Bert:)

Thanks for all the kind comments everyone Here are a few more larger shots: Cheers

That's great news Finnie, thanks a lot.

Yes, this was the colour of the cere when Pip was younger. This may explain why my other bird Bert tends to pester Pip, and is fairly concerning as I am certainly not prepared for/interested in breeding. I will split them up for now until given further advice. Thanks a lot for your quick responses. Cheers

Sorry, hopefully its working now.

I've always thought Pip was a boy, until his cere began changing colour to resemble a females. I've heard that a male with a brown cere can indicate cancer, however Pip has been healthy since the change. Let me know what you think Cheers

I've been absent from this forum for a long while and feel its time for an update! Bert is around 1.5yrs old now and Pip approximately 1yr. Below are some recent shots of them. Pip on the left, Bert on the right Sorry about the small size, I cannot figure out why Photobucket won't let me resize to anything bigger than 320 x 240. Cheers

Yea, I much prefer the oral form - quickest and most direct way to ensure he gets the medication. Pip has been looking much better over the last couple of days. The staining above his cere is becoming almost invisible and he no longer puffs himself up regularly. Thanks

Visited the vet yesterday. After examination, the vet concluded that Pip has a mild case of Bronchitis. The vet then took a swab sample and tested for any abnormal bacteria, of which there was none. The vet prescribed a general anitbiotic for a course of 10 days. She offered an oraly administered medication and one that would be added to the water. I took the oral form. Thanks for your help

Pip is looking somewhat better today. He appears less 'fluffed up'. His droppings are a consistent black and white colour, and he is still eating well. I have moved him to a smaller cage away from my other bird. I've added a second towel on his cage to keep him warmer and have moved him to a warmer room in the house. Is there a more efficient way of raising the temperature of his cage? Thanks

Hi, My youngest bird, Pip, has been showing signs of illness recently. The feathers immediately above his cere have stained a light brown colour over the course of the last 7 days, his vent is dirty (excess feces stuck to the surrounding feathers) and he is generally puffy. I have read that these symptoms could indicate a respiritory infection. He is still active and eating, and hasn't lost weight. Our vet cannot see him until Monday and I am wondering if anyone can give advice regarding his condition. Thanks

I'll lighten up the picture on photoshop this afternoon, then figure out how to enter Elly Thanks for your input about the moulting maesie, you've confirmed my thoughts. Thanks everyone

Hey all, I apologise for my lack of posting as of recently, been busy with school etc. Anyway, I thought I'd give you a quick update on Bert. Bert will be four months old this month, and is doing great. He is completely tame now, and jumps at any oppotunity to get out of the cage. I think he might be moulting (possible explination?), but I have noticed recently that Bert has started to nip a lot more for no apparent reason. At the most, I find it slightly annoying, so I'm not really fussed anyway. Here are a couple of new pics

I can't for the life of me take a clear photo of his cere, so I'm going to treat Bert for face mites, just in case. Melbournebudgies suggested a product called 'ivermectin spot on'. Is this treatment applied directly to the affected areas? As LisaVenn suggested, will cooking oil work as effectively as a store bought medication? Thanks for all your help guys!

Thanks for your replies. I was wondering if what Elly and Andrew posted was more the case of Bert's cere. I would immediately put it down to scaley face, only that his cere doesn't really compare to any photos I've seen. I will try to get a clear photo tomorrow for a better diagnosis. I don't know anything about the disease, but if it is passed on from bird to bird, this would be likely in Bert's case, as he was previously living in an aviary with other birds. Thanks

Since collecting him from my friend, I have been noticing that Bert's cere appears to be almost 'shedding' a layer. To begin with, it was smooth and there was none of this white layer, but has since developed so that it is fairly obvious when I look at Bert. I initially thought it was nothing to worry about, but since it doesn't seem to be going away, I thought I should ask. I could only come up with one explination for this shedding- scaley face. I looked up some photos of birds with scaley face, but they really don't compare to what Bert's cere looks like. I tried to get a photo but I had a lot of trouble getting a clear close up, so I'll try to describe what I see. Where the cere finishes and the beak starts there is a white layer that appears to be flaking off. The flaking is also apparent further up the cere, closer to his nostrils. I appreciate any input