Is Chubby's beak overgrown?

[PaperLantern]

I think Chubby may have an overgrown lower beak. I don't know if I'm just being paranoid though, I tend to be an overly worried parrot-mama. It seems as though the lower portion of the beak has grown too long, so that he can't properly close his beak. The picture below is a picture of him with his mouth closed. There is an obvious gap between the top and bottom half. I'm just assuming this is an overgrown beak, which is why I wanted to consult with you to see if it is something else before bringing him to the vet for a beak trim. I don't understand how it could overgrown. He has a plethora of toys, all of which have different textures and materials for him to explore with his beak. He also has a varied diet and different textured perches. Should I worry about an overgrown beak? Could it be caused by something serious? He is a healthy two year old conure who otherwise acts and eats completely normal. I've never had a problem with his health. Also, when it comes to beak trims, is there anything I should worry about? How does the procedure go? Is it at all dangerous? I'm worried sick over this.

 

[MonicaMc]

I was going to say that it is normal for some birds to have a gap even with their beaks closed, even though other birds within the same species don't have a gap.... but that definitely looks like an overgrown beak!

It usually requires a dremel to grind it down into a better shape. Usually, an assistant will hold the bird while an a-vet opens the beak and grinds it down. Depending upon the bird and vet, it may be recommended to put the bird under so as to cause the least amount of stress to the bird and also to make the procedure easier. It honestly doesn't take more than a few minutes to do!



It may be a good idea to get blood work down and rule out any medical reasons as to why the beak may be as long as it is.

 

[PaperLantern]

So it's just the lower beak that would need to be trimmed, right? The idea of Chubby being put under really frightens me. Will Chubby be in pain after the trim?

 

[MonicaMc]

Right, just the lower beak.

It may cause the beak to be a bit sore, but he should be fine.



Although I don't recommend this, I do trim my mitred conures beak without assistance using a dremel. He sits in my lap so I only need to restrain his head while I trim it down. Afterwards, he's usually grinding his beak away and moving his jaw about, getting a feel for the trim itself. When I trim his beak, I usually also get rid of the ridges that he gets which help with eating, so he has to grind the ridges back into place. (with him though, he requires upper and lower beak trims!) He gets an overgrown beak due to an injury, so it's not health related.


PS, I've had one bird put under anesthesia before. That was my 14-16 year old bourke parakeet (now 17-19 years old!). I was afraid she wouldn't make it the first night, but she pulled through! She went under for surgery to try and remove a cancerous growth, that we didn't know was cancerous at the time.

 

[Terry57]

We just had my pionus's beak trimmed by the vet using a dremel, and he was awake during it. He did not have any issues at all afterwards. The tech held him while the vet used the dremel as Monica mentioned