how to help her damaged beak? (GRAPHIC)

[cochinGurl]

four months ago I bought 4 baby button quail that were down on their luck. I got them from a pet store that made the aweful decision to keep day old button quails and week old bobwhite quails in the same ten gallon aquarium. the bobwhites mutilated several of the poor little buttons, and I got a few of the worst ones. their nostrils/ fleshy parts of the beak had been almost intirely gouged out, and the rest if the beak was badly damaged as well. now the beaks have grown out wrong and are starting to make it hard for them to eat i think. should I clip part off? if so how much? any suggestions are apriciated.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

poor baby wish i could help.

 

[Jumpyquail]

It is a opinion but try to file it off instead of clipping it try to make the top part even if you wish to help it. Clipping can be dangerous and painful for a bird. Hope they get better soon.

 

[dc3085]

four months ago I bought 4 baby button quail that were down on their luck. I got them from a pet store that made the aweful decision to keep day old button quails and week old bobwhite quails in the same ten gallon aquarium. the bobwhites mutilated several of the poor little buttons, and I got a few of the worst ones. their nostrils/ fleshy parts of the beak had been almost intirely gouged out, and the rest if the beak was badly damaged as well. now the beaks have grown out wrong and are starting to make it hard for them to eat i think. should I clip part off? if so how much? any suggestions are apriciated.

Hold it up to the light and look for the quick. The quick shouldn't be extended past the bottom portion of the beak, but with this little guy it may so be careful. Basically once you locate the quick you can trim any of the beak beyond it just like trimming a fingernail, no pain or feeling to the bird. If you hit the quick you will need to have flour or cornstarch present to help clot the blood (feed stores sell a blood clotter for polling cattle horns that works even better).

 

[GrandmaBird]

I disagree. If this birds beak was a bit overgrown then you could file it watching for the blood line as stated above but I think this bird needs the attention of a vet to trim his/her beak. The end of the beak contains nerve endings that help with eating, preening and caring for chicks. If this is damaged the bird might not regain these nerves, and could die from malnourishment. The other thing to look at is the diet these birds are on. It should be high protein crumble, above 28%, not soft food all the time and include oyster shell and sand or grit to aide digestion. Some times this is a natural illness, the over production of the keratin which is used for feather, nail and beak growth. It can be out of whack and will need to be addressed by a vet.

 

[TwoCrows]

I disagree. If this birds beak was a bit overgrown then you could file it watching for the blood line as stated above but I think this bird needs the attention of a vet to trim his/her beak. The end of the beak contains nerve endings that help with eating, preening and caring for chicks. If this is damaged the bird might not regain these nerves, and could die from malnourishment. The other thing to look at is the diet these birds are on. It should be high protein crumble, above 28%, not soft food all the time and include oyster shell and sand or grit to aide digestion. Some times this is a natural illness, the over production of the keratin which is used for feather, nail and beak growth. It can be out of whack and will need to be addressed by a vet.

X2

This needs to be addressed by a veterinarian. Beaks are akin to your index finger. They touch, feel, taste, test for cold or heat, feel textures with their beaks. They should never be cut into for any reason unless this is done by a vet. You can file long beaks down with a nail file, but not past the blood vein. This is dangerous and inhumane.

The condition of the bird in this pic is no doubt suffering from either the abuse it had as a baby, a genetic condition or some sort of malnutrition during incubation or at the beginning of life. You will never be able to file this beak. You will need to take this bird to an avian vet.

 

[G coturnix]

The best way to fix this problem right is to show her beak to a vet. Before you do it, you never should cut or touch her beak. There is a part that they would feel pain if you cut, like our nails, and a lot of buttonquails, including her, have a dark-colored beak, which would make it harder to identify which place that part is. You can feed her by mixing her original food with water, with the ratio of 4:1.
Sorry...I think my reply was quite too late. But I think this would be helpful if you are in a similar situation or meet another quail with a damaged beak.