Beak Help Please

[Melanie]

Hi, I have a two year old parrotlet named River. His beak has been getting long so he had a trim at the avian vet at the end of March. It’s odd because this is a new thing and it’s been kept in check naturally until recently.

I got him coconut shells (he’s only just accepted these ) and a pedi perch, three wooden hanging toys, some natural perches and what I believe is a balsa wood toy. He isn’t interested though and now his beak has got long again.

The vet is a fifty minute drive away and he gets stressed on the drive and I don’t want to make this a regular thing; it’s also £80 a time.

Has anyone any advice of how I can help with the beak situation, please?

 

[Mizzely]

If it's a new thing, did the vet do any type of testing to see if there was a medical reason for the abnormal growth?

Do you have a photo of the beak?

I have a bird that needs to have trims too, and my criteria for getting a trim is to observe and make sure it's not interfering with his life. If he is starting to have trouble climbing, eating, or playing, it's time for a trim. If it isn't impacting his life, it's not worth the stress and cost to get is done. Thankfully he tends to chew his beak down when it starts to get longer.

Here's my bird's beak. He has a scissorbeak so his bottom grows up above his top.

 

[Melanie]

Oh he’s a little poppet

No, no tests were done. I’m wondering if it’s just as simple as he’s busy doing other things that take him away from his toys

This is River today; he was trimmed 28th March. He’s still climbing, eating and busying himself on the kitchen windowsill where his ladder and A-frame are. His weight is pretty stable too. He’s 31 grams. Last year he was 33 grams but the vet doesn’t seem worried at all.

 

[April]

He's adorable! I wonder if it could be a liver issue,a longer growing beak is one of the signs of it.

 

[WillowQ]

That would be my concern as well. I would want to make sure that the liver was healthy before proceeding with anything else.
Also I am wondering if the vet could show you how to maintain his beak at a better length.

 

[Melanie]

He's adorable! I wonder if it could be a liver issue,a longer growing beak is one of the signs of it.

Thank you, he’s my world.

A liver issue? Oh dear, that’s a real worry

 

[Mizzely]

Yeah growing that quickly would make me concerned about a health concern also unfortunately! It would at least be worth it to me to rule it out.

 

[WillowQ]

I was also looking at the dark coloration on his upper beak near his nares. To me it looks almost like a bruise. Is that the case? If he has a bruised-looking beak that is another suggestion of a serious liver concern.

Maybe it’s just the photo?