Ask Lafeber

cere color change

one side of my (female we think) parakeet cere is darker than the other side. no congestion, rare sneezes. we found her as an adult and have her 2 years now. no changes in eating, playing or pooping.

Hi,

The cere, especially on females, can change. Usually it is hormone related. The color isn’t always even. Since she is otherwise normal, I wouldn’t be worried about the change. It could be a bruise, if she hit it on a toy or something. But even in that case, you just wait for it to heal. Unless she has a change in appetite or activity level, she’s fine.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda