PetFoster
Strolling the yard
- Joined
- 4/6/21
- Messages
- 144
- Real Name
- Julie
My local bird club brings in a mobile avian vet at least once a year, and yesterday was the big day! It was a great experience: he uses gas anesthesia to do a fairly thorough physical exam, and he explained everything he was seeing. She has a little tattoo mark in her left "arm pit" (for lack of a better term!), which he said is done when a bird is surgically sexed -- so someone in her previous life had this done. I am guessing she was either a breeder bird or intended to be before she was rescued. Her wing feathers are pretty tattered, but he thinks it is due to barbering; he pulled out just a couple to encourage growth so she can start flying a little quicker. She is also pulling out some of her downy feathers on her back, so I am going to have to keep a watch on that. Then he trimmed her nails very nicely and .... (drumroll please!) .... got her beak back in good order! I asked if diet changes will help with her odd beak growth, but he said no, that lots of Hahn's have strange beaks, and she will just need a beak trim every 6 months or so for life. Here are before and after pics -- enjoy!