My keet, Spud, had her upper beak taken off by a larger bird. She's been to the vet, who took a phone consultation from our fantastic former avian vet in Illinois, and has her prescriptions and path to renewed health laid out for her.

I was wondering if anyone had gone through this before. We're told that her beak will grow back misshapen, but we're just happy to hear that it could grow back at all.

I would be very much comforted to hear about anyone's past experience with this.

I'm guessing people on here will have some questions, so let me tell you a little bit about Spud. She's a feisty, curious little bird that we chose from our local bird & herp shop from a parakeet flight room. While all the other birds fluttered and played, she stopped on a perch near the window to check us out. That same curiosity to this day allows me to add a new toy to her cage in the morning and see her playing with it that night.

She was not hand raised, and I made heavy use of Lisa's advice to get her hand trained. We plateaued right at that level of her feisty independence. If she's with me, riding on my shoulder and I turn right when she wants to go left, she takes off. We keep her flight feathers trimmed, but kamikazes on like a five foot drop is peanuts--and she wants to eat them.

Imagine my horror at first seeing her without her beak. "This is the end," I thought. And yet, she's running around on the floor fleeing me like its nail trimming time. We talk to the vet, find out that birds survive this and can live "amazingly well" without a beak, go through the shot/oral meds/tube feeding at the vet's office, and come back home with our precious keet. Back in her cage, she's acting like it never happened, which on the one hand is stunning and joyful--this instrumental bit of bird anatomy gone, and she's minorly ticked off about it, but fine, she'll preen with her tongue and palate before tucking in for a sleep. On the other hand, it's heartbreaking to see her try to "beak around" (climbing in/on her cage), pick up her pellet food, and sharpen her beak on her perch.

This happened yesterday evening, and she's already begun to adapt. She keeps trying with her pellet, and out vet says that they can learn to eat them anew within 3 days to several weeks. Today, she got to the point where she throws the pellet around her cage. Just a little more control, and she'll have it. She hops and climbs more with her feet, and has found a way to steady herself using some part of her beak/tongue while climbing.

She's our brave Spudgerigar, and she's going to pull through just fine, I think, but I'd like to hear about other people's experiences in hopes of being prepared for any hurdles or back sliding, as well as the successes. It's time for her shot, meds, feeding, and weighing now, but I'll be watching this forum for hope.

on larger birds MUCH larger ive know where a they were fitted and had a artificial beak made...in the mean time encorporate some mush food buying small jars of baby food adding some cooked veggies and ORZO...and as her beak begins to grow back when some length comes to it im sure they will be able to modify any mishapenness to it...but if it were me id wait till fully grown to do a grind job to properly shape and her frustration can greatly be alleviated with like i said baby foods and cooked veggies or pure' them really well adding some orzo ..rice...etc.

so proud of all your efforts ..that takes real commitment ...

and let me be the first to welcome you to the forum...

Just another reason that no matter how cute some of you think it may be.... or maybe SO FAR have been lucky...you should NOT let any larger bird near our dear sweet little keets...they simply are no match...and different species should NOT be housed together...no matter who tells you otherwise...or what their personal experience they are for sure playing russian roulette and just have been lucky if no serious bullying has happened

couple that with if a bird feels the flow of breeding seasons...thats a ticking bomb

And not to get lulled into a false sense of security. The parrot will be moving into her own room, and once Spud gets well, we'll talk about possibly adding some more keets to our family.

The scary details of the story, how it happened, are unknown. I stepped out of the bird room with both cages open. Either Spud and Patty (a white front Amazon) wound up on the floor, or Spud used a box that was placed near Patty's cage to climb up. I ran to the room when I heard Spud making the noise she usually makes when she's annoyed, not even her most alarmed call, but the shock has wiped everything but trying to get Spud into her carrier from my memory.

We've known such a thing could happen since Patty joined us, and have always kept them housed separately and far enough apart that Spud couldn't fly to Patty's birdhouse when her wing feathers started coming back in. It wasn't enough. It's like the ads that warn parents about watching their children around swimming pools--don't leave them unattended for a moment.



That's a good idea! Our vet also mentioned that we could boil seed to soften it, but we reserve seed as a treat because we don't want her to become a lil' tubkeet.



Our vet had mentioned that it could be shaped as it grew back in, but she might prefer to have fewer stressful trips to the vet. I'm just hoping a good majority comes back--hopefully she hasn't lost too much.

boy am i ever glad you are sharing as much of this story that you are...becuz ya can get lulled into believing you can turn your back or leave the room and just for a few seconds it will be all fine...well it isnt...

however now this brings us to another issue...clipped wings...no no no...its a birds first natural defense of escaping...also if a bird is basically thumping to the floor when it tries to fly ..just imagine yourselves doing the same ...you we be and get very sore so you dont even want to fly any longer never mind the internal injuries that can happen...

nature game them wings for reasons...

if you dont want a lil tub keet try to stay away from any oat groats..millet...and flax...

doing organic grains and seeds...many health food stores carry them ...things like buck wheat and hull less barley...and hull less hemp...some*** steel cut oat groats is ok just in moderation...nijer ...and try some smaller seed reserved for canaries or finch...

but mush food i think she will really prefer for sure...

another thing is to try some petamine breeders food...agan not to much as its very high in protein but would make a nice change up and it can be mixed into a gruel...

its not so much the stressfull trips to the vet about the beak issue as it is the beak is loaded with very very sensitive nerves and blood vessels...this is why i said if it were me id wait till its grown...unless it get sooooooo mishapen at about half way ...then i would make a attempt to bring it into equal balance...

again sir...i cant say enough about what your doing and the special person you are to do all this...but i wouldnt add any more birds to the flock you already have...having to place birds into homes and break some up should anything happen that would require you do that...and again just like this accident ...dont get lulled into false security and think it cant happen....to rehome ..is awful



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Welcome Brian to the forum.

What a story reading about Spud and what she's been through! She sounds like such a terrific budgie and very mentally sound in that this whole event hasn't seemed to phase her. What a little trooper.

Very hard lesson learned and hopefully people will read and recognize the dangers they are allowing by letting their different sized birds and species mingle under their watchful eye. As you painfully learned, it just takes a second for a potential disaster to happen.

I'm very impressed with your quick action, your new vet talking with your old avian vet, and all of the good nursing care you'll be giving Spud for the foreseeable future.

I have a feeling we'll get lots of fun Spud stories to make us chuckle. Somehow I think she'll fit right in with a few of our more adventurous budgies here. Mine included.

Sorry I don't have much to add to what illusive has already mentioned.
I just wanted to welcome you to the forum..wish it were under better circumstances of course.
I too commend you for doing what it takes to help your little friend Spud find her way and adapt.

Are there any cooked foods that Spud is used to eating? Maybe some whole grain cooked rice would be good too.
Or baby food rice cereal along with the baby veggies

I would think that since she can't hull her seeds, if you do offer cooked seeds they would have to be hull-less or she could end up with crop impaction.

How about baby budgie formula?

Wow, what a story! I will keep Spud in my prayers and great job getting care so quick...

Welcome to the forum

I was thinking that if baby cereal is an option, Barley cereal might be good because barley is very nutritious.
Or even cooked hull-less barley

I agree with illusive 100% on the wing clipping. It really is their only defense to flee from danger.It's natural..it's instinctive. Not only that, but if worried about weight gain flying would def give her more exercise ESPECIALLY since she is no longer able to climb as well.
Please give some serious thought to letting her grow her beautiful flight feathers back?

Thanks so much for sharing Spud's story. It is def an eye opener and will be a learning experience for all.
Please keep us posted on your little troopers progress and the things you discover along the way that are helpful for other birds with the same issue.

i would think there is one big issue with flying right now...especially if the bird was not use to coming out and thats ...crash and burns with no upper beak and it trying to grow back...

to just what extent is the beak missing anyway i dont * think , that was mentioned???

This is something I would like to do. We'll be moving the parrot to another room, so Spud will have her own space. She's a good flier, too--it's not something she forgets between trimmings. We have her flighted before Patty joined us, and she'd enjoy perching on the fan in the living room and the high cabinets in the kitchen. Patty was also in the living room in the old house, and we decided to keep Spud trimmed when she obsessed with getting to Patty.

After trimming, she learned she could get pretty close by hopping to a nearby curtain, climbing up it and across the curtain rod, and down the other side. She did most enjoy perching on rod, and now that I think of it, we've recently sold the house and I totally forgot to clean those curtains.



Spud's upper beak is gone below her cere--there is a very narrow bit of it left above her palate. Her lower beak and tongue were unharmed.

Today, she's fighting her meds and tube feeding with even more strength than yesterday, which is scary when giving her an injection by her keel bone. She's enjoyed drinking off a lettuce leaf, but will not go in her bath. I've steamed and mashed some carrot, potato, spinach, and green bean for her to try, spinach being the only one she sampled under my eye. I'll be looking for evidence of her sampling the others when it's time for her next shot and feeding.