budgie scratching

Question
I have received 2 budgies as a gift 2 days ago.  I have noticed that one of the budgies seems to scratch himself several times during the day.  It is not constant so I was wondering if he was getting new feathers. I have found some tiny downy wisps of feathers on the bottom of the cage and also on the floor around the cage.  I am unable to hold him to check under his feathers as he is still skittish when I try to get near him.  I do hope he doesn't have lice but if by chance he does what do I do.  Thanking you in advance for easing my mind.

Answer
Hi, Tina,

I found your question in the question pool this morning.  I don't know why it was not answered when you submitted it.

Parrots don't get lice (budgies are parrots) unless they have been exposed to another animal that has lice.  Some birds get feather lice, but these birds have to be exposed to something from outside or live outside for this to happen.  I would suspect your bird could have dry skin, particularly this time of year when humidity is low.  Does your bird bathe?  This also might be the problem.  Birds need to either bathe on their own or be spray misted by their owners in order to keep their feather in tip top shape.  Birds also molt at least one time per year, depending on their environment and age.  Molting is the process of replacing every feather on the bird's body over a 4-6 week period of time.  You'll have to be the judge of what might be going on since you can see the bird and its every day behavior.  If in doubt, take your bird to see a certified avian veterinarian for a medical examination.

Chrys