Overgrown beak

Riot

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Jan 2, 2023
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Lovebird
So, my lovebird's beak has been constantly growing in lenght despite the fact that I have placed several things in his cage he can chew on. He's got a wooden toy, a cuttlefish bone, hell he can even chew on the wooden pellets on the bottom of his cage which he already does. Can he by himself realize when his beak is too long and decide when to chew on things or do I have to take measures? If so what else is there to do? Currently his beak is not long enough to cause him any problems but it's clear as day it should not be that long.
 

Birds lover from Hawaii

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Oct 8, 2021
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Senegal (RIP: 5/21/94-10/20/21)
So, my lovebird's beak has been constantly growing in lenght despite the fact that I have placed several things in his cage he can chew on. He's got a wooden toy, a cuttlefish bone, hell he can even chew on the wooden pellets on the bottom of his cage which he already does. Can he by himself realize when his beak is too long and decide when to chew on things or do I have to take measures? If so what else is there to do? Currently his beak is not long enough to cause him any problems but it's clear as day it should not be that long.
I have taken my Senegal to the vet to have his beak trimmed. Suggest doing it while the beak is not as overgrown = less time and pain and stress to the bird. If it is way too long, it will make it difficult to crack open his food source. Also if it's too long, may have to take a couple of trips to the vet so as not to stress him out too much as the beak is a very sensitive area connecting to a lot of nerves.
 

SailBoat

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Jul 10, 2015
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No, Parrots do not understand that their beak is too long, commonly because they grown slowly and the Parrot just continues to adjust.

With regular visits to your Avian Vet they can spot like issues and recommend trimming.
Over grown beaks can be a lack of crewing, but it can be an indicator of an underlying medical problem. When was the last time your Parrot had a full spectrum blood test?

FYI: Great advice above regarding the advantage of have your Vet Clinic trim small amounts as needed than having to schedule many visits because the beak had become seriously overly-grown.
 

HeatherG

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Apr 25, 2020
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No, Parrots do not understand that their beak is too long, commonly because they grown slowly and the Parrot just continues to adjust.

With regular visits to your Avian Vet they can spot like issues and recommend trimming.
Over grown beaks can be a lack of crewing, but it can be an indicator of an underlying medical problem. When was the last time your Parrot had a full spectrum blood test?

FYI: Great advice above regarding the advantage of have your Vet Clinic trim small amounts as needed than having to schedule many visits because the beak had become seriously overly-grown.
Yes, generally the beak shouldn’t overgrow for no reason. Either it’s growing faster or the bird isn’t wearing the beak down, possibly because it doesn’t feel good.
 

wrench13

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Also keep in mind that the vet can't just lop off a big hunk of overgrown beak. Beak material has lots of nerve fibers running thru it. Trimming is best done a tiny bit at a time, just like natural wearing down.
 

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