# Help with Crusty Cere



## Pensfan (Apr 23, 2017)

Hey everyone,
Thanks in advance for checking this out and helping me answer a couple questions. Our little girl (Kreacher) is about 2 years old, lives in a large cage with a male budgie (Dobby) and a male cockatiel (Jabberwocky). They get along great although Kreacher tries to tail surf on Jabberwocky every now and then and he doesn't really appreciate it times.

The past few days we've noticed that our female's cere is getting crusty. It is a normally a dark tan and mostly smooth. However, it is looking pretty rough right now. Her eyes are bright and clear, she doesn't show any signs of being in pain, and there are no signs of the same crusty build up around her eyes or feet. She has also been laying down in an upside down coconut toy recently; she normally just plays in it and chews on it.

I am 99% sure that this is normal for breeding age/season but I just want to make sure our little girl is healthy. Any thoughts here on this or should we take her to our avian vet?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Your budgie is in breeding condition and you need to remove the coconut toy from the cage immediately.
You should not have anything in the cage that can possibly be used as a nesting site.

It is very important you take the necessary steps to prevent breeding.

A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Guidance regarding Breeding Advice Threads

Rearranging the budgies' cage frequently, and limiting the light they get to only 8 hours a day will help tremendously. Please be sure you never put a nest box or anything (such as the coconut toy) that could be used as a nesting site in their cage.

When they come into condition, limit the amount of protein in their diet at that time.

Additionally, although you indicate your budgies and cockatiel get along, the forum does not recommend housing budgies and cockatiels together.
Why not get a second cage and let the birds have out of cage time together ?*


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Deborah is right. Please take the steps she outlined above to assure Kreacher and Dobby do NOT breed, since she now in condition.


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## Pensfan (Apr 23, 2017)

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sorry I was not more clear on the previous post, they have a play stand they play on when out of the cage. The coconut toy was on the play stand. We've already removed it once I noticed her using it like a nesting spot.


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