How should I encourage my bird to keep her beak from growing too long?

[Cat The Great]

Hi! I could really use some advice to encourage my bird from keep from letting her beak grow long. Here’s a pic I apologize it’s not the best photo but as you can see her beak is getting too long. In the past she has taken care of her beak, but this is the second time she is letting her beak grow too long. Any ideas on how to encourage to not let her beak grow too long? She does have a sandpaper perch and lava rock to take care of her beak and she has plenty of toys. Thanks

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm actually not a fan of sandpaper perches. It can be too rough on a bird's feet and also ingested. What is her diet like?

 

[Garet]

Please, don't use sandpaper perches! Those are terrible for their feet, and they can get very ill by chewing on the sandpaper or accidentally injesting it as they rub their beaks on them. My poor Petie had them, and my parents wouldn't listen to me when I said they were hurting his feet (as I was very young when they got me him and thought they knew best). He had horrible bumblefoot and arthritis later on in life.

Does your bird have access to both a cuttlebone and a beak block, as well as blocks to chew? My budgie doesn't like playing with wood, but she's practically obsessed with chewing on her beak block. It keeps her beak trim and is good for birds, since they contain vitamins and minerals. They come in a whole lot of shapes, sizes and colors and aren't that expensive.

 

[TikiMyn]

I agree with @sunnysmom about the sand paper papers.
My cockatiel let his beak grow too long too. I tried to encourage lots of chewing, and offered cuttle bones. He did have grooming perches and other grooming objects but didn’t use those a lot. Sometimes he would suddenly start to use the cuttle bone and trimmed his beak himself.
Sometimes the only that helped to trim his beak was a seed stick. But after he learned to play he trimmed it himself pretty well. Does he like chew yours?

 

[Cat The Great]

Thank you guys for responding, I really appreciate it! Sunnysmom her diet consists of pellets veggies and fruit as well as some cheese (as I cannot get her to eat eggs or animal meat).She does however pick and choose what she likes. I am not happy with that and am trying get her more willing to try other veggies and foods.

Garet, she does not have a mineral or cuttlebone or any blocks. Does this mean I should get one for her? I did recently buy her some vitamins called Vita-drops for small birds and I do occasionally add crushed eggshell to her fruits and veggies. Unfortunately, she won’t use the lava stone to take care of her beak and only uses the sandpaper perch to take care of her beak.

Thank you for warning me of the dangers of sandpaper perch and will be more careful next time. Please let me know if you need to know anything else

 

[TikiMyn]

Defiantly get her a cuttle bone! That might help a lot A mineral block might to the trick too, but my birds prefer the cuttle bone.
Her diet sounds pretty good, a lot of birds are picky! All we can do is keep trying!

 

[Garet]

All of my birds have access to both a beak block and a cuttlebone. Two prefer their cuttles but will still go to the beak block, one prefers the block but will go for both, and one has left her cuttlebone alone and only chews on the block. If that doesn't work, you could always try a living bamboo plant? My birds love to attack theirs and it grows back super fast. Some types of succulents might also encourage your birb to chew, as long as what you get is bird-safe. Hen and chicks is a good option to get them chewing. They're a little tougher to chew and spread rapidly, so as long as your bird doesn't chew through them all, you should have a long-time toy for your bird. Plus, they come in a variety of natural colors.

Just make sure you're getting a little cluster and not an echie if you're going for the hen and chicks. Echies don't bounce back as easily. You can tell them apart because H&Cs are sold in little tiny clusters and Echies are usually much bigger and sold by themselves or in a pot with other plants. They're also softer and easier to break than H&Cs, and my birds seem more interested in the chewier H&Cs. Older jade plants and christmas cacti are also bird safe and have a tough, fun to chew on bark for birds (plus, you can use whatever they tear off to start a new one ;D). TL;DR: practically everlasting fun beep toys for your birb to chew and wear down her beak on.

 

[TikiMyn]

All of my birds have access to both a beak block and a cuttlebone. Two prefer their cuttles but will still go to the beak block, one prefers the block but will go for both, and one has left her cuttlebone alone and only chews on the block. If that doesn't work, you could always try a living bamboo plant? My birds love to attack theirs and it grows back super fast. Some types of succulents might also encourage your birb to chew, as long as what you get is bird-safe. Hen and chicks is a good option to get them chewing. They're a little tougher to chew and spread rapidly, so as long as your bird doesn't chew through them all, you should have a long-time toy for your bird. Plus, they come in a variety of natural colors.

Just make sure you're getting a little cluster and not an echie if you're going for the hen and chicks. Echies don't bounce back as easily. You can tell them apart because H&Cs are sold in little tiny clusters and Echies are usually much bigger and sold by themselves or in a pot with other plants. They're also softer and easier to break than H&Cs, and my birds seem more interested in the chewier H&Cs. Older jade plants and christmas cacti are also bird safe and have a tough, fun to chew on bark for birds (plus, you can use whatever they tear off to start a new one ;D). TL;DR: practically everlasting fun beep toys for your birb to chew and wear down her beak on.

Is hen and chicks a plant? I thought you meant a chicken and I was like whaaat chew on a chicken and her babies? If it’s a plant, I think my birds might like it too, they love plants!

 

[Garet]

Is hen and chicks a plant? I thought you meant a chicken and I was like whaaat chew on a chicken and her babies? If it’s a plant, I think my birds might like it too, they love plants!

You should have heard my aunt's reaction when I told her that I brought home 'a wandering jew'.

But yes, Hen and Chicks are plants. They're called that because you have one central "Hen" sitting ontop of a cluster of tiny "chicks", and because the hen will produce by itself.

On a side note, they're also called 'sempervivum's, aka: 'forever alive' because the chicks are basically clones of the hen. You'll get a gorgeous flower every 4+years at the end of her life-cycle, but by then, your chicks should be more than large enough to start their own clutch. I like to separate mine to give them more room to grow, personally. (plus, they don't need much dirt and leave very little room for birds to go picking at the earth under them).

I have a few varieties, and my birds seem to prefer the pink or purple ones, but the greens are easier to find.

 

[TikiMyn]

You should have heard my aunt's reaction when I told her that I brought home 'a wandering jew'.

But yes, Hen and Chicks are plants. They're called that because you have one central "Hen" sitting ontop of a cluster of tiny "chicks", and because the hen will produce by itself.

On a side note, they're also called 'sempervivum's, AKA: 'forever alive' because the chicks are basically clones of the hen. You'll get a gorgeous flower every 4+years at the end of her life-cycle, but by then, your chicks should be more than large enough to start their own clutch. I like to separate mine to give them more room to grow, personally. (plus, they don't need much dirt and leave very little room for birds to go picking at the earth under them).

I have a few varieties, and my birds seem to prefer the pink or purple ones, but the greens are easier to find.

Thank you! That plant looks really nice, and it's perfect for me! I am constantly cloning my spider plants to keep up with the destruction

 

[Mizzely]

Does she have toys she can destroy? Even chewing in balsa, yucca, and super thin pine will help.

 

[Garet]

Thank you! That plant looks really nice, and it's perfect for me! I am constantly cloning my spider plants to keep up with the destruction

It was the funniest. I actually had to google it and show her the wikipedia page because she wouldn't believe me. In hindsight, I should have told her one of our cousins were coming over to visit, but...

They're lovely. But seriously, if you can find wandering jews, your birds might love them. My dogs completely mauled my shiny purple-green variety and both the pups and the birdskeep eyeing my purple stalks, waiting for the day they've recovered enough to be destroyed again. (plus, they're super easy to start from clippings, which I'm sure the birds will be happy to make for you).

 

[TikiMyn]

It was the funniest. I actually had to google it and show her the wikipedia page because she wouldn't believe me. In hindsight, I should have told her one of our cousins were coming over to visit, but...

They're lovely. But seriously, if you can find wandering jews, your birds might love them. My dogs completely mauled my shiny purple-green variety and both the pups and the birdskeep eyeing my purple stalks, waiting for the day they've recovered enough to be destroyed again. (plus, they're super easy to start from clippings, which I'm sure the birds will be happy to make for you).

I am going to keep my eyes wide open for those wandering jews and hen and chicks My grandma used to grow plants in a greenhouse, she will probably know where to find them Thank you, Henkie and Fëanor will be thrilled!

 

[Begone]

Does she have toys she can destroy? Even chewing in balsa, yucca, and super thin pine will help.

Every chewing is good. But wood is the best. To use fresh branches with leaf on from a tree is the best way to get them interested in chewing.
I have never had a bird that didn't like chewing on fresh branches.

And I hope she have toys.

 

[Begone]

I will also say that no succulents or others plants are made to be bird food.
That they are safe in small amounts is not the same that you should be feeding them. They are NOT food!
And the soil can be poison too.

Their is a lot of things that you can grow indoors that are safe. Herbs, growing sprouts, growing pea sprouts. e.t.c.
This is how you do it. And don't use soil, not even organic because it can contain mold.

Green lentils.

4 days later.

 

[TikiMyn]

I will also say that no succulents or others plants are made to be bird food.
That they are safe in small amounts is not the same that you should be feeding them. They are NOT food!
And the soil can be poison too.

Their is a lot of things that you can grow indoors that are safe. Herbs, growing sprouts, growing pea sprouts. e.t.c.
This is how you do it. And don't use soil, not even organic because it can contain mold.

Green lentils.

4 days later.

Very clever using that lid(I think that is what it is)! My sprouts never grow straight, they always look clumsy
I agree that they shouldn’t eat those plants, I know my birds only chew them, they don’t eat them. They don’t chew them every day or something like that, but my plants don’t grow that fast so it’s an ever ongoing battle keeping up with them

 

[Begone]

Very clever using that lid(I think that is what it is)!

Yes it is a cottage cheese lid. That is what I eat every day so I have a lot of them.
And the secret to growing them straight is to place them close to each other, but not to close.
Sprouted yellow peas taste so good so do a lot of them if you try them.

 

[TikiMyn]

Yes it is a cottage cheese lid. That is what I eat every day so I have a lot of them.
And the secret to growing them straight is to place them close to each other, but not to close.
Sprouted yellow peas taste so good so do a lot of them if you try them.

Thanks! I haven’t done yellow leas yet but I have bought a bag of them recently! Gotta try it next week