i've got 2 budgies (well, 3 now). the recently just laid eggs which started hatching a week ago. sadly only 2 have hatched and one of the babies died. the other day i caught the female when she came out of the breeding box and she had balding on her belly down near the base of the tail. i figured she wasnt plucking them because there were no feathers lying around the cage or anything i took her to the vet that afternoon and he told me she wasnt eggbound and he gave me an antibiotic in their water in case it was an infection. the next day i was talking to a lady i work with about it. she used to breed budgies years ago and said that when they breed they do occasionally go bald on the belly when they breed just from it rubbing on the eggs and floor of the cage so frequently. im wondering if anyone else has had this sort of thing happen to them because this is my first lot of eggs and i have no idea. my budgies are extremely healthy and always, always have fresh fruit and vegges in their cage as well as fresh water, seed, shell grit and cuttlebone, and the male is not having the same balding problem which makes me think that it cant be an infection.. as i said im not very experienced in this department yet so im hoping that someone can help me.
hormonal problem? i'm not sure...not even close to sure, but that is the first thing that came to mind.
i'm no bird expert, but i thought some species plucked feathers from their belly so when brooding the eggs would be in direct contact with the skin, keeping the eggs warmer? someone please correct me if i am wrong!
