Split In Beak Tip

[Violet_Diva]

Me again... that's right, Dexter didn't want to be left out.

Dexter had a small split at the tip of his beak. I've been watching it thinking that he'd file it down on his textured perches (as I've seen him working on it.) Today I think it looks bigger rather than smaller, so I think I'd better ask the vet to file it down. I'm guessing that if I leave it, it could get worse, so I'll see if I can take him in with Gerry.

 

[clark_conure]

I don't know about fixing this but, I'd recommend more calcium. At the store get orange juice fortified with vitamin D and calcium. It makes beak strong like bull.

 

[Violet_Diva]

I don't know about fixing this but, I'd recommend more calcium. At the store get orange juice fortified with vitamin D and calcium. It makes beak strong like bull.

Thank-you for the suggestion clark_conure. Unfortunately citrus can cause digestion discomfort in eclectus if they have it more than once a week, so if it turns out he is low on calcium after blood tests I don't think I would be able to maintain his calcium levels long-term on the fortified juice. I will probably look to give him some calcivet on his food for a while to replenish his calcium levels and then try to increase his intake of calcium rich foods going forward, I believe kale has the highest calcium levels.

I'd appreciate any suggestions for other calcium rich foods if any spring to mind?

 

[clark_conure]

I never looked into eclectus but I give clark milk and cheese with no ill effects, some are like OMG NOOOOES but then others are like meh it's fine. I've never found a bad stool sample after dairy. I just don't recommend it first off the bat due to the uncertainty everyone has.

In my experience he's healthy as can be and his beak is super strong from a but of mil or a cheese treat once in a while.

 

[Sunnybirb]

I don't know about fixing this but, I'd recommend more calcium. At the store get orange juice fortified with vitamin D and calcium. It makes beak strong like bull.

Thank-you for the suggestion clark_conure. Unfortunately citrus can cause digestion discomfort in eclectus if they have it more than once a week, so if it turns out he is low on calcium after blood tests I don't think I would be able to maintain his calcium levels long-term on the fortified juice. I will probably look to give him some calcivet on his food for a while to replenish his calcium levels and then try to increase his intake of calcium rich foods going forward, I believe kale has the highest calcium levels.

I'd appreciate any suggestions for other calcium rich foods if any spring to mind?

Have you tried a calcium perch? I'm not sure how much he chews, but I found them to be really helpful. There's also any leafy greens. Collard greens have some of the most calcium. I think a cup of greens versus a cup of milk has almost the same calcium content. If you can find ones he likes, that can be a really easy one.

 

[Violet_Diva]

UPDATE
Dexter has been to the vet today and the vet is concerned with Dexters beak length. I always thought his beak was longer due to him being a different subspecies to Bella and Gerry (who are brother and sister.) So Dexter is the first one to be having his blood looked at to see if there are any liver problems or anything going on. He'll have Haematology (Complete blood count), Biochemistry (Blood chemistries (ALT) total serum proteins) but also be tested for Chlamydia, Polyoma Virus, PBFD (Psittacine beak and feather disease) at the same time, so that'll be somewhere close to £300... eek!

 

[Aquila]

So I don't know much about Eclectus, but Avi-Cal is a powdered calcium supplement that can be sprinkled on fresh foods, so if it does turn out he needs some extra calcium, it might be useful to use once or twice a week. Since the majority of his diet is fresh, it might also be useful to use something like Cronometer (though it's geared towards humans) to calculate the total amount of vitamins and minerals he's ingesting.

 

[Violet_Diva]

Now at the vets waiting to take Dexter in for his blood test. So he's had no breakfast. I always get super scared about the anesthetic, but that's just the way they do it here in England *sigh*

All done! Just gotta wait about 10 days for the results...

 

[Teddscau]

...they knock birds out for blood samples? That seems...dangerous? Unhealthy? Stressful? Expensive? Are you sure that's how they're supposed to do it in England? You're only supposed to use anesthesia if performing the procedure while the animal is conscious poses a significant risk to their wellbeing, or if the animal is likely to maul the vet. In fact, blood tests are supposed to be performed PRIOR to anesthesia to reduce the likelihood of the animal dying. I've had a blood test done for Noah and a number done on my kākāriki, and they NEVER knocked them out for it. Heck, rehabilitators and zookeepers working with large dangerous animals (lions, chimpanzees, elephants, bears, etc.), along with less dangerous animals, often train animals to voluntarily offer up their tail, flipper, neck, or whatever, to draw blood from.

I don't know, man, the whole anesthesia thing sounds sketchy. Do they knockout dogs and cats before taking blood, too? Anyways, hopefully you learn something from the blood test. Nothing worse than having crop swabs, fecals, blood tests, and X-rays done, only to be no closer to finding out what's wrong. Speaking of which, Tiki needs to see Dr. Yee again to have an X-ray done (yes, he's still sick as heck after almost a year under my care).

 

[clark_conure]

any-regards more calcium....

 

[Violet_Diva]

...they knock birds out for blood samples? That seems...dangerous? Unhealthy? Stressful? Expensive? Are you sure that's how they're supposed to do it in England? You're only supposed to use anesthesia if performing the procedure while the animal is conscious poses a significant risk to their wellbeing, or if the animal is likely to maul the vet. In fact, blood tests are supposed to be performed PRIOR to anesthesia to reduce the likelihood of the animal dying. I've had a blood test done for Noah and a number done on my kākāriki, and they NEVER knocked them out for it. Heck, rehabilitators and zookeepers working with large dangerous animals (lions, chimpanzees, elephants, bears, etc.), along with less dangerous animals, often train animals to voluntarily offer up their tail, flipper, neck, or whatever, to draw blood from.

I don't know, man, the whole anesthesia thing sounds sketchy. Do they knockout dogs and cats before taking blood, too? Anyways, hopefully you learn something from the blood test. Nothing worse than having crop swabs, fecals, blood tests, and X-rays done, only to be no closer to finding out what's wrong. Speaking of which, Tiki needs to see Dr. Yee again to have an X-ray done (yes, he's still sick as heck after almost a year under my care).

I've checked with the vet and they give them gas to knock them out.
And yes, from what I gather, it is the English norm. And no, they don't do it for cats and dogs

Poor Tiki. You've done such a great job. Hopefully you'll get some answers.

 

[Violet_Diva]

any-regards more calcium....

The test results should let me know about his calcium levels. But I have been giving a bit more kale than usual (just incase).

 

[Teddscau]

Hmm, if his calcium is low, I wouldn't use kale as I ran into calcium issues this summer from feeding too many oxalate-rich foods (dandelion, Swiss chard, chickweed, etc.). Instead, I recommend feeding broccoli, squash, and Brussel sprouts as they all have fairly good mineral content and aren't full of oxalates. If it's a leafy green known for its high calcium content, odds are you shouldn't feed it to calcium deficient birds since it's probably full of oxalates. Also, limit his intake of nuts (since he's an eclectus, I doubt you feed them to him very often).

 

[Violet_Diva]

Hmm, if his calcium is low, I wouldn't use kale as I ran into calcium issues this summer from feeding too many oxalate-rich foods (dandelion, Swiss chard, chickweed, etc.). Instead, I recommend feeding broccoli, squash, and Brussel sprouts as they all have fairly good mineral content and aren't full of oxalates. If it's a leafy green known for its high calcium content, odds are you shouldn't feed it to calcium deficient birds since it's probably full of oxalates. Also, limit his intake of nuts (since he's an eclectus, I doubt you feed them to him very often).

Thanks Teddscau, excellent advice! I hadn't realised about the oxalates!

 

[Violet_Diva]

So half of Dexters split beak tip has naturally broken away, so I suspect the other half will not be far behind. Just hoping those results will be back soon...

 

[riddick07]

I mean I wouldn’t have been overly worrried about it. Would have just used the dremel to even it out. Hopefully everything comes back fine though!

Does he chew on wood much? The beaks can get long if they don’t use it much or figure out the grooming perches.

 

[Violet_Diva]

I mean I wouldn’t have been overly worrried about it. Would have just used the dremel to even it out. Hopefully everything comes back fine though!

Does he chew on wood much? The beaks can get long if they don’t use it much or figure out the grooming perches.

That's the thing, I wasn't initially worried, just wanted to see if the vet thought it should be filed or if it would work itself down, but she got me worrying about his liver! So I thought it's better safe than sorry.

I did find that mixed subspecies of eclectus tend to be of a larger size and have longer beaks, so maybe he's just a bit of a mongrel!

He usually keeps his beak down fine with textured perches and chewing

 

[Violet_Diva]

Blood test results finally back!

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/73727-dexters-blood-results.html