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Urgent Budgie beak ripped off in accidental fight with Lovebird

lyx

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I'm glad to hear Daisy is doing well! Thats great news :)
 

Monica

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Thanks Monica
The specific Lovebird in question is a Lutino and she was trying to get into the nestbox of Daisy. As Daisy had one chick; she obviously defended her nest. Needless to say after this I removed the two breeding boxes and put them into cages. There is one chick in Daisy's box and the other budgie pair has 3 chicks. They are Inos as Mom is a Lutino( Tulip) and the Dad is an Albino(Palecheek). I love my budgies; Lovebirds and the babies are precious!

I've been there myself, and due to my own mistake. I had a cage that *had* to have a solid "seed guard" around the base of the cage, that was flat against the cage itself. The bottom on the sides had holes, for dishes, and the guards kept the dishes in place while also keeping birds in. I never had dishes to use there, but I did use the guards. Unfortunately, the guards were made of glass, and while cleaning the cage one day, I had them all stacked up together and something heavy fell on them and shattered the guards. Instead of replacing them immediately, I put it off and used a temporary, flimsy guard. Well, one of the birds that was living in the cage got out and into my conure's area. My conure, unhappy with an unwanted guest, removed the top of her beak. She was an older bird and didn't survive the next 24 hours. :( I immediately stopped using that cage until I was able to get a proper work-around for the guards.


There may be no avian vets in the wild, but it's rare for one parrot to cause *that* much harm to another parrot in the wild. Otherwise, we wouldn't have as many parrots as we do.


It's even tougher when you can't trust the local vets, and at that point, you just have to keep trying and hoping that you can find one that you can trust, or find a vet who is willing to consult with an avian vet for care.


I live in an area that has several veterinarians, and some do treat birds. I've been to three, and of those three, I only trust one. I end up kind of lost without my a-vet when she's out of town or not working and I *need* to take one of my birds to a vet. I end up spending even more money in vet bills because one of the others wasn't helpful.
 

Mariane

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Hi Monica sorry you lost your bird in that way. Lovebirds are normaly fine with Budgies but if they see a box they want to breed and get in it; but still they are not out to kill a Budgie(normally) but they do show a bit of aggression when it comes to breeding. My Aviary is quite big. My husband is in the building trade; and he built me a big avery outside. The Lovebirds are seperated from Budgies by a sliding door. On a very hot day i open the doors so there is more breeze blowing through. ( Here in SA it can get VERY hot on certain days) in the past 7 years i had no problems with their interaction. This was just because of nesting boxes. I have subsequently removed all nesting boxes and decided if I do want to pair a budgie couple again( i doubt) ill do it in a completely seperate cage. Since i removed the boxes all is calm again. Daisy is really doing well without the beak and adjusted to new feeding routine.
 

Mariane

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To me its not the travel time nor the payment of the Vet; but the issue of how good an Avian vet is and is my bird going to survive the Vet; nevermind the injury. When i catch my birds and handle them, most of them dont stress nor fret and dont start gagging like some of the wild birds i' ve handled ......but if another person handles them they bite and struggle and gag.
 

Begone

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To me its not the travel time nor the payment of the Vet; but the issue of how good an Avian vet is and is my bird going to survive the Vet; nevermind the injury. When i catch my birds and handle them, most of them dont stress nor fret and dont start gagging like some of the wild birds i' ve handled ......but if another person handles them they bite and struggle and gag.
If you had lived in Sweden they would have take your birds from you for not taken them to the vet when they need care.
 

Monica

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I've come across *plenty* of stories of lovebirds who did not do well with another species... didn't matter if that other species was a budgie, a conure, a cockatiel, or even a cockatoo! Lovebirds within captivity have a bad rap for going after other birds, regardless of species.
 

cosmolove

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I've come across *plenty* of stories of lovebirds who did not do well with another species... didn't matter if that other species was a budgie, a conure, a cockatiel, or even a cockatoo! Lovebirds within captivity have a bad rap for going after other birds, regardless of species.

I also have heard and seen this personally. Lovebirds do not often play well with others, especially smaller birds. I use to work at a pet store and some of the things I saw from customers or stories they told were crazy about lovebirds.

Now with that being said I adore lovebirds and like the snarky little things LOL
 

Mariane

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If you had lived in Sweden they would have take your birds from you for not taken them to the vet when they need care.
Hi Eloy; that is Sweden; this is South Africa and the Vets are no good for birds. Of my 3 birds previously that i took to vet all 3 died. Of other of my birds i cured or helped with Breeders' and a bird experts help and Advice i managed to save 5 birds that got sick or injured.
So compare apples with apples.
 

finchly

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Thanks for keeping us updated!
 

Mariane

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Daisy is still doing well and gobbling from my fingers and porridge from syringe. Im introducing multivitamins and calcium in porridge from now on. Also noticed a remarkable change in her beak! The bottom beak seems to have grown considerably upwards! Am i imagining things?! Even hubby noticed! He says its more than 2mm longer upwards! Herewith photos.
 

Mariane

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Her front view reminds me a bit of Pete's Dragon! Cute pie!
 

DQTimnehs

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Without the top beak to scrape against, the bottom beak will naturally grow longer than normal. She may then be able to scoop up food with it.
 

Fia Baby

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She's missing her entire upper beak? It looks like that in the photo, but maybe I'm wrong... If that's the case, her bottom beak will continue to grow, and since it has nothing to wear it down, you'll need to figure out a way to groom (file) this for her. It could be challenging, especially at first, but she's probably getting very comfortable with you handling her extensively. That will help. I think you could condition her to accept daily, or very frequent, filings to keep this growth in check. I'd keep it fast, short, and with a light touch. And you probably need to start very soon, since you already see growth. Unless you also see regrowth in the top (?). In that case I think you need to monitor their growth and shape and play it by ear. I would NOT trust an inexperienced vet to do this, if that's all you have access to.
 

HolliDaze

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Sorry people but i do not have several budgie females with ripped beaks. 2 female budgies got into a fight years ago and the small front tips broke off and they are both fine. It never grew back those parts lost but they have managed to eat and are still doing well.
Also I did not know its a pre requisite to have an avian vet before keeping birds. All birds originate from nature and they have NO VET. Even if you buy them in shops.
And I am following the Vet's instructions anyway now about Daisy. She is my first ripped off top beak, and she is doing just fine. Between myself and the male she is being fed. And I give her special attention until she adapts to eating soft food. She is drinking by herself. And i did not leave the forum over one or two mean comments. I have been coping well and working hard day and night for my birds for 7 years.
They have no vet, and die from their Injuries. And yes they DO have a vet, wildlife rescues, though not many make it that long. If they go untreated, they often die, in captivity or the wild. even if it was an accident, you need to take the responsibility. My cockatiel was killed by a ferret in an accident.though it occurred through chance, it was my fault the ferret room door was left open, and my fault the food bowl created a gap in the cage. It was my fault the bird was on the floor. Yes, it was an accident, but an accident simply means it wasn't intentional, not that it wasn't you're fault. hereabouts, you receive hostility for accidents only when you refuse to take responsibility. We all care dearly about daisy, and if you can't accept it was at least in part your fault, we often take issue. You seem to be a good person, mariane.
 

Fia Baby

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You know, if you provided a sandy/abrasive perch for her to swipe her beak on, she may be able to take care of it herself. Keep a close eye - I think you're already doing that.
 

finchly

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I use a nail file on finch beaks. I have no idea if you could do that with a budgie beak.
 
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