since ivy has come home, i've noticed her bottom mandible is flakey. i didn't think it was anything to worry about at first but, i looked today and it seems worse than usual. there is a "seam" that goes around her beak, about an inch in from the tip. it almost looks like a new "layer" is coming in. but then that "new" layer is flaky as well. also, i noticed that the top part of her beak is starting to flake just a little.

i read that this can be from a vitamin A deficiency. sweet potatoes have become her favorite food, and i know those are good for vitamin a. i see broccoli is good for that too, but i haven't had any luck getting her to eat.

do you all know anything about this?

My babies have gone through similar to what you have explained. Its keratin, just like finger nails. She will learn to rub it to sand it down on her rough perch. Maybe its a little more flaky due to diet and weight change. My bet is she is just fine though.

My AV says some flaking and peeling and even chipping is normal. If it were to become excessive, spongy or constant I would evaluate Vit. A in the diet.

Since you are introducing new foods into Ivy diet, here is a list of best tries for vitamin A. Of course it doesn't hurt if you eat them too so she becomes more interested. Can you imagine her grabbing a red chili pepper from your hand while you are munching on it? please!


Vitamin A Content Foods
IU Per 100 Grams



Red chili peppers (fresh) - 21,000
Red chili peppers (dried) - 16,000
Broccoli leaves - 77,000
Broccoli flowers - 3,000
Carrots (pureed) - 10,000
Sweet potatoes - 9,000
Turnip leaves - 7,500
Collards - 6,500
Endive - 3,500
Dandelion greens - 14,000
Spinach - 8,000
Butter - 3,500
Beef liver - 45,000
Egg yolks - 3,000
Canteloupe - 4,000
Mango - 5,000
Papaya - 2,000

Foods Low in Vitamin A
Corn
Lettuce
Summer squash
Bananas
White potatoes
Apples
Grapes
Oranges

thanks for the advice guys!

JR, i can't picture myself eating a chili pepper period she has had no interest in the dehydrated chili peppers, but maybe she would like fresh ones. i will have to try that!

A bit of peeling or flaking is normal. Beaks grow all the time and, sometimes, the growth is not even or the bird does not 'file' down the layers enough so it doesn't look like one smooth surface. I would not worry too much unless it becomes very noticeable (very uneven edges, deep 'dents', etc) or if you see changes in the 'feel' of the beak itself (too soft, spongy, brittle, etc).

As to what causes this, I would not go the vitamin A route but would instead check the methionine intake because, in my experience, 9 out 10 times, whenever a bird has plumage, claws or beak issues, it's not enough methionine that did it (I am not saying it's the case with Ivy but most birds are free-fed seed mixes that are mostly sunflower seeds and they have practically no methionine at all). Beaks have a bone base (they are an extension of the skull) but the element is modified in the outside to become keratin (like our nails and hair although these are made of alpha keratin, while beaks, scales, claws, shells, etc are made of beta keratin). Keratin is protein and amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Some amino acids cannot be 'made' by the body but we cannot live without them (they are called 'essential amino acids' and methionine is one of them) and must be supplied by food. Try green peas and lentils for legumes; amaranth and quinoa for grains; sprouts, broccoli, spinach and Swiss chard as greens; macadamia and Brazil for nuts; grapes and peaches for fruits; potatoes and corn for veggies.

As with everything else, the more varied the diet of the bird, the better the nutrition, not only because it would 'cover all the bases' but also because the nutrients are taken in their natural form instead of chemicals added to processed food.

thanks bea, you're the best!! i am doing my best to offer her a variety of health foods, but there are things she refuses to eat. even if i eat it in front of her out of her bowl, my bowl...it's mostly the greens i have a problem with. mac and brazil nuts she gets and eats easily...PEACHES i need to try, i want some too! she gets lots of sweet potato...still trying corn.

Just keep on insisting, Emily. Birds take a long, long time to try a single new food. It has to do with the fact that they are altricial animals and, as such, there are lots of behaviors that are not really 'encoded' in their genes, just the capacity to learn them (like cats need to learn how to hunt even though the instinct to hunt is always there). In parrots, one of these behaviors is learning what is safe to eat and what is not. Because most breeders wean their birds too early (in the wild, the large macaws will stay with their parents for up to two years learn the basics) and to the easiest, cheapest and most expedient food source (in most cases seeds), it is hard for us, guardians, to 'break' the barrier. But it can be done, it just takes time. I have birds that came to me complete seed junkies and now eat all kinds of stuff. It can be done, it takes time and patience and dedication, that's all. Continue eating with her and repeat the same phrase over and over starting with something she likes (like peanuts or mac nuts, for example, one for you, one for her) in order to establish the conditioned response (learns to associate the phrase with something that is good and safe to eat -I repeat "It's good" over and over and over). Eventually, she will come to trust your 'mantra' implicitly and will be willing to try new foods as soon as they are offered.

you are so awesome i do keep trying, indeed. i serve greens with every meal, even if she flings them across the room (the dogs are happy about that at least!)

thank you so much for all your help, bea. you really are the best! you should write a book, you know.

Yes, Bea, write a book!