Until the bird is properly hydrated, feed it watery formula. Otherwise, what may happen is that the system will just absorb the little fluid in the feed and the solids will remain in the crop to sour or cake. This will only worsen things. Provide a chew item that has the necessary calcium that the bird needs for healthy beak development. There are several that satisfy this requirement. A simple cuttlebone will also do. Give the bird its requirement of the other minerals and vitamins required for proper beak maintenance and growth. Also, provide other non-reactive toys, which the bird may chew. Frequently, check the bird's beak for cracks, discoloration or other abnormalities. A healthy beak is critical to the bird. At the first sign of a problem, refer the bird to a vet. General Beak Care All About Health All About Health Overgrown Beak Parrot Beak This is a condition where the upper or lower beak overgrows. However, it is common for the upper beak to overgrow. Several factors may cause this condition such as trauma, developmental disorders, and improper nutrition. Normally, the bird does not allow this condition to develop by feeding on hard food, climbing, chewing toys, or rubbing its beak against some abrasive surface. At other times, it may become necessary for the owner or an avian vet to trim the overgrowing beak. There are different tools that can be used to do this. Let the vet decide what is the most convenient. This is a condition when the upper mandible does not overlap the lower mandible, but instead rests inside the lower mandible, or the two mandibles come together. The same factors that cause scissors beak are also the factors that cause parrot beak. Treatment is best left to a vet. All About Health Ruptured Airsac Scissors Beak A soft bulge under the skin is a sign of a ruptured air sac. The bulge may appear solid but is soft to the touch. If you notice such a bulge have the bird taken to a vet for treatment. The treatment is fairly complex and best left to an expert. When the upper mandible (the upper beak) grows at a tangent to the lower mandible the bird is said to suffer from a scissors beak condition. This condition is brought about by incorrect incubation temperature or feeding technique, genetic disorder, trauma, calcium deficiency or some forms of infection. The problem in young birds and in cases where the malady is not pronounced, correction can be done by gently pushing the faulty mandible in the opposite direction some two to three times a day. In case the bird is old All About Health or the ailment severe, surgical correction may become necessary. This is a condition that is common in very young birds. The tendon in the heel is supposed to fit in a groove also in the same location. Sometimes, the tendon slips and pulls the foot to one side and the toes curl up like a ball. This can be prevented by securing the bird's feet to pieces of tape. When the bird is a little older, the tendon can be surgically fixed. |