Is Squiggy sick...help please!

[skil0002]

Hi my name is Jessica, I currently have two FIDS. One a green cheek conure, named Jewel, about three years old that I've had since she was four months old and the other is a blue crown conure, named Squiggy who is around four years old, whom I adopted about a year and a half ago from a rescue center. My concern right now is with Squiggy, he has been scraching his beak and the nostril area on everything lately and has had kind of a bald spot there for awhile now, howevere recently I've noticed this almost black line going across his nose. It looks almost like a cluster of pin feathers that are trying to emerge but can't, there are a few new pin feathers that are visible though. I'm just worried that it may be mites or something of that nature and I'm just really worried about him. My little one, Jewel has been acting fine, they do no share a cage but they are around eachother alot, but I haven't noticed this with her. I was just wondering if anyone knows what this might be or have any type of advice for me on what to do, I'd like to try to keep the vet as a last option thing because he gets really stressed out having to go there and I'm worried it would just make things worse. Thanks for listing and help would be much appreciated.

[jenniferag]

I know others will be able to help you, I cannot but I know they will ask for pictures if you can.

hope all is okay with your baby

[Monica]

I've had a similar expeirence with my mitred conure. He started missing feathers between his eyes and beak due to putting his beak through the cage bars and "begging" to come out. After a while, he rubbed away the feathers. Got a new cage, and the behavior diminished enough that the feathers grew out.

Before the feather loss


How he lost his feathers...



Pics of the feathers missing




And when they grew back





If you can't figure out a way to get the feathers to regrow, and the bird seems agitated/irritated, then you may want to consider a vet visit, just to be on the safe side.

[jenniferag]

aww.. Monica what happen to your conure? His poor beak..... but he looks in such good spirits!!

I love the picture with the harness......so cute!

[Monica]

Charlie is a brat. He's your typical bullying conure, he's got attitude, spunk, and character! Woe be told I do something *HE* does not like, I'll surely get told off for it, and even bitten!

In his foster home, he was able to boss around 3 amazons, 2 lilacs, and a larger zon believed to be a hybrid, perhaps a yellow nape hybrid. Him, thinking he's all big and bad and tough (which he is), decided to pick on a blind ruby macaw. She snapped around and bit his lower beak, and had to get two surgeries to fix it the way it is now. Consequently, he now requires routine beak trims, which he's starting to hate more and more.