Beak is too long

[Bevie]

Help! I just noticed my parakeets beek is really long! I've searched the net for information on how to trim, but all I can find is advice to take it to an avian vet. I live in Wyoming and the nearest avian vet is 4 hours away. Can anyone give me some advice on how to file and/or trim myself with the help of my husband?

[Kaye]

The reason you find no information on how to trim a bird's beak yourself is because it should not be done by anyone other than an avian vet. I'm sorry to tell you this.

Birds beaks are very sensitive, they're warm to the touch for a reason. They have a blood supply.

A beak-trimming gone wrong can cripple a bird for life, making it unable to eat or preen itself.

Does your parakeet have toys with wood on them? Even chewing on popsicle sticks will help wear a beak down to normal. Cuttle bone is excellent for this too.

If the beak is grossly overgrown I would recommend taking him to a vet anyway, because there might be a medical reason for it (scaley face, for example).

[dlaura]

I have to second Kaye's words here that only an avian vet should trim a beak. Once I took our GCC to the petstore for a wing/nail trim and the groomer there wanted to trim the beak and at first I said OK but felt very, very uncomfortable so I went with my gut and only had wing/nail trim done. I have not regretted with all I have read since. You might also try a beak block which are mineral blocks that the bird chews on for beak trimming and minerals needed which it might not get thru it's normal diet.

There are also perches made that naturally help keep nails and beak in trim. You could get a few at any pet store.

[Bevie]

Dear Kaye and DLaura
Thanks you soooooooooooooooo much for your replies. Like I said, the nearest AVIAN vet is in Denver which is 4 hours away. This little bird is one of two in a cage and they are always playing together and they seem very uncomfortable outside the cage. The fly into walls etc. I can't believe I didn't notice that it was getting so long. I feel bad. Anyway, I did have a small mineral block in the cage, but since I posted last, I added a cuttle bone, a large wooden stick to climb on and chew on plus I hung several closepins in there. Just for today until I can get to the store and get some more stuff for him to chew on. I noticed this morning, he is still using it to get around the cage bars, he's cleaning himself and singing and playing. I did also notice that not much of the food was gone from their seed cups or from their pellets cups either. Would it help if I took a close up picture? I wonder if at this point if he started working, will it wear down to a normal size? As much as I love my birds (all seven of them) I hate there is not an avian vet to call and take them too!

[dlaura]

Bevie you are very welcome for whatever advice we can give you. One of the things you can do is call vets in your immediate area and ask if any of them have experience with birds. While some vets aren't avian certified they may have gone for some avian education and just not have a certification and can handle normal issues such as wing/nail trim and beak trimming. Since the one bird's beak is already very long the items Kaye & I suggested may not help at this point. Sometimes when their beaks get overgrown like that it is difficult if not impossible for them to handle the seed and crack it to eat. So calling vets in your area may find you someone who can help you in a case like this.

You also might want to check with petstores in your area who might sell birds and ask them who they use for their avian needs.

[Kaye]

You know, it might help to see a picture. Help me anyway. If it's just an overgrown beak, chewing might help.. of course if it is advanced far enough that chewing is difficult, then I'd do like dlaura suggested. Just call local vets and ask if they see birds often, that you just need a simple, proper beak trim for a budgie.

Of course seeing a picture could also help see if it's something else. Scaly face, like I said, is very common in budgies and is a possibility. If it is something like that, an avian vet would be best, though again a normal vet who sees birds could also probably diagnose and treat it.

[dlaura]

Bevie, I combined your two threads so you can be sure and get all the suggestions that Kaye & I have made. As Kaye said a picture would be good to see. So when you get a chance.....

[Bevie]

Hi there! I hope I figured this out right. I've attached two pictures. He was hard to shoot, the camera freaked him out. I managed to find a vet in Casper Wyoming who said he could trim the beak and I have an appt. to take him there on Wednesday of this week! I was wondering. If the Dr. got it too short, will it hurt? (like a toenail?) Also it was suggested I keep Lava rocks (like from a grill) in all my bird cages to keep their nails and beaks trim. It looks pretty dusty too me. Does anyone else use them? I wonder also why his got so long and none of my other birds ever had that problem. Is there something else I can do to put in his cage to entice him to chew? I have wooden chew sticks, cuttle bones and a chola block and a mineral block.

[dlaura]

Yes, it the vet cuts to short he could hit vein or nerve ending and yes it will hurt and possibly bleed. You should discuss with the vet whether the keets beak is too long or not - sorry it is hard to tell from the picture and I am not really sure. Maybe Kaye will be better able to help.

[Kaye]

It IS a bit long from what I can see. And dluara is right, as the beak has a blood flow, it will hurt and can bleed if it's cut too short. That's why we didn't want you to try. :) Hopefully your vet will know what s/he's doing.

I'd say no to the lava rocks. I've never heard of this and would not offer it to my birds.

All he should need is plenty of toys (with small enough wood pieces, like popsicle sticks for budgies as I suggested earlier), some perches that are wood/dowelish or even three branches (you'd have to research which ones were safe, I couldn't tell you off-hand) and cuttlebone.

Once he's trimmed down hopefully he'll be able to keep it normal again! I don't see any visible signs of scaley face either, so he probably just didn't have anything (I'm not saying you didn't have toys or anything, of course!) that he knew he could chew.

[Bevie]

Hi Kaye & DLaura
Thanks for all your advice. Well...his beek has been trimmed. It's still somewhat long but you can now see air between the "new" tip and his face. He did not bleed at all! Now we are hoping he will take care of it but so far he just barely rubs it on the sides but not enough to make it any shorter. I have cuttle bones, lava stones (from the pet store) and little wood chews and sandy perches. I feel sooooooooooooo much better and please know how much your help was appreciated.

[Kippsmommy]

The reason you find no information on how to trim a bird's beak yourself is because it should not be done by anyone other than an avian vet. I'm sorry to tell you this.

Birds beaks are very sensitive, they're warm to the touch for a reason. They have a blood supply.

A beak-trimming gone wrong can cripple a bird for life, making it unable to eat or preen itself.

Does your parakeet have toys with wood on them? Even chewing on popsicle sticks will help wear a beak down to normal. Cuttle bone is excellent for this too.

If the beak is grossly overgrown I would recommend taking him to a vet anyway, because there might be a medical reason for it (scaley face, for example).
Yes, don't do this yourself, please take your feathered friend to a vet.

[dlaura]

Hi Bevie,
Thank you so much for letting us know that all is well. You are very welcome for the advice and I am glad we were able to help. Please be sure to continue to visit us and let us know how all is going.