Learning and exploring as much as you can about your budgie companion is always a good thing, you may stumble upon some very interesting facts about these little birds along the way.
This article is a look into whether budgies can bruise their beaks
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Can budgies bruise their beaks?
Budgies can definitely bruise their beaks, beaks are not an ornamental part of the bird’s body but is rather a living part of the bird.
Here is what you need to know about budgies bruising their beaks:
Budgies and bruising their beaks:
Bird beaks are more complex than they look, these body parts have three components to them.
Beaks have an outer layer called keratin, this is what we can see on the outside, keratin is the same material that human fingernails are made out of.
The beak also contains an inner layer of bone which is much stronger than the keratin. There is a layer of blood vessels between these two layers, the blood vessels are called capillaries.
If a bird were to injure its beak, if the beak were to be knocked by another bird, if the bird fell onto the floor beak first, or if the bird flew into something, then the impact could cause damage to the capillaries.
Capillaries release blood when they become damaged and this blood pools under the keratin layer, this is what forms the bruise on your budgie’s beak.
Depending on what color your bird’s beak is, the bruise may be grey, purple, or black.
What to do:
Budgies, and all other types of birds, may develop bruises on their beaks, this is very common and isn’t something to worry too much about, that is, if the bird is still eating normally.
If the bird is eating normally then this means that the damage is not too severe and the beak doesn’t need much attention. Some say you can ice and massage your budgie’s bruised beak but this isn’t necessary.
The beak will keep growing as it usually does and the bruise will grow closer to the tip of the bird’s beak. The bruise will eventually be filed off along with the rest of the bird’s beak.
You can feed the bird soft mushy foods which will make eating easier for the bird as the bruise grows out
Note: You should start to worry if the bird is showing signs of distress along with the bruise. If the bird is in too much pain then it may have trouble eating because the pain is so great. If not treated the bird may eventually starve
You’d need to take your bird to the vet if in this case, the vet will give your bird the appropriate pain medications your budgie should get back to eating in no time.
Fatty liver disease:
If your bird was not injured, but still developed a bruise on its beak, then what you may be seeing on your budgie’s beak may be a symptom of fatty liver disease.
This ailment is common in birds who eat a diet that is mainly seed based.
Fatty liver disease causes blood clots to develop in your bird’s body, the bird’s beak included.
If you think that your bird has this condition then you’d need to get your bird to the vet as soon as you can, this is quite a serious condition.
Thankfully this can be remedied by a change in diet, some supplements, and an injection.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Budgie Cere Turning Black, Budgie Cere White, Why Is My Budgie’s Beak Red?, Can Birds Get Beak Burn?, Can Birds Bruise Their Beaks?