beak breaking

[belinda1978]

i was cutting my blue and gold nails today when he jumped off from my lap, this is the only way hes somewhat cooperative with nail clipping, I picked him up and the next thing i know theres blood everywhere. As i was checking him over i thought i cut a nail too short I realized apparently when he jumped off from my lap his beak hit the floor first and it broke 1/4 of an inch off the tip of his top beak. I tried all i could to stop the bleeding but it stressed him out more so i sat with him and pet and cuddled him and it stopped. That was really scary for me and him. He's resting peacefully in his cage. I'm hopeing hes not in too much pain. He doesnt appear to be but you never know. Will it grow back?

[Lisa B]

It will grow back. However, for the next few days he will be real sore and need very soft foods. Keep an eye on him incase it starts to bleed again(which is not uncommon) corn starch /flour/ ivory soap(bar form) will stop the bleeding.
if it continues to bleed, a vet visit in order for them to cauterize it.

[belinda1978]

I've noticed that hes just sitting in his cage and won't step up not. He's being very very quiet so I thought he was probably sore. He's usually very chatty and a wonderful talker so i'm just giving him his space. I did not know about the ivory soap bar though thats great to know. I keep both of my babies away from all soaps and cleaners and had never heard that. It's interesting to chat with other bird owners and find out all the little tricks that I didn't know.

[RMSacha]

Belinda,

Depending on the severity of the injury, you may have to help him along... I would go to a pet store and get Quick Stop—it's a powder that is very easy to apply...

Do you have experience with hand-feeding?

You may want to try to get him to eat from a syringe (on macaw formula) again and softer foods including human baby food that's organic, until he's healed, and judge for yourself by his actions as to whether he's able to eat solids again... If you do use the baby food and formula, consider adding some spirulina to it as a supplement and I would make sure to get some red palm oil into his system by adding to his food. Palm oil is excellent for the keratin of the beak as well as your birds skin. PLEASE also make sure he drinks water!!!! I would be concerned with both nutrition and hydration at this time. You can also use Neosporin to prevent any bacterial infections—simply apply to the affected area—please use this sparingly...

In the wild, macaws play rough and can take some nasty falls...guess what?! they survive!

If you're very concerned, by all means, seek attention from your avian vet. Beak injuries are common in one shape or form...

I hope this helps!

[RMSacha]

Belinda,

One other thing you can use that is bit more "unconventional" but does work is Super Glue... some vets routinely use it on broken quicks, etc.

Again, I hope this works...

[Winged_Victory]

If it were one of my macaws I would watch the bird, feed soft foods, add 3 drops of GSE or ACV in his water to keep the bacteria down. Make sure he eats and drinks, you may need to buy some un-sweetened human baby food for him. He should be able to still eat small seeds and nuts.

[macawlover]

in case it starts bleeding again, just use baking soda to stop the bleeding. I've never tried this myself, but I've heard it works well.

[belinda1978]

well Peanut is back to his chattery self this afternoon. He was yelling for his mama when I got home today I've been feeding him bread and soft fruits and veggies. I took his pellets away. he is drinking also hes not being rough on his beak and climbing so i assist him in where hes trying to go. lol I'm so happy that hes okay it scared me pretty badly. Thanks to all of you and the quick responses.

[RMSacha]

Belinda,

There is a product most vets carry which is very similar to Super Glue and it's not a bad thing to have in the first-aid cabinet/kit... I forgot the name of it but you can ask your AV...

Glad he's doing better!

[Nazir's]

Originally Posted by Winged_Victory

If it were one of my macaws I would watch the bird, feed soft foods, add 3 drops of GSE or ACV in his water to keep the bacteria down.

New to all of this, so please forgive my lack of.... What exactly is GSE and/or ACV?