Hi there everyone, I've just enjoyed a good hour reading through some of the topics here (while I tried to remember my own uni email addy!! ) Lots and lots of great pictures to be seen and good advice given

 

okay, go easy on me please, my budgie "Birdy" will be 7 on May 3rd this year. Until a little over a year ago I did not know he should really have a proportion of his diet as fresh greens or fruit so up until that point he was fed exclusively on Trill (he wont eat anything less!)

 

Basically, I noticed this weekend while visiting home (I go home each weekend but my enthusiastic little sister cares for my Birdy while I'm at uni) that his cere which had brownish areas to it at least a year ago now has over time gotten entirely brown and is now beginning to get a little dry looking I have pictures from April 2nd last year to show the comparison. The earliest pics I have of him arent worth seeing and are only from July 04.

 

He is definitely male and had a deep blue cere until he was at least 5. Also, I'm a little worried that everyone elses birds have such lovely neat beaks while perhaps it's just that I'm not trimming it often enough or well enough but his seems errr... rather blunt and fast growing compared to the neat little things your birds seem to have

 

I have read information about testicular cancer and other info about vitamin deficiency being the cause of a brown cere in a known male budgie. He has no other signs of ill health and I have always thought that I had cared for him very well, no lumps or odd behaviour going on, just lots of his usual loud and characterful self

 

anyway here's the pics;

April 05

 

Click here to see full body picture

 

 

And taken today

 

Click here for full body picture

 

 

 

Thank you all in advance for any advice or information you can give me

Lotte***

Welcome to the forum. I'm quite new myself so can't comment on the why's but the beak and cere don't look normal to me. I'll watch this post for sure because I'm curious about the cause. I hope all will be okay with your budgie. And I look forward to hearing more about him.

he is gorgeous, if his cere has always been a bright blue, I would say your theory of what is going on could be true. The best thing you can do is to take him in to an avian vet for a check-up and they can determine best why his cere has turned brown.

 

Look forward to seeing more pictures and getting to know you.

DOn't feel bad that you didn't give him fruit and such becuase you didn't know. 7 is a great age for a budgie even with fresh food some don't make it to that age.

 

Have you ever been shown how to trim a beak? I can't talk since I havn't but I would thing it needed to be trimmed to a point like normal.

 

Your right with the testicular cancer and such turning a males cere brown and would be best to see an avain vet like others have said to pin point the problem and get a treatment for it if any. WHile there the vet can trim beaks as well showing the way. I'm just worried with the blunt end he is will have trouble to pick up seeds and de-husk them.

Hi Charlotte and welcome!

 

It is true that a brown cere on a male could be a sign of a testicular tumor. Has the cere always been dark blue, or was it a lighter blue? In the first picture you posted, a good case could be made for the blue on the cere being of an out of condition hen, as it's not a very dark blue. But that could be because of the flash too. If you are certain you have a male, I think a visit to an avian vet would be in order. Do you have an avian vet near you? A regular vet I don't think would be versed enough in avian medicine to want to do all the bloodwork, etc., but you never know. Has his beak always been overgrown? Do his nails grow too fast also? Nails and beaks that grow too fast is one sign of trouble with the liver, or also due to malnutrition since you say he's only eaten seed up until recently. You should never have to trim the beak of a healthy budgie. Seven is getting up there in age for most budgies, and I think most of them don't make it that far so you are lucky in that respect. I am definitely not a vet, so take this with a grain of salt ( ), but I would lean more toward dietary deficiencies or some other cause because I think tumors tend to grow and spread quickly. But I don't know that for certain. In my experience they have. He really does look like a hen in both pictures.

 

He is a lovely shade of blue, and he looks to still have that sparkle in his eye. I believe you when you say he is happy. He looks like he's smiling in that second closeup of the head.

Hi guys!

 

Luckily I do have a specialist Avian veterinarian practically on my doorstep (5 mins down the road) I use the same surgery for my cornsnake Stanley already.

 

I knew really that an appointment was definitely in order, I just wanted to show him off a little and get some good opinions before I do anything.

 

I'm quite ashamed (arent we all when we realise there was a lot more to know...) that no, no one ever showed me how to trim his beak and claws but I have always needed to since he was around 18 months of age, perhaps with a more comprehensive better diet I might see some improvement? He currently has trill seed every day and some fruits like plum, peach, banana and pear aswell as dandelion leaves when we can get them (got TONS right now) but probably not often enough

 

I've heard that hens behave very differently from cocks and to be honest I've always thought his behavior aswell as cere gave it away that he's a male. I think perhaps he's always regarded me as his partner happy to sit on my shoulder and play with my hair or give me a kiss, he responds to me vocally when I speak to him, but normally I address him in his own speak He never did too well at talking except for sortof saying "cheeky" so we have our conversations in his language

When I come home on the weekends apparently he uses a call he doesnt use while I'm away, a really loud cheep until I pay him some attention! Then there's the fact he spent his first 3 years erm *coughs* rubbing his cloaca on the bars or perches in excitement when I came to his cage... for all I know that's a hen trait! But I assumed he was a randy male

 

Looking through pictures on google image search, I always just thought he was a male and that his cere was blue enough to be. But it was never as blue as for instance This picture. Oh I'm just confused now!

 

anyway here's another picture just for good luck, thank you all for your help and any more suggestions and comments are more than welcomed

One thing I have heard & read is that when a male budgie becomes sterile his cere will change colour.

featheredpets has a 7 year old Albino male whose cere is brown.

Hi again Charlotte. If he tucks his tail between his legs when he rubs, I'd guess male. I've never seen a female...um, do that... before so I don't know what THAT looks like. I can't see your picture, the link gives an error message, but here is one of my male's cere. Was it ever that dark?

 

 

There are some differences in the way the sexes behave, most notably I've found is the noise level. Males will chirp, warble, and make up interesting whistles and do it almost constantly, while females will sing some, but usually not as long. They tend to make more one or two syllable noises while males may go on and on and on..... Hens are much quieter. Males also have little trouble sharing with another bird, while females think everything belongs to them, and if another bird looks remotely interested in a toy, food, whatever, they will give the angry dolphin noise and chase them away. Whether they want it or not. I've found males to be more standoffish, while females are more loving. I don't think the strength of the bite has much to do with it, as most people will tell you females bite harder, but my experience is that males bite just as hard as females do. The head of a female tends to be more "boxy" looking, and the head of a male is more rounded.

 

Your bird almost sounds to be female to me. It's good you have an avian vet so close. If you can, I'd start adding baby carrots, broccoli, baby spinach, and kale to the diet. Also, nice picture! I like your hair color.

Hi again Rainbow, Thank you for your latest reply :budgiedance:

 

The picture I had tried to link to was pretty much the same as the one you have posted :budgiedance: So no I dont think it was ever quite as dark blue as that.

 

He sings almost constantly all day, from the crack of dawn till very very late! He sings to the birds outside and mimics them, he sings to anyone in the room and makes just as much noise when the room is empty! (Much to my Dad's annoyance ) And he doesnt bite, if you are rude enough to poke your fingers through the bars of his cage he will place his beak on you, but it isnt a bite so much as a saying no gently.

 

But anyway! We'll find out soon enough, thank you all for your help and I'll keep you updated on his progress and the outcome of his trip to the vets (Which may have to wait a short while since I have my university finals in 3 weeks :S )

 

Lotte***

If he is that noisey, I'd say you were right in thinking him male all along. :hap: Please keep us updated, and good luck on your finals!