Odd growing beak - yikes!

[L in Ontario]

I have this beautiful young Gouldian that hatched December 24th, 2007. He's just finishing his moult now (the lazy butt) but it's his beak I'm concerned about. It is growing an extra bit off to the side. I did trim it once with nail clippers but I'm very nervous about hitting a blood vein (that I heard all birds have in their beaks).

1. Is it safe to trim it down to be inline with the rest of his beak - as it should be?

2. If I trim it more (successfully) will it keep growing out like in the picture below.

It's the same picture but one is outlined to show you directly where the growth is. He is singing quite proudly in the pic below.





Thanks muchly!!

[atarasi]

Liz, it's hard to see. The tips of the upper and lower beak look together.
I have a cock that has a beak whose tips aren't completely lining up, but he eats fine.

[L in Ontario]

It's not the tips of the beak - they are fine. It's a extended portion of the beak that grows off to the side. I'll see if I can enlarge the photo and post it here. That's not a seed nor food hanging off his beak - it IS an extra piece of his beak growing off to the side.

[poohbear]

Provide cuttlebone it might help...If it's not hampering feeding I wouldn't worry about it...it doesn't look too thick and obtrusive.
Paul.

[L in Ontario]

Thanks Paul. I do have cuttlebone in every cage - several pieces in different locations. You're right it isn't too thick. I nipped most of it off tonight with clippers when I moved him to a different cage. But I presume it will simply grow back. I'll leave it as it does not impede him.

[ruth]

I have a young society with a wonky beak. One of the canaries that I had attacked it and broke it. It's lower beak is now longer than it's top beak and needs trimming now and again as it starts to have trouble pecking and sort of starts eating sideways. I didn't know that they have veins in their beaks, am I doing any harm? I only trim off the end bit to make it level with the top part of it's beak.
By the way L in Ontario, that's a beautiful bird! He's really cute.

[L in Ontario]

Hi Ruth,
Yes trimming the very tip of their beak is okay in order to bring it back inline with the other. I have another Gouldian who's upper mandible is overgrown a little to the side and overgrows the lower mandible. I trim it back for her every now and then, just enough to bring it back inline to meet the bottom mandible properly.

As long as you don't take off too much you won't hit the vein. I think it's sort of like birds (and cats and dogs) have veins in their claws too and if you cut too short, it will bleed and be painful for them as well.

Thank you - he is colouring up beautiful now. It took long enough - he was hatched December 24th, 2007!! His sibling brother isn't anywhere near as coloured up as this one!

[mickp]

I have cuttlefish in the aviary for the birds to do with as they wish in addition to this though once a week I put powdered cuttlefish in the aviary in a seperate dish. they seem to enjoy it as the dish is always empty after a few hours. have even covered the live food with it a few times just to make sure that all the birds are getting some

[Hilary]

I've read that cuttlebone really isn't hard enough to do much good for keeping beaks trimmed. In cages with problem birds I've added mineral blocks, but those only help if the darn birds use them. Sometimes you just have a trim. I've noticed that the birds that get extra growth on the ends of their upper or lower beak tend to continue to need trimming (the red cheek cordon bleus are buggers in that regard), but often those that get a growth on the side don't seem to have the same problem with regrowth. Maybe I've just been lucky.

[L in Ontario]

I've read that cuttlebone really isn't hard enough to do much good for keeping beaks trimmed.

I have cuttlebone all the time in all the cages. I believe it only provides calcium as needed. But the cement perches and grit wheels could help with the beak/nail trimming - again IF they use them.

In cages with problem birds I've added mineral blocks, but those only help if the darn birds use them. Sometimes you just have a trim.

Again ditto - I have mineral blocks in all the finch cages as well and I agree - IF they use them, great.

I've noticed that the birds that get extra growth on the ends of their upper or lower beak tend to continue to need trimming (the red cheek cordon bleus are buggers in that regard), but often those that get a growth on the side don't seem to have the same problem with regrowth. Maybe I've just been lucky.

Ditto here again. I have 1 hen that I need to trim the end of her beak periodically as it grows beyond the upper manidble and a bit off to the side once it is beyond the upper mandible. I'm sure glad to read and hope it's right about the growth in the middle of the beak and growing sideways not coming back after trimming. I'll keep my fingers crossed and let you know!

Thanks all!

[DVBourassa]

My male gouldian has this same problem. I was able to trim some of it off last night with some cuticle scissors. Did you find that it continued to grow back?

[L in Ontario]

Hi Dianna - I still have that male Gouldian and NO it never grew back once I removed it. I'm sure yours will be fine too!

[cindy]

Liz,

I found this site, actually I have the main glossary bookmarked and I use it from time to time. I found the section on beak issues:

http://www.avianweb.com/beakdeformities.html

The beak not only has blood vessels but nerves running through it. I also read that some finches trim the end of their beaks by tapping down hard say on the bottom of a seed dish. I have seen my owl finch do this to the top of the wooden nest box and my RCCB male do it to the side of a seed cup several times. I found none of my finches really fuss with the cuttle bone much, I am going to try the flavored mineral sticks from Bird Supply NH with my next order.

https://www.birdsupplynh.com/catalog/pr ... b1307eda3c

My lovebird likes the flavored mineral block and does not use a cuttlebone. I grind flavored mineral blocks and cuttlebone into the oyster sell and they like it.

[L in Ontario]

The beak not only has blood vessels but nerves running through it.

Yes, that's why you have to be careful not to remove too much and try to note any changes in the beak sooner rather than later. In general don't just admire your birds, but look at them for specific health issues.

[cindy]

I found that interesting about all the nerves. For years before I got my Gray I always thought of it as like a thick fingernail with the nerves near the base. My avian vet said to let her trim anything that may need to be trimmed since Grays growl and can bite hard, she told me about the nerves.

I wonder if the little piece that is thick and discolored has nerves in it, did it bleed when you trimmed it away?

If it didn't maybe the nerves aren't in the overgrowth.