REALLY worried about Chubby's beak (pics)

[PaperLantern]

A few weeks ago I noticed Chubby's lower beak was getting a bit long. He has a ton of different types of toys but doesn't seem too keen on chewing them. I assumed this was the reason for the growth, although his top beak is fine. So, I called the mobile vet. She isn't an avian vet per-say but she does the beaks and nail trimmings of all my friend's parrots and she came highly recommended for simple beak trims. She did a small trim, but Chubby was very stressed so we didn't get much done. A few days later I came home from work and chubby had chipped a piece of his bottom beak. Not a huge piece, and it was a piece of the overgrown part so he wasn't bleeding and it didn't bother him. I called the mobile vet again and she trimmed and smoothed his beak down a bit more so the chip was gone. Again Chubby seemed very upset so we didn't trim the beak down to a normal length. The vet noticed a small crack down his beak. His bottom beak isn't separated or anything, and it's only in the overgrown part. It doesn't seem to hurt and he is eating fine. She said not to worry, it will grow out.

For some reason I'm imagining that the crack could somehow spread down to the actual live part of the beak. I called the avian vet (the only one in the area, four hours away) and made an appointment for August 2. Now I'm starting to get paranoid and wondering if I should take a day or two off from work sooner and try to get in sooner (maybe they will have a cancellation and he can get in). I posted pictures of his overgrown beak and the crack.

I'm also planning on getting blood work done because I don't understand WHY his beak is overgrown in the first place. I feel like crying, I feel like such a bad bird mom. What is his beak splits in half and it has to be amputated or something? I already lost one parrot a few years ago, my first parrot. I can't lose another, I wouldn't be able to deal with it.

 

[Phlox]

That does look a bit unusual. Is he having any trouble eating or other symptoms?

 

[PaperLantern]

Nope nothing else, no pain and no change in behavior that I can tell. He is eating completely normally. He was a bit pissed off after the beak trim but he started eating normally again. I've been watching the crack to make sure it doesn't get longer. So far it doesn't seem too. Do you think he will be ok to wait until the 2nd? The mobile vet said it could be due to a nutritional deficiency? I don't get how. I'm super anal about his nutrition. He's on Roudybush pellets and gets a variety of fruit, veg, and grain every day. He is a good eater, and I even weigh the pellet dust (and I weigh him) to make sure everything is ok.

This is so frustrating. And I'm so so worried.

 

[TessieB]

This does happen in birds who may have some type of nutritional/metabolic issue. Or it may be Chubby might have a slight misalignment of the lower jaw causing his lower beak to grow at an abnormal angle. A few years back I had an avian vet note that he sees beak issues in hand-fed youngsters who were a bit energetic when feeding and bumping against the plastic syringe.

If Chubby is a young bird he may do fine after one or two trims, but don't be surprised if the avian vet wants to do radiographs or blood work to rule out other issues. I've adopted birds with overgrown upper or lower beaks and once they were properly trimmed a few times they never needed to be trimmed again. One or two needed adhesive applied to a crack and once the defect grew out they never needed other care. However, I did have one Cockatoo who required routine beak trims because of poorly healed skull fracture that never allowed to beak to align properly.

The worst beak injury I had ever seen was a Quaker whose upper beak had been ripped off. The cause of the injury was unknown but the little guy was a fighter and learned to eat a liquid diet. Recovery took several months but Squeaker eventually had a normal beak and was back on a normal diet two years later.

You are not a bad birdie mom. These things happen and you have to dig in and take care of your bird when the going gets tough.

 

[Phlox]

I am not a vet, but I think I might be okay with waiting until the 2nd, especially if you trust the vet you called and they didn't deem it a serious issue either. A good vet will insist you come immediately if the symptoms are really something to worry about...I know mine does.

 

[PaperLantern]

I'm up for anything the vet wants or has to do, no matter what the financial cost. Chubby is my baby and I just want him to be happy and healthy. I'm pretty sure it's not a nutritional issue because I'm so diligent about his diet. However, you're right in that it may be a deformity, metabolic disorder, or other medical issue. I thought it would be the fact that he never wants to chew his toys, but I'm not sure if that can cause an overgrown bottom beak. *sigh* Thanks for the input, guys! I'll just keep a close eye on it until the 2nd, if it gets worst I'm going to go the vet ASAP.

 

[Kiwibird]

How old is chubby and what does he eat? I think seeing a AV is a good idea. He looks to be younger and have healthy plumage, and *usually* when a beak is overgrown due to nutritional issues, the bird is older and plumage is unhealthy too. No way to tell what is causing the beak issues, but playing with toys is always important, so why not ask the vet while your already there (and paying for it) what kind of things you can do to encourage Chubby to play more

 

[PaperLantern]

Chubby is two years and seven months old, I've had him since he finished being handfed and never had a problem with his health before this . He is on Roudybush pellets daily and has a variety of fresh fruits, veggies, and grains. I pay attention to make sure he gets a good amount of vitamin A. A example of a daily feeding would be like today

Roudybush all day 'round. In the morning he got one almond, fresh blueberries, and steamed sweet potato. For supper he got boiled beets, raw green peppers, and raw carrot slices. He also got one veggie nutriberry ball before bed as a treat.

Sometimes I also give him the occasional piece of boiled egg white, or boiled lean chicken, but that's only an occasional treat. He's not a picky eater at all and will eat almost everything offered to him except yellow bell peppers for some reason, lol.

 

[PaperLantern]

Thanks guys! I realized I'm not going to stop freaking out about this until I actually see the vet. I decided to take the time off from work and bring him next Monday. Fingers crossed, I'll keep you updated!

 

[Scott]

If I can give you some comfort... birds have an amazing capacity to survive with all sorts of beak defects. Seeing a quality avian specialist will help manage beak issues if a specific diagnosis is not possible.

I have a female Eclectus with a horribly disfigured lower beak and chronically overgrown upper. It began about 15 years ago with a pebbly consistency on bottom of the lower beak. It eventually split and the outer sides began to splay outward, allowing uncontrolled growth of the upper beak. All bloodwork then and now is absolutely normal, and she has a great diet. Her original vet would schedule a major beak trim every 6 to 8 months to include anesthesia as she was "hard to handle." For some unrelated reasons I sought a different avian specialist and he is able to simply hold her and use the dremel sander to reshape her beak. It is as though she was very used to this in a wakened state. Hmmmmm......

While all blood work has been normal, both vets believed she may have suffered from some sort of a virus when younger. Bottom line.... many beak issues that look horrific can be easily managed.

Best of luck with the visit!!

 

[PaperLantern]

Guys, I need to stop googling lol. I'm a hypochondriac when it comes to my own health, now I'm one when it comes to Chubby. I just read up on PBFD and how it causes an overgrown or deformed beak. Could this be that!?!?! Should I ask the vet to test for it? Is there even a blood test for this or do they need to do some kind of other testing? Ugh.

 

[cassiepengo]

Relax chubby will be fine im sure. Just let the vet do his regular checkup, he must be knowing if something is very wrong. Chillax

 

[goalerjones]

Although extremely rare, it is possible that Chubby has been taken over by an alien species. They always have problems when it comes to replicating the lower beak. A trip to Area 51 will clear this up for you.