Beak Question

[JillG]

Penny, our 7 month old CAG, rubs her beak on things all the time, not just after she eats. We try to wipe her beak after she eats but she REALLY DOES NOT LIKE THAT and prefers to do it herself. I have read that beak scraping is common behavior but my concern is that she has rubbed the top of her beak so much that it is actually wearing away her beak in a little area across the top. Also, at the very tip of her beak she is doing the same thing and I am worried it will get so thin it will break off a chunk of it. She is healthy and happy other than this. She has plenty of toys she chomps and splinters to keep her beak trimmed. Am I being too much of an overprotective mom or is this behavior something I need to try to stop? Any thoughts on this would be very much appreciated. Thanks for any help.

[Talon]

It is a natural behavior of theirs to wipe their own beaks. I find if I don't do it for them, They rub less. I think they get mad at me for doing their job! If you are concerned their beak is too thin due to rubbing it so much, post some pics and maybe we can see it. But they do rub their beak a lot, especially after eating and drinking.

[Greywings]

Their beaks keep growing so they do need to rub it to wear it down as it grows. They also seem to like the textures of different surfaces using that beak like our fingers to feel soft, silky, rough and fibrous textures.

[JillG]

Thanks for the reassurance. I am probably worrying over nothing but it's really nice to hear from experienced bird parents. Thanks for responding and easing my concern. If she should get worse, I'll try to get a good picture of her beak and post it.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

JillG... I am more " laid back", but I can understand your concern. Make sure you have different perches, such as sandy perches, etc. Don't wipe your birds beak! Kiki our Amazon, LOVES raspberries, which we include in her diet. I have had 911 calls from the kids that " her beak is bleeding, she is dying!" She had raspberries on her beak that she didn't clean!

It is her responsibility to clean her beak. She eventually did. I am spolied, that I have an Avian trimmer, that cares for their beaks, nails and unwanted feathers. They see him every three months, and have done so since birth. Birds are responsible to groom themselves until they see him Nancy