african gray beak question

[zebrahead182]

hi every one about 2 months ago we got our african gray from my grandpa who passed away. he is about 32 years old and i have noticed he has a weird discoloring on the tip and side of his beak he doesn't seem to be in any pain and it doesn't seem to bother him I'm just wondering if its something to worry about or if its normal? ill put up a picture of it. thank you in advance

 

[roxynoodle]

I agree it looks kind of odd. It almost looks like there is some type of curved wear marks on the edge as well?

What is his diet?

Does he chew on bars or slide down them with his beak on them? Is he in a round cage?

His feathering looks good though, from what I can see.

Has there been any injury that you know about ever?

 

[Spiritbird]

This guy is a Timneh African Grey. You can tell by the bone color of the beak instead of the black that a Congo has. If I were you I would take to a vet for a health exam and have a calcium level drawn to see if he is getting enough. Have fun with him. He is a senior citizen who needs lots of TLC.

 

[Mare Miller]

I had a question for my forum friends a while ago about Amigo's beak, his looked like it was flaking off in large scaly plates, which it did, and he now has a beautiful black beak so, that was normal. This does not look the same. I agree with Spiritbird that a vet exam would be in your bird's best interest.

 

[zebrahead182]

thank you guys for the quick responses ill take him into the vet.
his diet is parrot food and we give him different fruits like apples and grapes
and he does have a round cage and he does slide down the cage with his beak
and i don't know if there has ever been a injury with him he's always been really healthy

 

[roxynoodle]

Yes, you see that wear pattern on birds in round cages who slide down the bars. Is he overly attached to that cage or could you get him a new one? Supposedly round cages can also give birds emotional problems, although at his age he is probably used to it. If he is willing to move into a different cage, I would get him something large and rectangular. That will help his beak.

And yes, he should see the vet for a wellness check. It may be even more important for our senior birds.

If funds are tight you may even find a nice cage in good condition on craigslist.

 

[Sulphiria]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Rio Mom]

By "parrot food" do you mean seeds or pellets?

 

[zebrahead182]

i give him parrot food

 

[Rio Mom]

i give him parrot food

What all is in it? Is it seeds? Pellets?

 

[zebrahead182]

it has seeds peanuts and cracker looking things in it

 

[Rio Mom]

it has seeds peanuts and cracker looking things in it

It would be good if you switched to a quality pellet instead of seeds. Seeds are very fatty and not very nutritious. Peanuts in shell can contain a fungus. Also good to feed vegetables, fruits, grains, pasta.

 

[roxynoodle]

It might take time with his age, but I also recommend switching him to a pellet as the main diet. Harrison's High Potency Course would be the best one for a Grey, but you often have to order it online. You can buy Zupreem in pet stores, but Greys do better with the higher calcium in the Harrison's HP. Merlin, my Grey, also likes a bit of Golden Feast thrown in, which you can buy at My Safe Bird Store, along with the pellets.

It might take some time to get him converted since he is used to the seed, but I did get my 29 year old amazon on pellets. First just put a few in his food dish so he gets used to seeing them there. Then over a period of about 2 weeks slowly add more pellets and less seed until he is completely eating the pellets. If you see him eating them readily sooner than that, just stop the seed then.

And yes, veggies, fruit, pasta (they really like tomato sauce, but no hamburger), rice, whole grain bread, cooked chicken or turkey or chicken bones, cooked beans. But, if you make 70-80% of the diet pellets, he will get the nutrition he needs from those and the other foods become more just for fun and something to look forward to.

Also other nuts are better than peanuts. Almonds, walnuts, brazilnuts, hazelnuts and pecans have better nutrition and healthier fat. But, go easy on all nuts as they are all fattening.

 

[zebrahead182]

thank you for the tips like i said i am new to owning a african gray we are taking him in on thursday ill post what they say incase it happens to your birds

 

[zebrahead182]

just wanted to let you all know that my bird is just fine he was shedding his beak so that a new beak could grow in thank you all for your help!

 

[BillsBirds]

Welcome to our flock. I, too, inherited a Grey from my grandfather that was a "senior citizen bird". I had him about 9 years 'til he died at about 50 years old. Mine ate all kinds of fruit & veggies, plus seeds, nuts & pellets. It's important to watch them as they age for things like foot problems, eye problems, and calcium issues (as others have told you). Take him outside for sunshine, if you can. In the jungle, they live up in the canopy, and need sun for better health. There are many Grey owners here. You can learn a lot. He's a beautiful bird!