Timneh beak is crooked/strange looking

[adamtron]

Timneh beak is crooked/strange looking. OK first let me say that I will be taking my Timneh Grey to the vet, probably next week if they can get me in. But in the mean time, I thought I would check to see if anyone here had a similar problem. My Timneh, who is only 1 1/2 years old started growing a beak that was larger on one side then the other (like he was grinding only one side of the beak and not filing down the other). So the bird store filed it down for him and it seemed OK. But now I see the new beak growing in looks crackeled and dull (for lack of better terms) and uneven- not smooth and shiny like it did before. I am worried because I read on the Internet it can be caused by cancer, mites, nutrition problems, all kinds of conflicting information. I give him a variety of seeds, pellets, vegetables (broccoli, corn, carrots, peas, green beans), bread, etc. I just added a mineral block today, in case that is the problem. Maybe I should put vitamins in his water? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks!

-Adamtron

[Lisa B]

Hi...
It can be caused by several different things as you have mentioned. However, dont get your self upset. Its probably something very simple, and your vet and you will have to put your heads together to figure out whats up. Most greys beaks will appear duller, crackly(for the lack of a better term) and scratched. Your vet can determine if it looks normal. Can you post a picture here?
Some birds are born with an abnormal shaped beak that requires filing often. this is usually due to trama of some sort..
But being this is just happening now, he's probably not getting something in his diet, or isnt chewing on toys on that side of his beak.
here are pictures of both Sydney and Emma to show thier beaks.
Please let us know what your vet says.

Vitamins in the water are no good. After 2 hours it creates bacteria that is harmful.

[adamtron]

Originally Posted by Lisa B

Hi...
It can be caused by several different things as you have mentioned. However, dont get your self upset. Its probably something very simple, and your vet and you will have to put your heads together to figure out whats up. Most greys beaks will appear duller, crackly(for the lack of a better term) and scratched. Your vet can determine if it looks normal. Can you post a picture here?
Some birds are born with an abnormal shaped beak that requires filing often. this is usually due to trama of some sort..
But being this is just happening now, he's probably not getting something in his diet, or isnt chewing on toys on that side of his beak.
here are pictures of both Sydney and Emma to show thier beaks.
Please let us know what your vet says.

Vitamins in the water are no good. After 2 hours it creates bacteria that is harmful.

OK thanks Lisa B. I am going to call the vet in the morning. I'm hoping it's something simple, like he needs more calcium or something. He was horrified of his mineral block when I tried to install it and so I removed it. That was probably a mistake, because now he's calcium has only been coming from the pellets or the mixed vegetables. Also, he may have been swiping his beak on only the one side. Now that I am home, I was able to take some photos. Here are two attached. The shape of the beak is OK at this point, but the texture on the top and the overlapping or scaling is what has me concerned now. I will let you know what the vet says.

[corralup]

I found this site-have you seen this one?

http://www.avianweb.com/beakdeformities.html

Try some Zupreem it helped with my amazon's beak and feathers! I also feed it to Smokey my new cag.

I don't think its anything to worry about his feathers look great and his eyes appear to be very healthy.

Let us know what the vet said.

Sandy


http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3..._/04fb4ba9.jpg

[Lisa B]

the shaling is natural, as its just like our fingernails. Its made up of lots of layers, and when dried out, it shales. Because of the way it appears, it seems to get worse near the skin. Is this where they filed it?
Usually the shaling is more towards the tip....
I would defititly find out what the vet says, and please let us know.
I know sometimes pictures cant do it justice.

Hi feathers do appear to be in great shape, so if it was anything to really worry about, it would show in his feathers also.

[The Outlaw]

There is definitely something going on here. His beak looks much thicker, too. You need to run the tests, plain and simple. Here's my Timneh who is now 7 years old.

[adamtron]

OK. Thanks everyone. I have an appointment with the Vet for this upcoming Wednesday. So I'll see what the Dr. says. I'm guessing he may need more calcium, but not sure. He likes to eat mostly seed and avoids his pellets. Also, he does not get as excited about warm vegetables as my Eclectus does. So I may need to give him some supplements. I think there is a calcium powder made to shake on the food- I will have to check. He does not have any other issues- his feathers look good and he is active and playfull, so I'm hoping it's just a dietary problem. I'll post an update on Wednesday.

Also, I appologize for the duplicate thread. The browser locked up and when I hit refresh, it posted it twice for some reason. I tried to do an edit/delete, but I guess the delete function is disabled or I don't know how to do it. Thanks. -Adamtron

[Lisa B]

thanks for letting us know, and do check in on wed.

dont worry about the duplicate thead..even us that have been round for years still have that occasional OOOPS

[Winged_Victory]

Hi,

Thank you for making the vet appointment!

The pictures look like there could be a baterial and or fungal infection that needs to be treated. The lack of calcium or vitamins may have been the cupret early on but now your bird needs to be seen by an avian vet. The vet will able to provide much more information after his cytology workup.

Good luck with you vet appointment and keep us posted.

[adamtron]

OK I went to the bird store on Monday to get my Timneh and Eclectus groomed. While I was there, I asked the store owner about the TAG's beak. She said he was just growing in new beak and that it was nothing to worry about. She used her finger nail and cracked off some of the pieces on the top of his beak that were ready to come off. Then she used the tool to file and shape it. She showed me other birds in the store (they had a Macaw, Toucan, etc) that were growing in new beak, so that I could get an idea for what it looks like. I think Griffin's beak just looked a little worse because we had to correct the crooked shape of it last time and so when it grew new beak, it looked different. I trust the store owner because she has been working with birds for over 30 years and she's always been very direct or honest with me. I was still going to take the birds to the vet today for a checkup, but I got lost trying to find the place from the freeway. So I will have to reschedule. I am going to keep on eye on it, but it looks like everything is OK now. Here is an updated pic of Griffin's beak below.