Did you know that parrots' beaks grow naturally? From time to time, if it is observed that normal wear is not enough, we should take them to the vet to have it trimmed or filed down and thus avoid damaging our winged companion.
The case of smaller parrots is no less and sometimes, due to some kind of problem, there is an excessive growth of the parakeet's beak If you own a parakeet or plan to have one, find out in this article why this excessive growth happens and how to solve it.
Why does the parakeet's beak grow too long?
Normally, as long as our parakeet has things to rub its beak against, its natural wear is sufficient and it does not grow too large to cause problems. Some of these objects that our parrot can use to groom its beak are calcium stones, cuttlefish bones, and branches, among other toys that may be within its reach. But due to various problems it can happen that the growth of the beak is excessive or, that malformations occur and it does not close properly.
This problem is more serious than it may seem at first, because if too much time goes by the beak can grow so much that the little parrot cannot eat and end up starving.
The main reasons why this could happen to our parakeet are:
An incorrect diet that causes nutritional deficiencies
Lack of cuttlefish bone or calcium compact so that they themselves wear down their beak
If the diet is correct but the beak is growing too much, we find some metabolic diseases that prevent the correct absorption of the necessary nutrients and vitamins
A genetic predisposition. There are some individuals who carry the beak malformation in their genes. Therefore, if these small parrots are bred, we must avoid breeding those with these problems. We must think that both themselves and their descendants who suffer from the same problem, will have to undergo minimally monthly visits to the veterinarian or they will end up starving as we have previously mentioned
How can we solve this overgrowth problem?
The best thing we can do for our little parrot is to take her to the exotic bird vet to have her beak and he alth checked general, thus detecting the origin of excessive growth.
The veterinarian should file or trim the beak just enough so as not to damage the parakeet and use the appropriate instruments. In addition, the pertinent tests must be carried out to detect possible diseases that cause this malformation and offer an adequate treatment to solve the problem. This may include a modification in the diet, since there may be a lack of nutrients or vitamins in the diet that we are providing to our parakeet.
If we feel capable and have the right material we can do it at home. This necessary material is special files, small pliers or special nail clippers for animals and products to stop bleeding. We must know that the optimal point of the cut of the upper part of the beak is a little below the height where the lower part of the beak is located, that is to say that the upper part of the beak can never be at the same height or above from the bottom. It is very important that if we do it ourselves at home we have material at hand to be able to stop a hemorrhage no matter how small it may be. This material must contain sterile gauzes and hydrogen peroxide as a minimum. If there is a little bleeding, we should soak a sterile gauze in hydrogen peroxide or silver nitrate, press for a while and wait for the bleeding to stop.
In the event that our little parrot has this problem of excessive growth of the beak and malformation due to genetic inheritance and not due to a eating habit, a care problem or an illness, we must take him to the exotic animal specialist veterinarian more or less on a monthly basis so that his beak can be trimmed or filed as necessary and in the safest way for him.
In addition to providing this filing or trimming whenever necessary and preferably at the specialist veterinarian, we must ensure that our little parrot always has material with which to file its beak whenever you want As we already know, the environment of our parakeet's cage is part of the most basic care of these birds. Not only do they need a stick to perch on, they also need good access to a proper diet and fresh water, toys that we will have to change from time to time, and cuttlefish or calcium materials to wear down the beak. These materials that we have mentioned in the previous section can be bought in pet stores or some can be acquired from nature or manufactured.
It is very important for the he alth of our little companion to take into account that a natural branch collected by us from the street or from the mountain can serve us very well to entertain and file the beak naturally, but There are many microorganisms in these branches that can make the parakeet sick. Therefore, before offering them to our parrot, we must clean and disinfect them properly to make them suitable for use, thus preventing the small and delicate bird from getting sick. We will not use aggressive products to disinfect a natural branch as they can later harm our parakeet. We can use alcohol, but we must wait until the branch is dry and ventilated before putting it within the reach of our little pet.
Also We must ensure that the food we are giving our parakeet is suitable for him We must offer them the specific feed for them and If possible, one recommended by our specialist veterinarian. We also have to offer them pieces of fruit and vegetables to make their diet as complete and natural as possible.
