I finally got my new GCC, need help. *pics

coolit · Dec 28, 2013

I finally got my new GCC, need help. (Lower beak issue) *pics

I posted earlier about getting a new Green Cheek Conure.
Her name is Sasha and she is 6 months old.

She was brought over to my place, the bird was naturally frightened, which is understandable as she just changed owners.

I can't say I am thrilled about the negative surprise as I was not put aware of this earlier, but her lower beak is deformed. After some scary google reseach, I can say it isn't all that bad. The lowerbeak is just too long.

I did not want to argue or even worse refuse to get the bird as he needs a good home and I am willing to do all I can to give it a good life.

Here are
Could a Vet trim the beak ?
Could it be permanently resolved ?
Could anyone in the Montreal Quebec area recommend a good bird vet ?

coolit · Dec 28, 2013

Well, I am getting more and more concerned with my adoption.

If I compare him to my previous bird that was about the same age, Sasha looks really bad. my new concern now is her tummy. There is a visible line in the middle from top to bottom.

Not easily viewable on the pics unfortunately.

Please help, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Rizosmom · Dec 28, 2013

Hello,,,,unfortunately I can't help you but I did google and there is an avian vet clinic in Montreal Montreal Bird and Exotic Vet hopefully this helps a little bit....good luck and I will be watching to see what other members say as I have never seen anything like this and am interested in their replies.

Abigal7 · Dec 28, 2013

I understand your concerns. I would suggest talking to the vet clinic that Rizo linked for you and set up a time for them to examine the bird. The beak maybe can be filed. What has the bird been eating? I also suggest getting a pedicure perch that it can file it's nails and beak on. I would suggest making this perch the highest perch in the cage.

coolit · Dec 28, 2013

Thanks guys.

I will take her to the vet but first I need her to settle in.
She is timid but sometimes calls for a bit of attention. But when I get close, well she doesn't seem to trust me.

I can understand that as she has only seen me for a couple of hours. I will watch over to see if she can eat properly. I gave her some apple and carrot, so far she has not touched a thing.

Mudkips · Dec 28, 2013

Sorry I can't give you any info on the beak. However the line down the middle you mention, are you referring to the indented line running from the chest down to the belly? If so, that's a normal thing that you don't need to worry about.

coolit · Dec 28, 2013

Mudkips said:
Sorry I can't give you any info on the beak. However the line down the middle you mention, are you referring to the indented line running from the chest down to the belly? If so, that's a normal thing that you don't need to worry about.

Thanks, that is at least one thing less I need to worry about.
I was very concerned as my previous baby, well, he was absolutely perfect.

Strong character, not afraid to bite too (At some point but that was corrected)
(Pythagore)

As you can see, there is no line at all on him he has this perfect round belly, perfect feathers.

Why would Sasha have that line ? In her case the line is really visible, kind of caved in...
Could it be that she isnt eating enough ? (Which is a possibility considering her beak)

Mudkips · Dec 28, 2013

Well when the line is visible, it's actually more a sign of an overweight parrot then an underweight one. But it's not something that you can pull too many conclusions from without looking into it more thoroughly. She doesn't appear overweight, and now is probably not the time to weigh her. It's something you can worry about a little later.

Look on the bright side, if she doesn't eat as much as usual, as many new parrots do at the beginning, her belly might just flatten out!

Echo · Dec 28, 2013

Yes usually you can see a line when there's a bit of an overweight issue. She might not have had the proper diet.

Now the beak needs to be filed. An avian vet would be more qualified to do this than a regular vet. It is really not something to worry about much, however she needs to have it done to be able to eat properly. It is something that you should have been aware of as you will need to get it done regularly, usually every 4 or 5 weeks forever.

coolit · Dec 28, 2013

Echo said:
Yes usually you can see a line when there's a bit of an overweight issue. She might not have had the proper diet.

Now the beak needs to be filed. An avian vet would be more qualified to do this than a regular vet. It is really not something to worry about much, however she needs to have it done to be able to eat properly. It is something that you should have been aware of as you will need to get it done regularly, usually every 4 or 5 weeks forever.

So if I understand correctly, Sasha's lower beak has an anomaly, and it has to be filed almost monthly as it will always regrow that way ?

Would you have any idea what I should expect for the cost ?

MikeyTN · Dec 28, 2013

Like what everyone else suggests, the lower beak needs to be trimmed often and that could be caused by diet and such. They probably never provided her with anything to file her beak on. It's a good thing you've taken her in.

Echo · Dec 28, 2013

coolit said:
Echo said:

Yes usually you can see a line when there's a bit of an overweight issue. She might not have had the proper diet.

Now the beak needs to be filed. An avian vet would be more qualified to do this than a regular vet. It is really not something to worry about much, however she needs to have it done to be able to eat properly. It is something that you should have been aware of as you will need to get it done regularly, usually every 4 or 5 weeks forever.

Click to expand...

So if I understand correctly, Sasha's lower beak has an anomaly, and it has to be filed almost monthly as it will always regrow that way ?

Would you have any idea what I should expect for the cost ?

This beak deformity is usually caused by an injury, often caused by another (bigger) bird. I have seen my share of beak injuries when I owned my Caiques. 2 of my birds sustained permanent beak damage.

Yes most likely your vet is gonna know you pretty well seeing you on a regular basis. My Avian vet charges $20 each beak trim here in Connecticut.

coolit · Dec 28, 2013

That is reassuring.

I am pretty new to pet ownership and have little experience with vets.
I usually hear horror stories of overpricing, so I was afraid of it being something rather ridiculous such as 200$

I will find a good local avian vet and take an appointment within the next 2 weeks. (Holiday season might make it a little harder)

Besides that tomorrow I will be heading to pet stores to get her some toys and everything the cage needs for her happiness and self maintenance.

Thanks for all the replies and all the help.

Peeko · Dec 31, 2013

The only time I've personally heard of overgrowth of the lower beak like that is when the upper beak was broken to the point of the bird having an underbite, which allowed the lower beak to grow out of control. Does it look like your bird's upper beak has been damaged? A vet should be able to file or trim the beak into a more appropriate length and shape, so it should be fixable. Good luck with your new baby, and definitely keep us updated with what the vet says!
On another note, the person selling you the bird never mentioned that its beak was deformed? That's awful and very dishonest of them. :/

coolit · Dec 31, 2013

dishonest is the least of it.
She forgot sometime very minor, the food bowls for the cage. Said she can bring them the next day before she left for Toronto, I offered to pick up.

She would just avoid calls, respond to text messages after a long delay.

I got tired of the BS so I kind of snapped and called her a dishonest ****.

She then bombarded me with a barrage of threats and insults... but serious threats about coming back to my house and breaking my legs...

It's amusing because it's all in text messages, and today as I have time on my hands will drop by a police station to show it to them, asking what can be done about it.

I will take the bird to a vet on Friday.

So far, the bird is still afraid of me, but seems happy. He plays around in his cage a lot (I added lots of goodies) he eats well and he is rather calm when on my finger, but that can only happen when he goes to the top of the cage as I don't want to chase him inside.

I hope the lower beak wont have to be re-filed every month, and if that's the case I hope it gets better as time goes on.

Thanks for the reply.

Misty15 · Jan 2, 2014

It is strange someone would threaten you like that. I wonder what the police will say??

Echo · Jan 3, 2014

coolit said:
dishonest is the least of it.
She forgot sometime very minor, the food bowls for the cage. Said she can bring them the next day before she left for Toronto, I offered to pick up.

She would just avoid calls, respond to text messages after a long delay.

I got tired of the BS so I kind of snapped and called her a dishonest ****.

She then bombarded me with a barrage of threats and insults... but serious threats about coming back to my house and breaking my legs...

It's amusing because it's all in text messages, and today as I have time on my hands will drop by a police station to show it to them, asking what can be done about it.

I will take the bird to a vet on Friday.

So far, the bird is still afraid of me, but seems happy. He plays around in his cage a lot (I added lots of goodies) he eats well and he is rather calm when on my finger, but that can only happen when he goes to the top of the cage as I don't want to chase him inside.

I hope the lower beak wont have to be re-filed every month, and if that's the case I hope it gets better as time goes on.

Thanks for the reply.

Wow that's crazy!! Break your legs!!??? Geez....

JennHacken · Jan 3, 2014

My Avian vet charges $7 for beak trimming, $10 for nails- $15 when done together with an office visit. $17 if i'm in just the for trimming.

aibocyrus · Jan 5, 2014

People can get cray, I can't believe she went as far as physical threats. If she's that defensive, obviously she did something wrong and she knows it.
I am going through the same thing with my bird just getting used to the surroundings and us.
I am going to start scheduled feeding times so my bcc starts learning that hands bring food so he can start making that positive connection, then we will move to handling I think.
You will get everything worked out with your little gcc, that bird needs a good home and I think she found it in your home. Glad to know this little one has a happy healthy life to look forward to!

-Cyrus

greencheekachick · Jan 6, 2014

Re: I finally got my new GCC, need help. (Lower beak issue) *pics

coolit said:
Her name is Sasha and she is 6 months old.

She was brought over to my place, the bird was naturally frightened, which is understandable as she just changed owners.

I can't say I am thrilled about the negative surprise as I was not put aware of this earlier, but her lower beak is deformed. After some scary google reseach, I can say it isn't all that bad. The lowerbeak is just too long.

I did not want to argue or even worse refuse to get the bird as he needs a good home and I am willing to do all I can to give it a good life.

Poor baby

So glad you took her in

.
I had a negative surprise when I picked up my Meeka too.(she was my first bird) Not to that extent but the previous owners of Meeka never told me that her left wing wasn't right. I didn't notice it until we were home with her too. She was healthy otherwise and I still don't know what happened to her that her wing is like that but I love her anyways.
Good luck with your baby and keep us updated!
Here is Meeka recently, still has that wing problem but otherwise happy and healthy!

I finally got my new GCC, need help. *pics

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