My 14 month budgie will not take care of his beak.

Every 6 to 8 weeks I must have a vet trim the beak as it becomes overgrown and brittle at the end and interferes with his eating.

He has all manner of chewing items but does not seem to like any of them except the processed wooden mirror frame that splinters and becomes dust with his chewing of it which I had to cover up as its not a good idea for him to chew.

Would appreciate any ideas to encourage him to love his beak and/or other experiences you may have encountered

Has your vet run any tests to determine why your budgies beak is growing too fast?

The average beak grows approx 6" a year,faster when the bird is young and slows with age so the constant use of the beak keeps growth in check but mine will not use his on hard or abrasive materials and the added complication being that clipping beaks and claws encourages growth.

Edited August 22, 200420 yr by dextrious

I didn't know that. That's quite a bit of growth! My birds have never had a problem with an overgrown beak, most of them don't even peel, so I'm not sure what to suggest. However, in their cages they have the usual manner of wooden toys and branches, a calcium perch, cuttlebone, and a concrete perch. Maybe you could add an 'edible' type of perch if you don't have one already. I'll look around for some other suggestions.

Thanks,

he does have edible perches,apple tree branches and eucalyptus branches to perch/chew on but has no interest in chewing anything but the processed mirror surround which has made him choke.

He enjoys soft materials,untreated leather and clothing but obviously this has no benefit to his beak.

Not to worry you, but I did some research today to see what you could do about that beak, and most every site mentioned a dietary vitamin A deficiency or liver problems as reasons a budgie's beak and nails will overgrow. Hopefully your vet has ruled these out???