Could he be molting? Or is he sick?

Thank you for letting me join for some help so this maybe a long post so hang tight...

I have taken on my grandads bird which is between the ages of 8-9years human years. His name is joey. My grandad is on end of life so I don't know a lot about him, or his behaviours and habits and there was nobody else willing to take him on.

I have had him for nearly 3 months now, when we first got him he was in a small.cage as my grandad we think use to let him out so in his cage he had his food and water feet away from him and only room to stretch out his wings he could climb about the cage but that's it and he was happy chirping away and eating but i have never noticed him sleep or never witnessed this even going to bed to waking up i have never seen him sleep.. but he seems happy as far as I could see, I left him.2 weeks before cleaning him out so he had time.to settle in to his new surroundings and interacted with him when he would let me so he felt comfortable as possible, fast forward to 2 months in indecided he seems settled enough to maybe change his cage as I was comfortable enough to let him out till he got a better bond with me decided he would benefit from a bigger cage.

Thought id mention He is a lone budgie but happy as far as I've seen he has a mirror which he is very fond of he chirps talks to it and kisses his mirror

Carrying on... so I get a bigger cage for him dome shaped made by omlet with a feeding station in the middle.. I popped these doors together so he can venture into the bigger cage by his self.. which took him around 2days once he was in it obviously was a learning curve being dome shape he had to learn how to get off the cage side on to his perches and learn where everything in the cag is placed and how to get about, which kind of put us back to square 1 again. As he was quiet for a couple.of days but eventually started to chirp again and venture a little but around the cage. But he wouldn't go any lower than the perches which made this a problem as the feeding station was lower than his perches so he wasn't willing to fetch his own food or water. So several times a day I took the feeding station to him which he being a little reluctant to go to it but he had a bit of a discussion with his mirror before going over to take water but he he still wasn't sure of the opposite side with the seed in both sides are identical apart from one has seed one as water, so I was hanging along of Millet in which he was happy to feed from this and I hung the pots of seed onto the side of the cage so he could take it if he wanted it. I offered it to him for maybe touching 2 weeks until.i was sat in my living room quiet one day and noticed him venturing to the middle to feed. I was over the moon. I stood up and he scurried back to his perch. I noticed he did this often we left the room he would feed, I walk back in and he hurried back to his perche he happily chirping through the day. And moved occasionally from perch to perch hopping. So we are at the minute touching 3 months of having him in his new cage and last week I noticed he is now willing to fly from one perch to the other this is new behaviour I have seen and enjoyed seeing him do this. And finally happy that he is settling lovely and feeling comfortable now 😀

Which pushes me forward to this weekend. Saturday afternoon his behaviour has changed from what I'm useto seeing.. he has gone really quiet and he slept most of the day which I have never seen him do. And he's been puffed up most of the day. Sat on his perch, I've never really covered him up at night so this particular night I decided to cover him as I though maybe he's not getting sufficient sleep..sunday he slept right till 10.45am before I took the cover off well I did check on him.at 9.30.and was awake but then I came back at 10pm and he was sleeping again so recovered him. He is also placed in front of a window so maybe he's cold? I have now moved his cage.. so he is very fluffed up and quiet but is still active today which I have never seem him do hes been all around his cage moving from perch to perch he has ventured into the centre to his feeding station multiple times even with us surrounding him and has been venturing into the bottom of his cage pecking at loose seed on the floor before going round to his toys in the cage ringing the bells on the and really seems like he's having a good look at everything so freely and without a care that we are in the room.or around him. I have never seen him do this. And if it wasn't for the fluffy Ness and being quiet he seems really engaged. I have also noticed he's had a but of a watery stool one 2 droplets the rest solid as usually but I wasn't sure if this is because he is going to his feeding station more times today than i have ever seen him do in the time I have had him.

Today he looks better, I made him some home made electroyes water which was suggested on Google offered him it last night and again today he's chirping today now and singing but still looks ruff and ruffled. He also made a mess of his perch in the night from poo, I have cleaned him out and all is good. He is messing around with his feathers at points in the day also he has been dropping few feathers for a couple of weeks now..small fluffy ones and one tail feather

I don't have any avarian vets near me only a normal vet.

Thank you for reading.