Lovebird with damaged beak and bleeding from the nostrils

[ChiseledDiamond]

Hello! i Have two lovebirds of 6-7 years, one of them, named frost, has had a rip from her nostril down her beak for quite a while, It didnt seem to bother them and we dont have any avian vets here, so i thought it might not be worth the stress on him to take him to the vet for something that might not even be a problem. but i noticed today blood on both nostrils, which makes me very nervous. They do play fight a lot "jousting" as i call it, where they stand on each side of a box or opening and tease eachother, its never meant as actual fighting, and they do that before bed every day, while beak grinding and making relaxed sounds.

Anyway is it something i should be worried about? They both have a D-vitamin lamp made specifically for birds (since its winter and little sun to be had), they also refuse to eat any sort of fruit or veggies, despite my best efforts! Is there anything else i can do??

An image below when they have just taken a bath, you can sort of see one of the nostrils, the one with the "rip" down the beak

Heres images of the nostrils closeup

 

[Flboy]

Hi! I am unable to help with the injury, but I am fairly sure one of those lovebirds is a green cheek conure! They can be very feisty!

 

[ChiseledDiamond]

I'm sorry but WHAT, conures are bigger than lovebirds, and that is mango, she is a fischers lovebird, they both are.

 

[Littleredbeak]

I think Fiboy is Joking ��. I would separate them at night if that’s when they play joust until frost is fully healed. Maybe call around to find a vet who is comfortable treating birds for just incase. I’m sure someone with more experience in this will hop on and offer more advice to frost’s beak.

White kind of light bulb do you use? I ask because I recently found out that avian lights are just reptile lights that are renamed and Sargent actually good for birds. I’ll try to find the article and post it to you if you’re interested. I returned my “avian” light and use a happy light and sunshine from the window (I put up a screen so they can get unfiltered light) I also sprinkle a vitamin A and D3 supplement on their food.

While Frost heals and if you do choose to separate them at night while frost heals I’d look into a heat support. I use a heated perch for mine and a heater for additional heat in the winter. (Be careful if using a space heater - turn off when not home and make sure it doesn’t have harmful chemicals )

 

[texsize]

I had a Cockatiel with a “bloody nose”
Vet gave him antibiotics, and said it was unlikely that the blood was from fighting.
Still separating birds is a good idea.

 

[ChiseledDiamond]

I think Fiboy is Joking ��. I would separate them at night if that’s when they play joust until frost is fully healed. Maybe call around to find a vet who is comfortable treating birds for just incase. I’m sure someone with more experience in this will hop on and offer more advice to frost’s beak.

White kind of light bulb do you use? I ask because I recently found out that avian lights are just reptile lights that are renamed and Sargent actually good for birds. I’ll try to find the article and post it to you if you’re interested. I returned my “avian” light and use a happy light and sunshine from the window (I put up a screen so they can get unfiltered light) I also sprinkle a vitamin A and D3 supplement on their food.

While Frost heals and if you do choose to separate them at night while frost heals I’d look into a heat support. I use a heated perch for mine and a heater for additional heat in the winter. (Be careful if using a space heater - turn off when not home and make sure it doesn’t have harmful chemicals )

They cannot be separated, since they are a mated pair, and if one is out of the cage when the other isnt they freak out and call for eachother. I dont believe its caused by them "jousting" and as for the light its not for reptiles, i dont recall the brand but its helped them a lot, my female (mango) was laying soft eggs, they have cuttlefish bone, and after they got the vitamin d lamp her eggs have been nice and firm like they should be, which i am very happy for!

About four years ago mango got a tail injury which caused her to loose feathers there permanently, we found out that she had damaged the feather roots with bits of sharp wood she had tried to tuck under her feathers for nesting material (which is a common behavior for loveys) We stopped using that type of wood and did safer alternatives. Either way im worried it could be something like that causing the beak damage to frost, possibly a piece of metal on one of the toys or sharp bit of wood, i have never SEEN them hurt eachother, the only time i hear anything is when they groom and acidentally pinch eachother. Ill see if i can get some nutrient/vitamin suppliments for birds i can sprinkle on their food!

 

[Laurasea]

Hi,
Cute burds!
Its possible this is a chronic sinus infection.. you do not have to have sneezing, or drainage to have an infection. Most burd access in the sinus are dry...having a groove in the beak can be indicative of this..
Does she scratch that nostril a lot?

Fresh veggies should be part if the diet, and especially ones that contain vitamin A

 

[ChiseledDiamond]

Currently the bleeding has gone, i dont see any scratching of any kind, they both appear to be completely healthy now, i believe its just a vitamin deficiancy that has gotten a bit troublesome, ill go out and get some different options and see what the birds accept, since they are extremely picky.

 

[plumsmum2005]

If they are so picky am wondering if you give a pellet at all? It could help with certainly giving a good nutritional baseline. Harrison's do a good selection in many sizes so please have a look at their site and info hun? Your little one does remind me of a friend's bird that has problems due to previous Vit A deficiency. There are so many veggies that provide Vit A, basically all the coloured ones



There has been much to-ing and fro-ing on the use of avian lamps, I will still continue to use mine! I have a couple of ZooMed lamps and hubby measures the strength of the bulbs when new and again every month, to check their output. Reptile lamps are not recommended for use with birds as I believe they are stronger and can cause issues.

It is your choice to do so hun! I am sure you can look for reliable info on the subject if you so choose?