budgie beak problems
Sage InSac
I've got two sweet little boy budgies, both a couple of years old. Some
months ago the older one's beak started to grow much too fast and/or he
stopped using the cuttlebone. I clipped it, but it seems also to be
getting mishapen and dry.
While, he's not as healthy as the other guy; neither is he terribly ill.
Could it be dietary? Why did the problem just start up after he was a year
and a half old? I don't want to lose him. Any help would be appreciated.
SageinSac @ aol.com
Gene Meyer
This problem developed on our male after we had him for about six
months. It was diagnosed as being caused by a parasite (some sort of
mite) and cleared up after a shot by the vet. The vet told us that he
was probably infected when we got him, but the beak growth problem only
shows up after some trauma or other event happened that lowered his
resistance. This made sense, since the probelm showed up a few weeks
after entertaining a house full of in-laws with little children who just
couldn't stay away from the birds. I recommend you take both of them to
a bird vet, as it is likely that the other one is also infected (if it
is the mites).
Dave
On 17 Feb 1997 05:52:09 GMT, sage...@aol.com (Sage InSac) wrote:
>I've got two sweet little boy budgies, both a couple of years old. Some
>months ago the older one's beak started to grow much too fast and/or he
>stopped using the cuttlebone. I clipped it, but it seems also to be
>getting mishapen and dry.
>While, he's not as healthy as the other guy; neither is he terribly ill.
>
>Could it be dietary? Why did the problem just start up after he was a year
>and a half old? I don't want to lose him. Any help would be appreciated.
>
>SageinSac @ aol.com
Hi. Periodically thin splinters will chip off the tip of a parakeet's
beak. This is a normal part of the renewal of the beak's tissue. But
in older parakeets, for reasons as yet unknown, the beak sometimes
grows too fast in spite of frequent whetting. Usually only the upper
mandible is affected, but more rarely the upper and lower mandibles
cross each other because they both grow too long simultaneously. In
either case the bird is hampered in its intake of food. If nothing
were done to help, eating would eventually become impossible, and the
excessively long beak would injure the skin of the crop region. Don't
let things get that far. The best thing to do is to take the bird to
an experienced avian veterinarian, breeder, or pet dealer to have the
beak trimmed with proper (nail) clippers. If the bird has a
predisposition for excessive beak growth, regular trimming may be
necessary, sometimes as often as every four weeks. Competent bird
owners can quickly learn to perform this duty themselves and dispense
with the trips to, the veterinarian. If in spite of all your caution
the trimming should result in minor bleeding, apply styptic cotton to
the beak until the blood stops. If the beak is very brittle, dab it
with slightly warmed glycerine or olive oil before wielding the
clippers. Lack of minerals as found in green food and suitable grit
combined with vitamin and/or mineral deficiency. Some feel that
something for the bird to chew on such as a piece of wood will help
the bird keep his beak in trim.
An excess in calcium and phosphorous such as found in bone meal can
sometimes cause this problem.
You can check out budgie problems at http://www.inforamp.net/~dhansen
Look at the Budgerigar section under Diseases/Disorders.
Hamilton & District Budgerigar & Cage Bird Society Inc.
dave
Kevin Chu
This is a physical/medical problem. Bring your bird to a
qualified avian vet to have the problem diagnosed and treated.
Kevin
--
Kevin Chu
ke...@portal.ca
It's like a Slurpee!
MuseWitch
Take your bird to the vet. He most likely may have a liver problem and it
needs to be diagnosed and treated. This is not contagous, but could very
well be dietary. What are you feeding him? Good luck with the little
guys!
Mary
MuseWitch
Richard Higginson
To add my 2 cents ( and after the feed store today I will be lucky to
have even that! ), have the bird checked for scaly face mites.
Nancy
reoman
My wife's finch has excessive lower beak growth. Would it be for the
same reason(s) as budgies? The bird hasn't been in contact with anyone
or anything except his cage mate--for four years! The cage mate
doesn't have the problem. We clean the cage once every week and have
never seen mites. The birds were without a cuttle bone for about one
month. My wife bought one today. But the finch began growing the long
beak about three weeks ago--so just after the last cuttle bone was
gone. Should we take it to a vet? Or is there any "home remedy" to
try? You can e-mail me directly at
COMPUTERCRAFT
Sage InSac wrote:
>
> I've got two sweet little boy budgies, both a couple of years old. Some
> months ago the older one's beak started to grow much too fast and/or he
> stopped using the cuttlebone. I clipped it, but it seems also to be
> getting mishapen and dry.
> While, he's not as healthy as the other guy; neither is he terribly ill.
>
> Could it be dietary? Why did the problem just start up after he was a year
> and a half old? I don't want to lose him. Any help would be appreciated.
>
> SageinSac @ aol.com
This is almost certainly due to a mite infestation. The "dry" look of
the beak is actually the holes left by the burrowing of the pests.
Get a pyrethrin based insecticide that is safe for birds (it must say so
on the label, buy it from a pet shop or other pet supply). Mist the
little guys once a week for a month and once a month after that. Spray
the birds, the cage, and the area around the cage.
For quicker results a veterinarian can treat the bird with Ivermectin.
--
Anthony Olszewski
ao...@computercraft.com
14 Center Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302
201-795-0909
fax: 201-985-8399
Re-Elect Bret Schundler Mayor Of Jersey City
http://www.mayorschundler.com
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