Long beak

[MyCasso]

Both my Pionus and my Jardine's beaks are getting a little long. I have read about the dangers of beak trimming and absolutley do not want to do that. I have read that there are certain nuts you can give them (with the hard shells still on) and they will help widdle them down. Does anyone know what kind of nut would work for this? Do you know where I could get some? I have wandered to all the grocery stores in town, but they don't have anything like that, so I'm thinking that my best bet would be to buy them online-I just want to make sure that I purchase them from somewhere safe.

Thanks for the help!!

[MaryG1959]

What kind of diet are they on?

Have they ever been vetted?

[qmichelle]

Nuts and hard woods might help the Jardines, but pionus parrots have softer beaks. So, it's recommended that you give them softer woods like pine. When I give my pis nuts, if it's something with a hard shell, I break it a little to get them started.

I think asking your vet's opinion as to whether they think the birds' beaks are too long may be helpful. S/he may be able to trim them if they are too long, and give more tips that could help maintain their beaks, too.

Keep us posted!

[MyCasso]

The Pionus is on a pellet diet with some seed (he loooves Nutriberries) and various fresh foods. The Jardine is on a seed diet (past owner put him on that and he refuses my pellets) and fresh food. My Pi loves to play with his toys and is constantly chewing on something. I will have to post a picture to see what you guys think of his beak length-it seems long to me, but I could be mistaken. The Jardine on the other hand, does not like toys. I have had him a little over a month and when I picked him up from his previous owner the only toy he had in his cage was a swing, and that is the only one he will play with. I have tried introducing all kinds of toys but his is just not interested in them. I am hoping I can entice him to play with a nut of some kind.

[qmichelle]

Yes, I'd love to see pictures. The ones in your signature don't seem too long to me.

If your pi plays with toys, that may really help the Jardine's start to play with toys. My senegal didn't play with toys at all when I got him. He watched my pi, though, and eventually started playing with the toys that were identical to the ones Django played with. The past year, he's really changed, however! He doesn't play with anything and everything, the way my pis, do. He's finnicky about his toys, but he does play with them!

And changing a bird's diet can take a long time, I agree. It once took me 8 months to change a bird over from seed to pellets. Keep trying, though! A gram scale can be your best friend during that time. I had to weigh her every day while transitioning her (for those 8 months!)

Keep us posted!

[BIRD on the ROCKS]

Try Using Flagstone Perches From Bird On The Rocks. They Are Very Good For Nail And Beak Grooming Naturally. Your Birds Will Naturally Swipe Their Beaks On Them To Aid In Keeping Their Beaks Groomed. They Will Also Try And Bite Them But Will Not Get Anything Off Of Them. In Addition To Those Benefits They Are Really Great For Just A Restful Place For Your Birds To Sit On.

[karen774]

I would also suggest checking with the vet and they can trim the beaks if they are too long.