FINCHforum

Ok, SO I bought a New Zeb the otherday.

Well her bottom beak is longer than the top.

I have noticed that she prefers eating seeds off of the bottom of the cage. So I fill the seed cup and put seed on the floor of the cage.

Is there anything I can do or shouldn't do for her?

You should probably trim her beak. If you don't know how I would take her back to the store you just purchased her from and have them do it. I would just put seed in the cups to encourage her to not eat from the ground.

You can also take a nail file and work gently on the longer part of her beak. She won't like it, but it's safer than clipping.

I've clipped the end of my society's beak several times now. It doesn't splinter or even feel particularly hard, just clips off. It IS very sharp and thin. If there were more beak material I think I would try a file, but so far, haven't needed to.

Are there any pictures that show what the ideal beak shape should be for the different species?

I don't think any of mine need their beak trimmed, but for future reference it would be good to know.

They should only need to have their beak trimmed if it is overgrown. You can usually tell very easily. Either the top or bottom will normally be longer, and sometimes both will grow out of control.