give her some time as the pain/discomfort eventually subsides. she will have pin feathers remaining on her head. when a bird has pin feathers, it is necessary to take the "casings" off of them so that they can open up into a feather. normally, your bird takes the casings off herself using her beak. however, since she cannot take the casings off of the ones on her head, they will remain (birds that are not solitary usually have another bird to "preen" them).
as you get more comfortable with her, you can actually do it yourself. i do it for my conure and he loves it...take the pin feather between your thumb and forefinger and lightly scratch it with your nail...the white, powdery casing will fall off!  don't pull too hard or she will be in pain or the feather could break...also, don't do it until the feathers are longer (short ones are still too close to having a blood supply).
i know this is a painful time for the two of you but luckily it only happens several times a year (spring/summer usually)...my 15 y/o sun conure still has a hard time with molting and is being a complete beast as we speak because of his itchy head!
good luck and i hope this helps. alicia