Overgrown beak on ekkie male + seasonal plucking

[chris-md]

Let me start by saying there is maybe 2% chance of anything coming of this, but:

I found a make ekkie for adoption in my area on Craigslist that has piqued my interest. One thing I see is what appears to be an overgrown beak. I've attached one of the pics so you can see. What might cause this? I've seen references to kidney or liver damage, I hope that's not the case!

Additionally, the description says he plucks in the winter. But it stops in the spring I thought most plucking is year long, so there must be a logical reason for winter only plucking

This person really appears to care about the bird and will be putting any potential adopter through the wringer. Before I even contemplate the possibility of adopting I'd definitely like to hear what could be behind these things I'm seeing.p and what they could foreshadow for the future.

Thanks for any guidance!

 

[Sterling1113]

It could be a health issue, or it could be he doesnt have the toys to chew so he can wear it down himself. Or he just doesnt. I had an ekkie for a short time who refused to touch toys.

The winter time plucking might just be because the air gets dry, or some other climate change. Things like that affect our birds more than you'd think. Relocating, season changes, weather changes, can make our birds uncomfortable or make their feathers feel constantly "dirty" thus they pluck them. It might not be a health condition, but it's a chance.

 

[Doublete]

Ah yes I saw that ad.

Seemed to me he just needs proper care for an ekkie.

 

[chris-md]

Thank you, both! You're affirming my initial gut intuition based on his description, nothing likely super scary and just needs better care. The beak does concern me, I might insist on blood work if I were to try moving forward.

Now to convince DH an adoption NOW is a better choice than a baby 2 years from now at 4x the price. Soliciting advise on that conversation!

 

[JerseyWendy]

....

Now to convince DH an adoption NOW is a better choice than a baby 2 years from now at 4x the price. Soliciting advise on that conversation!

LOL! I initially thought (even only for a nanosecond) you were talking about a HUMAN baby.

I'd most definitely insist on bloodwork being done on this ekki. Even though the beak isn't atrociously long, it is most definitely overgrown.

And you're right, ekkis breed throughout the year, so the plucking is a bit off if only done seasonally. Perhaps the owner keeps the heat up too high, it's too dry in the house, not enough baths, etc etc. Many possibilities there.

Have you 'felt out' the owner about what sort of diet the bird is on?

 

[chris-md]

LOL! I initially thought (even only for a nanosecond) you were talking about a HUMAN baby.

I'd most definitely insist on bloodwork being done on this ekki. Even though the beak isn't atrociously long, it is most definitely overgrown.

And you're right, ekkis breed throughout the year, so the plucking is a bit off if only done seasonally. Perhaps the owner keeps the heat up too high, it's too dry in the house, not enough baths, etc etc. Many possibilities there.

Have you 'felt out' the owner about what sort of diet the bird is on?

LOL Nah, we're too greedy for a human baby! And as gay men, its slightly more daunting a process. When I broached the subject of a parrot with him a couple month ago, I told him I was initially thinking it would take a couple years to save up the required money, and make sure the roommate is moved out so it wouldn't bother him (hes a touchy one). Roommate served notice last month after 5 years, so hes gone after this month, and the $500 adoption fee which include a 6'x4'x2' cage is actually pretty attainable right now.

I haven't reached out to the seller yet (still need to discuss with DH first! I told him theres a bird I'm curious about but haven't really thought it through). The description said the bird is on a diet of a combination of pellets, and fresh fruit/veg, I do wonder the ratio. I was thinking in the back of my head the plucking might be due to dry skin during the winter, and was curious how often the bird gets a bath.

 

[Dopey]

More than likely the person will lie about how often it gets baths.
Good luck. I love my Ekkies.

 

[akrrm]

Good luck. I hope you get a response when you contact them.

 

[SilverSage]

An overgrown beak can be the first sign of fatty liver disease, so yes please get blood work! However, from my understanding the condition is often reversible through proper diet and can be greatly helped along by Aloe Detox.

As for the plucking, if it is seasonal I would say it's environmental, or possibly dietary if the bird doesn't get fresh fruit unless it is in season. My new eckies are plucked, but my make is growing in feathers after less than two weeks which leads me to believe that something I have done to change his life has eliminated a good chunk of his problems. It could also be that the bird gets direct sunlight the rest of the year and not in summer.

Please keep us updated!

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Blood work is a must... but let me give my two cents on the problem with Eclectus. We (the avian community) seem grossly uneducated about the real dietary needs of an Eclectus. Based their intestinal length they require huge quantities of fiber and should be fed about 80% fruit (in my experience). I see countless Eclectus that pluck and have overgrown beaks. Any that we ave dealt with have had clean blood work when tested. We trim the beak and change the diet and really lower the beta carotene in the diet and that arrests the beak overgrowth. There is a lot I could say on this but I am typing from a phone and I'm currently eight hours from home and I just don't have the time to go into much detail presently. If you want to hear more from me in depth on this please let me know and when I get back to my home and computer I'll give specifics. Hope this helps.

 

[SilverSage]

I'm dealing with two plucked Eckies out of a bad situation, I would LOVE some more specifics.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I get home Friday, so I'll do a longer message or reply Friday afternoon or Saturday.

 

[chris-md]

Thanks all. Can't express my appreciation enough!

DH was a tad cool on it, but we spoke a bit more about what the listing is about (a bird who needs a home...his first question was "is this from someone who has a lot of adoptions [i.e. a foster]), he read the listing, and he warmed up a bit seeing it could be a potentially great deal (especially when cast as not having to spend $2K).

I also didn't notice the posting is 19 days old. So before we go any farther I fired off an email to see if the bird is still available.

Shredded, please do post more

 

[chris-md]

So it turns out someone is supposed to pick up the ekkie on Sunday, but if that falls through they will let me know. So it's not likely to be this time. Let me tell you DH Is relieved!

 

[Dopey]

So it turns out someone is supposed to pick up the ekkie on Sunday, but if that falls through they will let me know. So it's not likely to be this time. Let me tell you DH Is relieved!

A lot of these people don't show up so keep in touch with the person who is selling the Ekkie.

 

[chris-md]

Dopey, how prescient an observation. Got an email this morning saying the person had backed out and I could have it if interested.

We will see. I brought this to DH and he felt so much pressure to even go on a fact finding mission (I will spare you the details of his reaction, but I will say it shows just how sensitive he is), I nearly called the whole thing off. After 3 hours of tortured thought he agreed to at least go see the bird and ask some basic questions. Waiting for the person to get back to me on if we can visit today.

 

[Terry57]

I hope your visit goes well and that your DH falls in love with that sweetie.

 

[labell]

Well....how did it go?

 

[chris-md]

I just got back, and learned a lot. He's a big boy! Larger than I was assuming, Likely a vos or red sided. I can't tell in his feathered state. Certainly not a solomons.

There was a reason he only had a couple head shots: his entire chest is nothing but grey down feathers. I learned he's mostly on an Eclectus-specific pellet diet, looks like Trix cereal...:-S and is frequently fed seeds/peanuts for treats. he's also 6 years old, and just entering hormonal teen time. He's kind of bare around his vent because he's been making amorous advances to his large rope toy. So nesting instincts plus subpar diet likely explains the feathers and beak. The feathers don't seem to be recovering like they did last year for them. Mine would be his third home. They have five kids, including a 6 month old so they can't care for it like they need to.

He's nervous but curious around new folks. Stepped up to me with a bit of coaxing (even readily ran up to my shoulder!) but refused to step up to DH. Got pegged a couple times with warning bites when I pushed it a little too far for step ups - totally my fault and I knew it. But he readily gave me kisses. And I got a hello

Now for the talk with DH. He had an emotional meltdown when I merely mentioned visiting the bird. But he got better, and even admitted the bird seems pretty sweet. He might bend. We'll be making a decision by tues.

Ish just got real folks!

 

[chris-md]

Re: Overgrown beak on ekkie male + seasonal plucking - UPDATE

IM GETING AN ECLECTUS!!!!

DH relented - with the caveat that I don't push their relationship. "I'm not gonna want to have much to do with him for the first few weeks." I'll take it!

He will need a much better name though. Would I be doing a disservice by giving him a new name? Should I keep the name he's used to?