hi there, is it common for budgies beaks to get a bit rough looking ,,her beak was fine until last week when we noticed it looked very dry and ruffled around the top,i have had her for 3 weeks now and am not sure if she has flew into something or if her health could have caused this,she is constantly trying to cozy down to sleep even when just out her cage,please could i have some advise

when i got my two birds they both had quite flakey beaks. some flaking at the bottom is normal i think, but i put it down to my two having poor (all seed) diets at the pet shop. since having them i have introduced them to pellets and lots of yummy hard boiled egg and veggies, and both their beaks are very smooth now.

 

also, do they have access to mineral blocks, cuttlebone etc?

 

do you know how old she is? i know that female budgies ceres and beaks can start to look a bit ragged when they go into breeding season?

if it looks really bruised at the top part and under her cere then maybe it would be worth having a vet check her over

Edited March 28, 200520 yr by pixie25

Its very difficult to say without actually seeing it. When you say 'dry and ruffled at the top' do you mean on the cere, or the top of the actual beak, where it meets the cere? Budgies beaks can get a bit of a roughish appearance, theyre not always supersmooth and shiny, but a real noticeable change could be due to mites, or a beak parasite. These are very easily cured, and it shouldnt cost more than a few pounds at you vet. (he will put a few drops on the birds head, it absorbs into skin and bloodstream, and hey presto miteless!) Somethimes, being realistic, two or three treatments are needed, but theres no discomfort for the bird, and its not a costly treatment.

if mites are present it will look like someone sprinkled salt all over her cere. also, if she has mites they will be on her legs too. if her legs and feet look a bit flakey and she is biting them then she needs to be de-mited!

it could be scaley beak, which is caused by mites, when i suspected sky of having this i got scaley beak ointment and a mite spray, i got both these from my local pet shop. the ointment was about ?2.00 and the spray was about ?3.00.

ATD

Is your bird moulting??? My budgies always look kinda scruffy when they're moulting.

hi there not sure how old she is exactly as she was bought out the pet shop,,today i have noticed what looks like yellow fluid leaking from the nostrils ,gonna have to get her to the vet,no problem on the rest of her body but sleeping constantly

no shes not moulting all over but has started losing her feathers above top of her beak,it looks quite raw but ive not took my eyes off her today and shes not been rubbing it off anything.there is like a yellowish crusty discarge that seems to be from her nostrils....?????do birds get the cold ???????

yes then can catch colds, im not an expert but normally if theres discharge i would take her to the vet.

ATD

hi there not sure how old she is exactly as she was bought out the pet shop,,today i have noticed what looks like yellow fluid leaking from the nostrils ,gonna have to get her to the vet,no problem on the rest of her body but sleeping constantly

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

This is an emergency, she needs to see an avian vet immediately. Birds don't show illness until it's REALLY bad. They're far too good at hiding sickness until the last minute.

 

Please get her to the vet as soon as you can, don't wait around. And please let us know what happens!

i agree with devvle, both of my birds have had respiratory infections at some stage and it didnt get bad enough for them to get discharge from the nostrils... i think the infection will be quite severe and progressed by now

 

let us know what the vet said.

It's good that you're taking her to the vet. Try to get an appointment ASAP because budgies can disguise sickness and if your noticing it, it usually means they've been off colour for a while.

 

Please keep us posted on how it goes at the vets!