An acquaintance was moving to an apartment where no pets of any kind were allowed & she asked if I would take her 2 parakeets. I said yes & she dropped them off this morning.
I noticed that one of the birds has a really extreme growth/curl to his beak. It looks quite over grown.
I've owned several parakeets in my life & never noticed this happening to my birds. It looks almost as though it needs to be trimmed back?
Is this something I would need a Vet to do? I certainly wouldn't be comfortable doing it myself ... I'm afraid that it will hinder the bird's ability to eat. It seems healthy but it worries me.
Example:
It's a much less extreme version of this picture, it curls down as opposed to off to the side.
http://www.rvc.ac.uk/CPD/uploads/Budgie% ...
This is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed right away. It could have been caused by not providing proper chew toys and beak grooming perches. It can also be caused by improper diet. If the bird was on a total or mostly seed diet, it may very will have fatty liver disease. Very common in Parakeets/budgies who are not getting plenty of veggies, fruits, leafy greens and so on. An over grown beak is one of the main symptoms of liver problems. The bird definitely needs to be seen by a good Avian vet asap to determine if it is an underlying health issue. Even if it is not, only a vet can do what needs to be done with the beak. There are nerve endings and blood supply in their beaks that go almost to the tip end. It would be dangerous for anyone to try to trim it, especially with this abnormal growth. All birds can "seem healthy" yet be very ill. It is their nature to mask all symptoms possible until they are too weak or too ill to keep up the pretense. Good luck to you and to the bird.
A healthy bird should have NO REASON for beak trims under normal conditions. There should be no faith put in perches or cuttlebones as a solution for overgrown beaks.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
If a beak is overgrown or misshapen then the bird has a problem not related to so called beak trimming objects in the cage.
Overgrown beaks are associated with liver issues or scalyface mites.
Once a beak over grows and a blood supply extends into the longer beak trimming it is a vet deal not something you can try yourself. I think you will find the birds has a health issue going on that isnt just a minor beak issue.
Skydanzer's answer is right on.I would certainly hope your birds beak is not as extreme as the picture. Even a slight resembalance calls for a trip to the vet.
As for the person who has the quaker ---- 10 trims to the beak in two years calls for a trip to the avian vet. My quaker had fatty liver disease but he did not require anywhere near that amount of beak trims. Something is drastiically wrong there. Your quaker can live many years with meds and proper diet and be comfortable too.
I have a 2 year old quaker parrot with a beak that never stops growing. I've given him all the things he needs to trim it down, but he doesn't do it on his own. I give him some egg food with his normal nut, seed, fruit, and veggie diet, and i've noticed it makes everything grow faster on him.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com I purchased him from a breeder, so everytime i need his beak or nails done, i take him back to her. I would not recommend doing it yourself, even though i've seen it done more than 10 times, i would never attempt it myself. The bird's nails and beaks can bleed if they are trimmed too short, so it's best to leave that to a professional.
even though i don't believe your bird has any health problems (it may if it is older), the beak should be trimmed asap so it doesn't interfere with the bird's eating like you said.
Yogi T - my bird is under 2 years old, he does not have fatty liver disease. He's perfectly healthy, and if it makes a difference, his feathers, and nails grow very quickly too.
