budgie loosing feathers

Question
yes both my birds are females my eldist (Karla) feeds the younger one (Tia) and they do preen each other but not a lot. my eldest tends to preen herself a lot. i have checked karla and the skin on her wing joints does seem to be quite red. i could not see any mites but i no she could have internal parasites. would you recomend me taking her to a vet?
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Followup To
Question -
hi

iv had my budgie for nearly 3 years and she has recently started to loose a large amount of feathers. she has company with another female, she is eating well and doesnt seem to be badly bald but i have to hover the feathers 5 or 6 times a day whereas i only every used to have to hover once. do you know what may be wrong with her?
Answer -
Hi, Charlene.  Thanks for posting.

Is the other female preening her?  If yes, then the other female may be "over" preening her (preening her too severely).  Preening one another is normal.  Is blood present?  If yes, then this may be malicious behavior versus preening.  Separate them if blood is present.  Females can be very mean to another if one female is more dominant than the other.  Often times, the dominant female may stress the less dominant female out so badly that the less dominant bird eventually succumbs to the other and dies (or the more dominant one kills the other).  So be learly about this possibility.  Is the bird losing feathers only losing them on her head?  Are they fighting?

Also, all birds go through a molt once per year (after they are 12 months of age), however, this process is gradual and you should not see more than a feather or two now and again.  During a molt, a bird looses every feather on it's body over a period of a couple months.

In addition, birds can have medical problems that cause them to loose feathers.  Even though your budgie is eating well, this doesn't mean she can't be ill.  Depending on what's going on with the birds, you might need to take this bird to a bird veterinarian to rule out medical reasons for the feather loss.

I can't tell from the description in your post what might be going on with your bird(s).  More details are needed.

Chrys  

Answer
Hi again, Charlene.  You know your birds better than I do, so if you feel Karla should be seen by a bird vet, by all means, make an appointment.  It certainly can't hurt.  

Parrots don't usually get mites.  However, budgies/parakeets can get scaly mites from wood brought in from outside (if you use tree limbs for perches).  Scaly mites affect the cere (area above nostrils) and the legs/feet, so I doubt she has mites.  Also, unless your birds have access to the ground outside, it's doubtful they could have internal parasites, such as worms, unless something you are feeding them could be contaminated with them.  Sometimes when a bird preens itself, it can draw blood.  Feather loss can also be the result of improper diet (seed only), improper lighting (parrots need direct sunlight or special lighting that simulates sunlight), lack of bathing (birds needs baths or need to be misted to keep feathers in good condition), lack of humidity in the room (results in dry skin), or some other physical or medical problem.  It might be wise to rule these out via a trip to the vet.  Birds should spend much of their day caring for their feathers, so preening is quite natural, whether from another bird in areas where they can't reach or by themselves.  

Chrys