JustAnswer > Bird
Ask A Question|Register|Login|Help
JustAnswer

Bird
Ask a Bird Question, Get an Answer ASAP!

Have your own Bird question?

2 Vets and Bird Experts are Online Now
characters left:
Not a Bird Question?

Related Bird Topics:

  • Top
    • ,
  • Bird
    • ,
  • Beak
    • ,
  • Come
    • ,
  • Kind
    • ,
  • Long
    • ,
  • Birds
    • ,
  • Normal
    • ,
  • Parrot
    • ,
  • Feeding
Bookmark and Share

Question

I had read that a Parrot's upper mandible should not come below the lower one. My CAG (rehomed) doesn't play or chew much and his gets longer than that on the top. I had it trimmed once, but then I saw photos of some greys that were this long, including the famous Alex. So if it seems to just get to a certain length and not continue growing, should I assume it is normal for him and not subject him to more beak trimming?

Submitted: 303 days and 12 hours ago.
Category: Bird
Value: $9
Status: CLOSED
+
Read More

Optional Information

Age: 6; Male; Breed: Congo African Grey

Already Tried:
I have had him since mid-summer '08. I had his beak and nails trimmed by the vet soon after I got him because I thought they were overgrown, compared to my two eclectus. Jordan (the grey) really doesn't chew or play much with toys like the eclectus. He prefers to just stand around and talk. So I thought his beak wasn't getting worn down like it should. But it has grown back out now, but seems to be staying about the same, so maybe it doesn't need trimming and will be ok. I don't know how to know, though, if it's too long.

Accepted Answer

A healthy bird rarely needs beak trimming. Beaks overgrow as the result of nutritional disorders or some diseases.

As long as you're feeding your birds the right foods, preferably have them on a predominantly pellet diet (it doesn't matter what kind) and they are suffering no impairment or disability from an overgrown beak - chances are it's perfectly normal.

You can see more about nutrition here 4AnimalCare

--- and there's pics of healthy beaks too ---

As long as they have a perch, they have a way to maintain their beaks. Ideally they should have mineral block, cuttle bone and a grooming perch, which is usually made from a rough material.

You'd be surprised though at how much of a tool a regular wood perch can be.

Keep up the good work with your birds!

Picture
Expert: S. August Abbott, CAS
Pos. Feedback: 99.6 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 1/24/2009

Certified Avian Specialist

Cert. Avian Specialist; Int. Assoc.Animal Behavior Consult; Pet Ind. Joint Advisory Council; author

+
Read More

Related Bird Questions

  • my siver seabright bantam has developed lameness in one of
  • Why would a female blue and gold macaw parrot inflate her ne...
  • Dear Sir/Madam I have started an open sky entertainment park
  • Hi, I have saved a baby pegoen from the middle of a busy roa...
  • my love bird have broken leg what i do?
  • My GC conure has lost a full layer off the front half of her
  • i have just got a new baby budgie 2 days ago who is 6 wks ol...
  • Recently I took my one year old african grey to the vet who



Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.
Question List | Become an Expert | Terms of Service | Security & Privacy | About Us
© 2003-2009 JustAnswer Corp.