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Question:

December 2, 2021

Cockatiel beak broken


Hi, please kindly respond to my question because I don’t have any proper avian vet near my location. The problem was my cockatiel got a problem in his lower beak since he was 5. It looked like a cavity in its beak. So I took him to the animal pet hospital as there is no proper avian vet hospital. They checked and gave me vitamin to add with water and give for 5 days. After taking that I saw it slowly getting cured after few weeks. But the cavity got cured but I saw a small gap between his beak and skin. Then some months later I saw my bird bleeding in his beak. Most probably due to the fight with its cage mate. After few weeks I saw that gap getting big slowly. So eating became really hard for him and he became very thin so I had to hand feed him and I tried that vitamin medicine. And gave him small seeds and no sugar biscuits which is easy to eat. Few days after giving the vitamin I saw the beak growing a little bit on the sides. But then the worst thing happened. His lower beak broken into two. Maybe due to a fight with his cage mate. But luckily one broken side is a bit big so he can still chew and eat. But I’m really scared whether it will get worse or not. Without knowing his problem he still singing, whistling, preening and also eating. Please tell me what can I do to prevent before the problem gets worsen. Please provide if there any solution or medicine. I want to see him healthy again. He is a talented cute bird. Thanks in advance!
Sorry for my bad English.


Answer:

Hi Amer,

I’m sorry about your bird’s beak. First, you need to separate the birds if you haven’t already. If two birds fight to the point that one is injured, the birds should not be caged together anymore. Next time, the other bird might kill this one. As for the beak, there is no way we could know what to do. If it was from an injury, it might eventually grow back. There are diseases that can affect the beak. If he can’t eat very well, it is best to get a hand feeding formula that is made for feeding baby parrots, and this will provide the nutrition he needs. Depending on the injury, he might need to have his beak trimmed regularly. If it doesn’t match up anymore, his beak will start to grow too long, and then it can break off. If it breaks at the wrong place, he can bleed and possibly bleed to death. I would keep looking for a Vet who can treat birds, even if you have to travel to take your bird there.

Take care,

Brenda

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