Budgie Beak

[DancingBudgies]

Hi!
I have recently noticed that my budgies beak look pretty long and her bites seemed to hurt more. She always had wood, toys, and cuttlebones to chew but is that not enough now? She seemed to just tear through it. Is her beak overgrown? If so, please let me know how to trim it. Really sorry the image ia blurry. She won't stop moving.

 

[taxidermynerd]

Never try to trim a beak yourself. That is something you go to the vet for. Ideally your bird should not need a beak trim, the chewing on everything should keep it in check. But I would say it looks like she does need a trim.

If her beak is growing rapidly, then that would be very important to see the vet about, as it could be a sign of liver problems. That's how I found out about my budgie's liver problems.

As always, if you are worried, take your bird to the vet. But definitely don't try to trim her beak yourself.

 

[DancingBudgies]

Thanks for the advice, I didn't really plan on trimming it myself, just more wood or toys, but I still do appreciate the warning. I'll check in with the vet as soon as I can but I really do doubt liver issues. She has a balanced diet, and gets plenty of sunshine. Thanks again!!

 

[Fergus Mom]

This post has me thinking about the different woods used in toys, and also I just looked at some of those things called a beak grinding stone. I wonder if those things are safe? And which woods are best for keeping the beak in good health? (Not too hard, not too soft?)

 

[Miss_sj]

This post has me thinking about the different woods used in toys, and also I just looked at some of those things called a beak grinding stone. I wonder if those things are safe? And which woods are best for keeping the beak in good health? (Not too hard, not too soft?)

I'm following as I would also like to hear AA experts thoughts!

 

[Fergus Mom]

Me too Stacie, I hope some of the folks will chime in soon! Maybe our posts will bump the original post... I guess that is how it works...

 

[painesgrey]

My birds' beaks are significantly stronger than a budgie's, so take with a grain of salt:

I've had pumice perches and bits on bird toys. My birds never showed much interest in them, so they did nothing to help with beak maintenance.

The best luck I've had is using pine squares from Avian Antics. I use the 1/4" squares and my birds love chipping at them. Now, a little budgie beak is going to have issues with a wood like pine, but you might find somewhere that can cut it thinner to make it more appropriate.

My birds are also a huge fan of bird kabobs - yucca - which they can shred in no time flat. It might take a budgie a little more time to get through, but it's certainly something doable for them.

Then, of course, there's balsa. Balsa is super soft and easy for even the smallest parrots to destroy.

You can also look into getting perches made of bird-safe natural woods with the bark still on. Birds love to pick off bark! My Piper is partial to the basswood bark on the platform perches I made.

Natural cork is another option, though it tends to be pricey.

 

[Dorcas George]

My two budgies love the bird kabob.

 

[Budgiebonkers]

overgrown beak could also be a mite problem aswell