change in beak appearance

wuvzbirdies · Jul 29, 2009

hi there, i have been noticing that the colour of my CAG's beak is not as shiny as it used to be, i don't mean look in the mirror shine but it is very dull looking. it looks similar to scuff marks. is this normal? Should this be a trip to the vet? He is 6 months old. please let me know.

Thanks.... April

Auggie's Dad · Jul 29, 2009

Sounds perfectly normal.

Make sure he's getting enough calcium, which helps with healthy beak growth and is apparently particularly important for greys. But their beaks to get 'scuffed' and sometimes flake or 'peel' as they grow.

Your vet, or a groomer experienced with birds can 'buff out' the scuffs. When Auggie was young he needed beak trimming quite regularly. I'd bring him in and my vet would use a dremmel tool to sand it down (do not try this at home) then she'd put a bit of mineral oil on and he was good as new. Now that he's older he hasn't needed this treatment in quite a while.

If you want to get him groomed up by your vet it wouldn't hurt, or you could do the mineral oil at home (no sanding). But this isn't anything to worry about.

Auggie's Dad · Jul 29, 2009

Also, when we traveled recently I noticed his beak wasn't in very good shape. Shortly after getting home (and back to his normal cage) it return to its normal 'smooth' look. It seems the rope perches he has are what he uses to keep his beak in shape.

Different birds may rub on different things to keep their beak up to par, but for Auggie its the rope perches that make the difference. (These are the braided rope over a stiff wire type perch).

koky · Oct 5, 2009

Beaks are something I am always aware of. It is shiny, broken beaks that scare me. A scratched discolored beak with greyish markings on a normal black beak is a good sign.

Two of these beaks are not normal. Only the first is a normal healthy beak.
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change in beak appearance

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