Who knew I still had a touch of MBS left in me? Yep. Except this time is a 4 yo male SI eclectus who needs 'rescuing'. Poor guy. His beak is WAY WAY too long. Aside from that, he looks healthy though. I know, bad me. BUT, I've got permission from my parents so I emailed them. His name is Ozzy and he's a cutie. However, his beak greatly concerns me. You see, it's really long and I'm shocked he can be as normal as he is.

I'm calling my vet tomorrow but wanted to get your take. How can you fix this? What causes it?I've seen it before buy have never had to deal with it. Here's a pic:

Attached Images

Ozzy.jpg (9.0 KB, 12 views)

My male SI ekkie, Charley was neglected as a baby and I brought him home with a beak that was way too long. I was told it was due to the fact that he had been kept in a bin at a pet shop with no toys for nearly a year before the breeder saw and bought him back. He was then placed on consignment at a shop where I bought him when he was about 16 months old (if memory serves me right). Anyway, long story short is that I took him to my avian vet within 2 days of purchase and the vet used a dremel to re-shape and grind down his beak. It was very traumatic for Charley and he ran to my arms afterwards. This was more than 3 years ago and his beak has never needed trimming ever since -- Charley loves to chew and keeps his beak in fine shape!

Here's a photo of Charley when I first got him. See how long his beak was?



And here's a photo I took of him after the vet ground down and reshaped his beak:



I just want to point out that no one should attempt to use a dremel themselves to reshape or grind down a parrot's beak. The vet needs to do it as the grinding heats up the beak and you could easily damage your bird. Plus, it really is very traumatic for the bird -- imagine how it must feel to the bird to have its beak filed down like that with a power grinder. Wouldn't you freak too?

Overgrown Beaks

Overgrown beaks may be frequently seen in Eclectus parrots. The most frequently made observation is an overgrowth of the upper mandible or rhinotheca. In most cases, malocclusion or chronic liver disease not identified as predisposing factors, as is seen in some other species such as the budgerigar and amazon genus. General observations suggest that overgrown beaks are seen more frequently in birds that are being fed a diet that lacks the large amount of fresh foods commonly recommended for this genus, and in those birds that do not have soft wood perches for normal chewing behaviors.

It has been commented amongst aviculturalists that the beaks become long only towards the end of winter, and usually become more short once the breeding season has begun. Proposed reasons for this observation stem from the frequent winter time drop in the availability of the usual assortment of fresh fruits and vegegetable material that is fed during the remainder of the year. It would be logical to assume that during the winter months, the plane of nutrition may easily drop. Chewing behavior usually increases in the breeding pairs just prior to the breeding season, and this may easily account for increased wear of some of these overgrown beaks and their return to normal appearance during breeding season.

Injectable vitamin A and multivitamin supplementation may be used as a part of treatment. In most cases, however, corrective grinding, an improved dietary plane, and providing more wood for chewing is all that is indicated

I have seen a number of Ekkies Male & Female with overgrown beaks that have had extensive vet work done and the cause of their beak over growth was shown to be diet related...I have not had this problem with my ekkies but I did have this problem with my Cammie Macaw sugar (my old avatar) and her beak would grow so long that it would touch her chest ( I never let it get that long but after Kathie aka Calvinsmom rescued her from the basement of another bird store her beak was that long) Kathie suggested changing her diet to BP's ultimate blend and starting her with some unshelled boca nuts..And her beak has stopped over growing. Her feathers look great, her yearly vet visit in july came back with a clean bill of health and she is thriving.

geez, what a difference. it's amazing to me that their beaks get like that!

I'm sooo glad that your parents are going to let you rescue this guy !! The Land of Vos, also has alot of good info on ekkies,their beak conditions, etc Carolyn is a book of knowledge on Eclectus...Check her out and keep us updated

Dom, wat are your plans? are you going to take him as a friend for Lucy, or are you tryin to find him a good home?

Either way, best of luck.... man thats a long beak... I dont understand how his owner doesnt how bad that is.

The owner never even said a word about it! In fact, he had no problem sending pictures, etc! I want him for me, lol! NO ekkie chicks! I love the males and have wanted one for a long time...

Well good luck and keep us posted..when are you supposed to get him ?