Blue and gold macaw beak

[cat602]

My blue and gold macaw is going through the molting of her beak. She is a very voracious user of her beak (splitting little wooden blocks I put on a string on her perch), and I just noticed this oddity on her beak yesterday. It is as if she has worn the lower portion of her beak halfway though, and now it looks beige instead of black. I wish I could send a photo..it does not appear to be a fungus, and she has never had problems with molting before. Her diet consists of fresh fruit, pellets, nuts, sweet potatoes and carrots (she hates greens). I am still trying to wean her off of seeds. The only thing I have been doing is keeping it clean and dry. Any ideas?

 

[Tosca]

Macaw beaks do not molt. They wear down from use. Is the beak soft? Odor? How old is the bird? Without a picture, it would be hard to give advice.

 

[cat602]

Thanks so much for a response! Taylor's beak is not soft, and there is no odor. She is 16 years old. She does like to chew her wooden blocks a lot..I sent an attachment, sorry that it isn't very good.

 

[weco]

While Tosca is right about their beaks wearing down, our feathered friend's beaks are layered and these layers will sometimes curl & give the appearance of flaking off.....normally a bird will groom its beak by rubbing it against a hard surface, cage bars, perches, toys, etc., but if you were to invest in a suitable sized manicure perch, one that is smooth on the top & bottom and having gritty sides, much like an emery board, those gritty surfaces will help keep their nails/talons trim & give them a surface to dress their beaks on.....

You don't want perches with the gritty surface on top as those types can abrade a bird's toe & foot pads.....again, welcome aboard.....