Ask Lafeber

Re Beak cutting & feeding Mcguyver African Grey 15yrs old

Hi Brenda

Many thanks for detailed answer on my budjies.
Mcguyver started growing a skew beak at age 10 after beak was trimmed exceptionally short, he could not eat properly for a long time, at same parlour they trimmed wings, but it started to bleed terribly and he was for very long under anaesthesia,,, would not talk for a week. The vet said he got hurt somewhere, but nothing happened, except the short beak cutting?

Mcguyver eats apples, banana, sweet potatoes, pellets, dried fruit treats, but I sometimes switch to Avi Plus, a Complete extruded diet for parots, they advise not to give pellets with that, except fruit is allowed?
My son in law has a lot of birds finches doves, wild birdies and love birds, in an outside cage with lots if nesting place, but they never breed,,, he only gives budjie and wild bird seed and some small dove feed,,, every few weeks he finds a dead bird,,, I saw the other day that a little parrot was eating on paint from the wall,,, they never get green leaves? He feeds 1x5kg budgie seed and 1 x5kg wild bird/dove seed per week fir about 50 birds? Is that adequate? Also the seeds form a deep mat, which he only clean out after long intervals,,, I was thinking, maybe they starve, as the heavier seeds drop to bottom and the empty husks, stay on top, they then cannot find the seeds? The seeds are distributed under a roof, so does not normally get wet, except when it rains at an angle.

Thx
Pat

Hi!

Wow, your poor Grey! I hope you did not return to the place where he was groomed. A beak should not be cut short, and now that more is known about the amount of nerves in the beak, beak trims are not recommended unless there is a significant overgrowth. I’m not sure if you meant the beak bled or the wings. A beak that is cut too short will bleed, but a wing trim should never cause bleeding. And as for anesthesia, at most some Vets use a light sedative these days, but a bird should not be out under anesthesia just for grooming! It sounds like the beak was somehow damaged during the trim. A qualified Vet could possibly correct the beak, IF the short trim was the initial cause. I can’t comment on the food you mentioned because I’m not familiar with it, and it is always best to ask any questions directly to the manufacturer.

Are all of your son in law’s birds in one cage? I can’t imagine mixing those species. Parrots should never be mixed with different species & especially not doves, finches and wild birds. And wild birds should be wild and not kept captive with exotics birds. It is good that they are not breeding because you can’t breed birds that way. You should only have one pair of birds per cage for breeding. Breeding birds get very territorial, and those lovebirds could kill all of the other species. A soft bill is no match for a parrot’s hook bill. And lovebirds are notoriously aggressive towards other birds. They will kill each other if they get in a fight over nesting territory. Unfortunately I think the birds are most likely dying from malnutrition and disease. Seeds are not a nutritious food unless the bird is foraging in the wild for fresh seeds. But what comes in the loose mixes is not fresh and mainly offers fat and empty calories. I don’t know where the wild birds are coming from, but wild birds carry diseases that can infect and kill exotic birds. As for letting the seed remain on the ground, it is getting contaminated with feces and no telling what else. If there are any rodents, their urine can be toxic. You are also correct about the seeds sinking under the empty hulls. Many a pet bird has died with a bowl full of seeds that has a layer of hulls over it. The lovebirds might forage, but softbills are known for dying of starvation because they do not search under the empty hulls for good seeds. I’m not sure what to say but he needs to either do some research or find homes for the birds and not have them. He is not taking proper care of them. I’m glad you are asking questions to do better by your own birds.

Thanks for the update,

Brenda