Build up on the Cere

jew1187 · Jan 7, 2011

Jaiden, my youngest parakeet is kept in a separate cage so I can tame her. She is a great little girl but the food I feed her is building up on her cere and I don't know how to get it off. She won't let me touch her face to get it off and although I have a bird bath attached to her cage she doesn't use it. I feed her some seeds mixed with greens and a type of fruit daily. I didn't think it was a problem until this build up started. Is there any way I can get rid of it? She has a wood perch, a regular perch with sand paper on it, a kaytee strawberry mineral block... But she doesn't wipe her beak clean on any of it... And she doesn't touch the mineral block. I don't know...

Pedro · Jan 7, 2011

Hi, i am wondering if your little girl has scaly-face mites. The cere & beak can look as if it has dried food on it. It can also affect the feet. If that is the problem you'll need some scaly-face mite lotion & paint it on your birds beak, cere & feet or where ever the problem is.

It is very unusual for any bird not to groom itself & get rid of any food build up. Unless of course it's a baby being hand-reared.

jew1187 · Jan 7, 2011

Pedro said:
Hi, i am wondering if your little girl has scaly-face mites. The cere & beak can look as if it has dried food on it. It can also affect the feet. If that is the problem you'll need some scaly-face mite lotion & paint it on your birds beak, cere & feet or where ever the problem is.

It is very unusual for any bird not to groom itself & get rid of any food build up. Unless of course it's a baby being hand-reared.

She is not being hand-reared. I thought it to be weird as well. I will try that but I did manage to get a seed off of her cere earlier. But I will definitely get some lotion for it and take care of it. What specifically is the mite thing? I have heard of it but wasn't sure what it is.

Pedro · Jan 7, 2011

Can't say for sure if that is the problem. Here is a link with pics you maybe be able to identify with.

Scaly-Face Mites - Google Search

Ratzy · Jan 7, 2011

Google Image Result for http://www3.sympatico.ca/davehansen/hypcere.jpg
Is this like it?
I say it's most likely scaly mite, very easy to treat and hardly life-threatening. You can get ivermectin or spe******ed treatments from the vet or pet stores.

jew1187 · Jan 7, 2011

Hey Thanks for the link. That is definitely not it. After posting this I used a soft towel to hold her and actually peeled the food off her cere because when I got home today her nostrils were almost completely covered and you could clearly see a number of seeds on her cere. Is there any reason she wouldn't be cleaning herself? She still has some food on her forehead that has gotten stuck in her feathers. I am mixing vegetables/fruits with the seeds because I know a complete seed diet is not good for them but what else am I supposed to do?

Build up on the Cere

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