Baby scarlet macaw with crooked beak....

luluskittles · Oct 28, 2014

Hi there!
I am new here.. My name is Lulu.
I am currently looking into getting a macaw and have found one that has a slightly crooked beak. I would love some feedback on this- would you avoid a parrot that had this? Does your parrot have this condition and what tips do you have? I do know that regular beak trimmings are required (which I am okay with).

Kiwibird · Oct 28, 2014

Looks like a scissors beak, which is a type of birth defect. From my understanding, so long as their beak is regularly groomed, they live normal, healthy lives. I would imagine they may need a little softer wood to chew and would have difficulty cracking nuts or unable (so offer shelled nuts), but nothing majorly different. S/he is a cutie! I wouldn't let the beak issue stand in the way of taking him/her home. If it makes you feel better, you could always request to have a avian vet of your choosing examine him/her to give their opinion before putting down a deposit...

riddick07 · Oct 28, 2014

It looks very slight so I imagine nuts shouldn't be a real issue for her but the only way to know for sure would be to give her some and see what she can do

I would definitely get her to the vet ASAP if you buy her so that they can examine and come up with a plan to try and reshape it a bit. It might be slight enough they can fix it completely with enough time and regular trimmings. You definitely want to be on top of it though because the bottom will start growing out the side since its misaligned. Since you will be working on it so early it shouldn't ever become a severe scissor beak.

And I would not avoid her because of the beak

Might ask for a discount because of the price of trimmings but that is about it!

EDIT: I'm not sure why the breeder didn't take her to the vet to start reshaping while she was younger. A soft beak would be easier to work with than the hard one of an older baby plus it's growing so much while they are young.

JerseyWendy · Oct 29, 2014

Welcome to the forum.

You've received some solid advice already, and I'd just like to add that the baby mac pictured is NOT a Scarlet but looks like a Green Wing.

luluskittles · Oct 29, 2014

Thank you everyone for your responses!!!
You've made me feel much more comfortable about taking her home...
If I'm not mistaken Scarlets have yellow on their feathers too? (That's what I've read atleast). She definitely is a scarlet! I am trying to upload more pictures but it won't let me from my phone..

luluskittles · Oct 29, 2014

Figured it out!! Let me know if she still looks like a green wing to you!

JerseyWendy · Oct 29, 2014

luluskittles said:
Figured it out!! Let me know if she still looks like a green wing to you!

Nope, those look like Scarlets.

The seemingly dark facial feathers in the first photo led me to believe she was a GW.

Echo · Oct 29, 2014

2 of my birds have misaligned beaks and we do monthly beak trims. They both live normal lives and can do what other birds can. You just have to stay on top of the beak filing.

luluskittles · Oct 29, 2014

Another picture..

luluskittles · Oct 29, 2014

Great!! I thought I was being misled for a second lol. You're right! I looked at the pictures again.. She did look like a green wing when she was younger.

thekarens · Oct 29, 2014

My BTM has a slight scissor beak. My vet didn't think in her case we could do anything but trimmings which she gets about every 6 weeks. She has no problems with wood or nuts.

luluskittles · Oct 29, 2014

Echo said:
2 of my birds have misaligned beaks and we do monthly beak trims. They both live normal lives and can do what other birds can. You just have to stay on top of the beak filing.

Great! That's so good to know.. How often would you say you get their beaks done??

luluskittles · Oct 29, 2014

thekarens said:
My BTM has a slight scissor beak. My vet didn't think in her case we could do anything but trimmings which she gets about every 6 weeks. She has no problems with wood or nuts.

Id love to see pictures of your babies with crooked beaks!

Birdman666 · Oct 29, 2014

Definitely a Scarlet.

Slight scissors beaks are not all that uncommon. With the severely handicapped ones, you have to shell their nuts for them, and help them open their pin feathers. I've fostered a couple of macaws and conures that had that, and one of my amazons has a very slight scissors beak.

On the plus side, birds with scissors beaks don't have as much bite pressure, so they don't bite quite as hard...

thekarens · Oct 29, 2014

luluskittles said:
thekarens said:

My BTM has a slight scissor beak. My vet didn't think in her case we could do anything but trimmings which she gets about every 6 weeks. She has no problems with wood or nuts.

Click to expand...

Id love to see pictures of your babies with crooked beaks!

If you look under the macaw section anything entitled Zoe is my girl. Her scissor is slight enough that unless you are looking head on you can't tell.

labell · Oct 29, 2014

Some times when it is this slight it can be caused by the hand feeder not holding the baby correctly for feeding. That beak is very soft in the beginning and I have seen hand feeders do this especially with macaws that are fed from day one.

Birdman666 · Oct 29, 2014

We fostered one that had a badly deformed beak because the parent bird attempted to help the baby that was stuck in the shell out of the egg... Same deal. Like putting a bird beak in a vice! Parent bird apparently didn't know any better... and was trying to help.

thekarens · Oct 29, 2014

labell said:
Some times when it is this slight it can be caused by the hand feeder not holding the baby correctly for feeding. That beak is very soft in the beginning and I have seen hand feeders do this especially with macaws that are fed from day one.

I'm pretty sure that's the case with Zoe. We got her when she was 14 months, but I know who hand fed her and I've seen other macs that they've raised with the exact same issue.

labell · Oct 29, 2014

thekarens said:
labell said:

Some times when it is this slight it can be caused by the hand feeder not holding the baby correctly for feeding. That beak is very soft in the beginning and I have seen hand feeders do this especially with macaws that are fed from day one.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that's the case with Zoe. We got her when she was 14 months, but I know who hand fed her and I've seen other macs that they've raised with the exact same issue.

Sorry that happen to beautiful Zoe but with her it is very slight and hard to tell unless you are looking for it. I really could slap hand feeders that don't know what they are doing and question after it happens once how do they not make sure it never happens again? Plain lazy and lack of care imo I feel the same way about power feeders!

clofromco · Oct 29, 2014

My daughter and son in law aquired a cockatoo who looked the same. One visit to the avian vet and it is so much better. She will be back in dec. Reg visits for sure.

Baby scarlet macaw with crooked beak....

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bottom beak chip

Moving forward with Gus

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