Face Skin/Beak HELP Please

[kendrafitz]

Rosie's skin appears to be pealing off her beak. It looks like it may bleed when I get a look under the pulled up skin.

I noticed this about 10 minutes ago and called the vet. We have an appointment for 2, but her regular avian vet isn't there today. The receptionist assured me that this vet is very good, but I am a nervous wreck.

She has been quieter than usual and was playing on her cage floor this morning. Which is unusual, but I thought she had just taken an interest in one of her foraging balls.

Has anyone seen this before?

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[Blancaej]

I haven't, but I wonder if new skin is coming in? I think having her checked out is the best route to take. Keep us posted! And try not to worry yourself too much. I am sure she was just playing at the bottom of her cage. Keep positive!

[kendrafitz]

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[kendrafitz]

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[plax]

Kendra: to me it looks like a build-up of the skin edge that normally peels away and flakes off as the beak grows outward. In your photos (one in particular) the built up mass of skin by Rosie's right naris looks extra thick and appears to be splitting away from the demarcation line. I'm guessing it's a condition much like when the skin along the side of one of our fingernails splits away a bit too far into the flesh of our finger. I'm confident that it will grow out again and hopefully normalize. But I think having an avian vet look at it would be a good precaution, and provide some peace of mind for you.

[kendrafitz]

Thanks Tony. Fingers crossed!! Heading for the vets shortly.

[Honesty]

Good luck Kendra! I am pretty sure it is normal. Codie's beak has peeled like this a couple of times.

[plax]

Okay Kendra. Please report back as soon as you can.

[kendrafitz]

We JUST got home. Although the other vet was very nice, it was apparent she was not comfortable with a bird Rosie's size. After several failed attempts to towel Rosie, with Rosie a mess it was clear she was not able to handle her. So I politely said we would come back to see our regular vet. Once I got my baby in the dog crate, the vet came back in and tried to see a bit. We go back on Saturday at 3:30 to see our vet.

While we were there, the vet said she wished she could get the flaky skin off. So when she left the room, I removed it. With it removed, her nasal area looks more swollen. So the vet thinks she may have a sinus issue or it may just be hurt. I am hoping she will be better by Saturday. My poor baby was crying and shaking by the time we left. I had my son with me. He was so upset bc he said they should never had made the appt if the vet wasn't confident with a GW. This comes from an 11 year old - with apparently more sense than the receptionist. I grilled the poor woman on the phone to make sure the vet would be ok with such a big beak. The answer was she was and it would be fine. Oh well. :(

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[plax]

I'm so sorry to hear how stressful and unhelpful your vet visit went today, Kendra :(. Believe me, I've had my share of so-called avian vets who don't know what they're doing around large birds. It certainly makes you wish you'd never brought your bird in at times :(

If you have a compassionate, knowledgeable, and capable avian vet, hang on to him or her! They're not that plentiful.

[kendrafitz]

Very true, which I didn't fully realize until today. I really wished we hadn't gone the minute I realized how nervous she was. When I first suggested we come back, she said she could handle it. After one of the several times she left the room to regroup I finally insisted. But we had already been there an hour and by then Rosie was a mess. It took another 45 minutes for us to finally leave, just not a good scene.

In my opinion, if a vet isn't comfortable with big birds, don't try to treat them. It is stressful for everyone and as my son would say an "epic fail".

[plax]

In my opinion, if a vet isn't comfortable with big birds, don't try to treat them. It is stressful for everyone and as my son would say an "epic fail".Indeed correct! If a vet isn't comfortable handling large parrots they should not attempt treating them! From the bird's perspective it's a torture session in which the poor thing can't know that the ultimate goal isn't to kill it. It can be incredibly terrifying for our cherished fids :(

At least you'll know never to go back to that vet with Rosie (if it can be at all avoided).

[tonkatiel]

:( I'm sorry that Rosie had such a bad time at the vet, I definitely agree that the silly woman shouldn't have kept trying when she was so obviously scared!

I took one of my lovebirds to have his beak filed by a regular vet once - I will never take any of my birds to that vet again - he was petrified of being bitten by a LOVEBIRD :/
Luckily we found another vet at the same practice who isn't an avian vet but does keep his own birds and had at least some idea of what to do...

I'm not sure if whats happening with Rosies beak is the same, but Punkys beak 'peels' every few months - I've never really worried about it as I've noticed photos of other birds quite regularly with the same thing... Hopefully whatevers happening with Rosie is nothing serious, and that she doesn't have such a bad time at the vet on Saturday, will be thinking of you xx

[Blancaej]

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience at the vet. Sometimes people just don't use their better judgment and admit they can't handle something. Unfortunately, Rosie had to pay the price. I am sure it will go better on Saturday when her avian vet comes back.

[tonkatiel]

Sorry if you posted elsewhere and I missed it Kendra, but how did Rosie go on Saturday?

[kendrafitz]

Thank you for checking in on her. :) She seems better and the swelling/redness is much less noticible.

I cancelled her appointment since she was so stressed out when we went (and the fact that when my daughter mentioned the word vet yesterday morning, Rosie froze, dropped her beak open and dumped out her cashew). I am going to keep an eye on it and hopefully it will continue to improve. If she seems like it is bothering her or it gets bad again I will call right away. I just couldn't see bringing her if she didn't absolutely need to go, since it was so upsetting for her.

[plax]

Kendra: For what it's worth, I agree with your decision. Vet visits can be extremely stressful for these guys! Some deal with it fairly well, while others simply don't (and bad vets make it far worse for them!).

I feel so sorry for poor Rosie :( and I'm glad to learn that her skin appears to be improving :). Thanks for posting back on her status.

[Blancaej]

I agree with Tony, I think your plan is a good one. Why bring on more stress if you don't need to.

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[spiritbird]

Are there any vets (avian) that will make home visits for the big guys?

[Honesty]

I am glad to hear Rosie is improving and that you have no need to return to the vet :)