Help Simon please

[josh0088]

Hey all! First post here and it happens to be on less than wonderful terms...

we are calling tomorrow to schedule a vet visit, but I would love to hear from you guys to see if yall have ever seen this before.

It is hard to get a closed mouth pic bc he is so camera shy, but you can see how half of his left side of his beak appears to be gone...he has cut back his eating by a great amount and we are worried. I will try and get better pics if you need it...

Thank you!

 

[gracebowen]

Hi I'm sure people with more experience will have better ideas. How did it happen?
Have you tried giving him soft food such as cooked carrots or baby food?

 

[Allee]

Hello and Welcome to the forum, Josh!

When and how did Simon get hurt? How long has he been eating less?

 

[josh0088]

Hey guys thanks for the responses. I don't know when this happened...simon is a really mean bird and does not like to come out of his cage except from his one main owner.

So y'all are sure its an injury? His eating habits have changed for probably 2 weeks now.

when his mouth is shut it almost appeared as if his jaw is broken but he is still talking up a storm and doesn't act at all as if he is injured...minus the eating habits.

Thanks so much guys...

 

[Allee]

Please go ahead with your decision to take Simon to an Avian Veterinarian. He needs a thorough examination to rule out infection or anything else that may be going on. Please let us know how it turns out.

 

[Birdman666]

1. He needs vet care.

2. At the very least he needs to have his beak groomed.

3. Birds that do not get handled do not stay tame. It's not that he's mean, it's that HE NEEDS TO BE WORKED WITH DAILY... NOT ONCE IN A GREAT WHILE.

4. How much outside the cage time does he get? Birds that get locked in cages all the time, become sensory deprived and suffer from boredom and psychological problems. Many become quite angry, at being locked up and left to rot in a cage. THEY NEED FOUR HOURS OF OUTSIDE THE CAGE TIME EVERY DAY. NOT ONCE IN A WHILE. EVERY DAY!

5. Locking them up like that also makes them cage bound and territorial. THIS LITTLE BITTY SPACE IS ALL I HAVE LEFT IN THE WORLD. I'M TRAPPED IN HERE, AND I NEED TO DEFEND THIS SPACE, AND MY LIFE... So they attack when the cage opens, because they don't know how to act. Everything is a potential threat. (UNTIL SOMEONE TEACHES THEM OTHERWISE!)

 

[JellyBean]

Totally agree with Birdman; please take him to the vet ASAP. Let us know how he gets on.. also please use this forum to help Simon with his behaviour problems! He sounds like a little character!

 

[Birdman666]

Birds that are biting need to get handled MORE not LESS...

Start over with basic step up training. If you're afraid of being bit. Take a towel and wrap it around your arm. Do basic step up and no bite practice. Until he gets it.

If he's cage bound, work with him in another room, where he can't see the cage. Put a boing or a playstand in the other room. Leave him out on it. Let him get a taste of freedom.

 

[mh434]

I agree that he needs an avian vet visit right away. I would expect an Xray would be in order to ensure there's nothing broken. The beak portion itself will eventually grow back, but he may need an adjusted diet until it does, to ensure he gets proper nutrition.

The injury looks to me to be consistent with biting the bars of his cage while defending it against an "intruder". While they have tremendous bite pressure, and beaks are strong, they're no match for steel bars.

Bitey birds are a challenge, but if you wear them down with kindness, most of them will come around.

 

[JellyBean]

How did Simon get on at the vet?

 

[Bandespresso]

One more vote for please handle him more! I'm willing to bet that, with just a little socialization, he could be a super sweet guy. I would also like to politwky suggest removing the newspaper covering his grate: it looks from the pictures like he is demonstrating nesting behaviour which makes him even more territorial.

Hope nothing is broken! A chipped beak is an easy enough fix with some upkeep and antibiotics to prevent infection