Parakeet with chronic beak overgrown

[Mennoly]

Anyone have any ideas why a parakeets beak constantly gets over grown? I have read it might be linked to the liver? Should I take her to a vet for bloodwork? She is so small I worry that might do more harm than good. She is constantly picked on by my other birds and I had to separate her from the others. I take her to a vet to get trimmed and the vet has never mentioned anything. She has access to cuttle bones and whatnot but her beak needs trimmed about once a month.

 

[jak2002003]

Anyone have any ideas why a parakeets beak constantly gets over grown? I have read it might be linked to the liver? Should I take her to a vet for bloodwork? She is so small I worry that might do more harm than good. She is constantly picked on by my other birds and I had to separate her from the others. I take her to a vet to get trimmed and the vet has never mentioned anything. She has access to cuttle bones and whatnot but her beak needs trimmed about once a month.

Budgies can get this as a genetic problem.

It can happen that the top and bottom of the beak don't align properly. Normally the top and bottom will wear on each other and keep the beak short.. you can sometimes hear the resting budgies grating their upper and lower beak together.

They also keep them short by chewing... specially the females.. they love to chew up branches and any wood they can find.

It may be less stressful.. and less expensive for you, if you gently file down the birds beak with a small nail file a couple times a week... or as needed.. to stop it getting to the stage it needs clipping.

You can easily wrap it in a cloth so just its beak is sticking out.. then file it down VERY gently. You can get someone to hold the wrapped up bird while you do it near a good light.

I used to have to do that for one of my doves with scissor beak problems.

Also cuttle fish bone is not really hard enough to wear down the beak.. Try adding some fresh apple or fruit tree branches.. the parakeets love to chew off the bark and eat it.. and its very nutritious for them.. and give then lots of mental stimulation. Just be sure the branch is free from any pest sprays or wild bird poops.

Good luck.

 

[Mennoly]

Thanks! Last night for the first time I got brave and trimmed it myself and it was easy. Don't know what I was so afraid of now. I will look for some branches for her.

 

[jak2002003]

Well done you!

Its going to be a lot less stressful for your bird for you to do it.. rather than transporting it to the vets each time.. and it will save you time and money too!