Help i clipped my cockatiels beak too far.

[LostNParro-dise]

I used cornstarch to slow then stop the bleeding. I also have her in a small cage in a dark room to calm her down. I can't take her to the vet. 1st it's 10pm, 2nd the nearest avian vet is 2hrs away and too expensive (last bill was almost $2000). Does anyone have any tips or information for anything else I can do 1st to keep her comfortable, 2nd to stimulate her to replace the blood she lost, or 3rd anything I can do differently. I love my birds. Yukki's beak grows fast and she won't use cuttlefish bone or the mineral block like the other birds. Usually I clip her beak and give her a treat and we're done but this time she moved I clipped, she started bleeding. Please any help would be appreciated

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

What you did to stop bleeding is good, as is keeping her in a dark room to keep her calm. She might be tender until it grows out a bit, so feed her softer food such as birdy bread or pellets soaked in juice . It usually takes a few days for things to return to normal.

**Hugs** Good luck to you an your fid!

 

[Jobaby]

I used cornstarch to slow then stop the bleeding. I also have her in a small cage in a dark room to calm her down. I can't take her to the vet. 1st it's 10pm, 2nd the nearest avian vet is 2hrs away and too expensive (last bill was almost $2000). Does anyone have any tips or information for anything else I can do 1st to keep her comfortable, 2nd to stimulate her to replace the blood she lost, or 3rd anything I can do differently. I love my birds. Yukki's beak grows fast and she won't use cuttlefish bone or the mineral block like the other birds. Usually I clip her beak and give her a treat and we're done but this time she moved I clipped, she started bleeding. Please any help would be appreciated

There is a great Facebook group called Avian Medicine Reference, you can join and post for help. They saved my Superb Parrot. You can get this from Amazon (Clotisol) to keep in your bird first aid. You can post what happened and you will get info from vets, vet techs etc. You can give the bird cayenne pepper and water, use an eye dropper and give to your bird. It is for pain and swelling.

 

[LostNParro-dise]

What you did to stop bleeding is good, as is keeping her in a dark room to keep her calm. She might be tender until it grows out a bit, so feed her softer food such as birdy bread or pellets soaked in juice . It usually takes a few days for things to return to normal.

**Hugs** Good luck to you an your fid!

Thanks so much I've been stress-cleaning since it happened. Trying to keep busy so I'm not checking on her every 5 mins. I also put a small heater in the same room to keep her warm.

 

[LostNParro-dise]

There is a great Facebook group called Avian Medicine Reference, you can join and post for help. They saved my Superb Parrot. You can get this from Amazon (Clotisol) to keep in your bird first aid. You can post what happened and you will get info from vets, vet techs etc. You can give the bird cayenne peeper and water, use an eye dropper and give to your bird. It is for pain and swelling.

Awesome! Thank u I will try this also!

 

[hiriki]

Careful with cayenne pepper. Powdered spices have anti clumping agents and preservatives that can be dangerous.

 

[hiriki]

Also, I would recommend against home beak clips. Aside from what happened today, there's a chance when you clip with clippers you might crack the remaining beak in a way that is sore or painful and makes her not want to eat. I believe most vets actually file beaks rather than clip for this very reason although it probably depends where you go.

Either way, most of my birds ignore cuttlebone, and none of them require beak trims--they have other things to chew, mainly destructible toys. Maybe you might want to explore other chewable items? My cockatiels always loved balsa.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

What you did to stop bleeding is good, as is keeping her in a dark room to keep her calm. She might be tender until it grows out a bit, so feed her softer food such as birdy bread or pellets soaked in juice . It usually takes a few days for things to return to normal.

**Hugs** Good luck to you an your fid!

Styptic powder is much better than cornstarch at stopping bleeding, is very cheap, can be used by humans for our own superficial cuts (like shaving cuts), and one small container will last a very long time.
Most healthy birds never require beak trims even those that don't regularly chew on wood, etc, so you might consider having her tested for liver problems, the most common cause of overgrown beaks.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Wait, what do you mean clipped?

For pain relief, I’d take cayenne pepper powder, mix it with water until it is a nice paste consistency, and add it to your bird’s seeds so they are nicely coated. It has some pain relieving properties, and parrots (especially Australian parrots) do not taste the spice- rather it’s a mildly tangy flavor to them. But do be careful, as Hiriki said, there can be anti clumping agents and preservatives in it.

For comfort, I’d recommend covering all but the front panel of the smaller cage, keeping the room warmer, and keeping the room quiet. This ensures less stress. You don’t have to increase the room temperature, as she is not ill, but it’s something that I like to do just in case.

You said her beak grows fast, right? What does her diet look like? Does she have any wooden toys that she uses? Are there any abnormalities on her beak? (Like discoloration, excessive flakiness, weird crusting/corrosion, etc.) beak overgrowth isn’t normal for parrots, so I would recommend getting her checked out by an avian vet.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Wait, what do you mean clipped?

For pain relief, I’d take cayenne pepper powder, mix it with water until it is a nice paste consistency, and add it to your bird’s seeds so they are nicely coated. It has some pain relieving properties, and parrots (especially Australian parrots) do not taste the spice- rather it’s a mildly tangy flavor to them. But do be careful, as Hiriki said, there can be anti clumping agents and preservatives in it.

For comfort, I’d recommend covering all but the front panel of the smaller cage, keeping the room warmer, and keeping the room quiet. This ensures less stress. You don’t have to increase the room temperature, as she is not ill, but it’s something that I like to do just in case.

You said her beak grows fast, right? What does her diet look like? Does she have any wooden toys that she uses? Are there any abnormalities on her beak? (Like discoloration, excessive flakiness, weird crusting/corrosion, etc.) beak overgrowth isn’t normal for parrots, so I would recommend getting her checked out by an avian vet.

There has been a lot of scientific research about capsaicin, the chemical in hot peppers that makes them taste "hot". A 2021 Nobel prize was awarded to scientists for their research, part of which was on the effects of capsaicin. Despite all this research, how could anyone possibly know that cayenne pepper tastes mildly tangy to parrots? It's been proven that birds don't react with distress to capsaicin the way that mammals do, but what they DO taste is still a mystery. My budgies just refuse to discuss it with me!

Capsaicin is also a very strong eye irritant, and mammals become very uncomfortable if any gets in their eyes. Even a small amount in humans' eyes is very painful. Trust me-don't try it!
Scientists have proven that birds' chemical receptors don't react to capsaicin the way that mammals' receptors do. Scientists have also shown that any pain relieving effect capsaicin has is from direct topical use, not systemic, so ingestion does not result in any appreciable pain relief. This topical pain relief is via the same chemical receptors that react with pain to the presence of capsaicin. Since birds' receptors don't react to capsaicin, birds are unlikely to experience any pain relief from topical capsaicin the way mammals may.
Capsaicin is a powerful chemical. I hesitate to feed my birds anything hoping for a medicinal effect. When my birds need medical help, I'd rather trust a certified avian vet to prescribe something proven to be safe and effective in birds.

 

[Jobaby]

Also, I would recommend against home beak clips. Aside from what happened today, there's a chance when you clip with clippers you might crack the remaining beak in a way that is sore or painful and makes her not want to eat. I believe most vets actually file beaks rather than clip for this very reason although it probably depends where you go.

Either way, most of my birds ignore cuttlebone, and none of them require beak trims--they have other things to chew, mainly destructible toys. Maybe you might want to explore other chewable items? My cockatiels always loved balsa.

Yeah, clipping a beak should only be done by a professional and only if absolutely necessary. Usually a dremmel tool is used, it prevents problems with over-trimming. Usually a beak trim is done in extreme cases because the beak growth is impeding the bird eating or it has a misalignment. Those are the only times I see it done. If the bird is provided with and encouraged to chew on wood, nut shells etc. It shouldn't need it.

 

[LostNParro-dise]

Careful with cayenne pepper. Powdered spices have anti clumping agents and preservatives that can be dangerous.

Thank u, I used the smallest pinch and lots of water. But she calmed down quite a bit already.

 

[LostNParro-dise]

Wait, what do you mean clipped?

For pain relief, I’d take cayenne pepper powder, mix it with water until it is a nice paste consistency, and add it to your bird’s seeds so they are nicely coated. It has some pain relieving properties, and parrots (especially Australian parrots) do not taste the spice- rather it’s a mildly tangy flavor to them. But do be careful, as Hiriki said, there can be anti clumping agents and preservatives in it.

For comfort, I’d recommend covering all but the front panel of the smaller cage, keeping the room warmer, and keeping the room quiet. This ensures less stress. You don’t have to increase the room temperature, as she is not ill, but it’s something that I like to do just in case.

You said her beak grows fast, right? What does her diet look like? Does she have any wooden toys that she uses? Are there any abnormalities on her beak? (Like discoloration, excessive flakiness, weird crusting/corrosion, etc.) beak overgrowth isn’t normal for parrots, so I would recommend getting her checked out by an avian vet.

Wait, what do you mean clipped?

For pain relief, I’d take cayenne pepper powder, mix it with water until it is a nice paste consistency, and add it to your bird’s seeds so they are nicely coated. It has some pain relieving properties, and parrots (especially Australian parrots) do not taste the spice- rather it’s a mildly tangy flavor to them. But do be careful, as Hiriki said, there can be anti clumping agents and preservatives in it.

For comfort, I’d recommend covering all but the front panel of the smaller cage, keeping the room warmer, and keeping the room quiet. This ensures less stress. You don’t have to increase the room temperature, as she is not ill, but it’s something that I like to do just in case.

You said her beak grows fast, right? What does her diet look like? Does she have any wooden toys that she uses? Are there any abnormalities on her beak? (Like discoloration, excessive flakiness, weird crusting/corrosion, etc.) beak overgrowth isn’t normal for parrots, so I would recommend getting her checked out by an avian vet.

OK hopefully I'm doing this right. I just wanted to update yall. Yukki is doing good. When I got up for work, she was eating some bread and calling out to her mate. ( I had her in a smaller cage alone, to let her rest) her beak doesn't look weird or sickly just overgrown. I have paper and wooden toys hanging in and on their cages ( they can leave the cages when they like) I have a few cuttlefish bone and mineral blocks in every cage. I can tell and have seen my other birds chewing and rubbing against them. I do have a Dremel, but I've never used it on yukki bc honestly I was afraid the noise might scare her. 🙂. Yukki is what I call my handicapable bird. She's a fully formed cockatiel female but she has conjunctivitis ( I might be saying this wrong) but it's and eye condition where it leaks and the feathers around that eye don't grow properly, probably bc her old owner would let it get matted, then clean it and pull feathers out. She does everything else the other birds do but her eyesight in that eye isn't as good as the other. She's a great bird and I've had her for years. Her mate is an older rescue bird and they get along great. It's just from 1 side she looks like any other bird, but on the other side she's bald around her eye and she won't shave, grind, etc her beak down, so it grows out like an inch longer then it should. It actually starts to curve under. 😳 I've been cleaning her eye and clipping her beak while cooing at her about how beautiful she is for years now but after this time with her beak, I'm sure she's traumatized and maybe ill try the dremel. I greatly appreciate everything everyone said, the tips, I felt so lost, hopeless, and helpless. Thank yall 💓 😘 🖖🏾

 

[hiriki]

Ooooh, I can relate! I have a dove with conjunctivitis in one eye who also has beak issues, funnily enough.

His name is Gorou. His eye and beak are messed up because of a traumatic injury.

I would be nervous to use a dremel on a bird that hasn't been sedated at all but idk how vets usually do it. If you have a good relationship with your vet, I'd recommend asking them how they would do it and asking if they'd be willing to demonstrate for you, so you can continue at home.