# Black stuff on my budgie's beak



## DustyAndGreen (Jan 28, 2013)

Hi guys!

My budgie Chubby has some black stuff on her beak and I have no idea what it is and or what it means. She is around 3-4 years old and is acting normally, just with a weird thing on her beak xD. It almost looks like her beak got cracked and that it could be dried blood??

I have attached some pictures below, any suggestions or ideas on what it could be and if it needs to be addressed by a vet? Thanks in advance!!!


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## danthebirdman (Dec 10, 2016)

*Maybe cancer.*

Hi there, I am just a beginner to budgies but I have heard that if there is *brown* emerging on a male cere it can be a sign of cancer. I would ring an avian specialist if i were you.


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## DustyAndGreen (Jan 28, 2013)

Oh, she is female but I will keep that in mind! Does it apply to females also? I'm really suspecting that it is dried blood as if part of her beak fell off but have no idea for sure and what I should do about it.


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

I agree that it looks very much like dried blood on the beak and it would be good to if you could take a closer look at the beak/cere in order to see if you can locate the injury. 
Is she sharing the cage with another budgie? Did she recently have a night fright?

Also it would be best to either remove the rope toy or cut the fringes in order to avoid a potential accident from happening.


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## DustyAndGreen (Jan 28, 2013)

It doesn't seem to be dripping from anywhere it seems like the blood is over a part of her break that is missing. I don't believe she has had any night frights recently but she does share the cage with my 3 other budgies. They've been together for many years and have gotten along fine but that doesn't mean there was no chance of a fight, but as of now they were just eating about and now just sitting and grinding there beaks. I will seperate her however if I see them fighting (beyond the small squabbles)!

So now that we are pretty sure it is blood. How should I address this? Bring her to a vet or let it heal on its own? I am stumped on what caused it but most likely would be her hitting her beak against the cage or something hard. As mentioned earlier she is acting normally, eating and grooming herself but I still want to be safe!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

* 


danthebirdman said:



Hi there, I am just a beginner to budgies but I have heard that if there is brown emerging on a male cere it can be a sign of cancer. I would ring an avian specialist if i were you.

Click to expand...

The discoloration is on Dusty's beak - not on her cere.
Females cere's turn brown and crusty when they are in breeding condition which is not at all the same as when a male budgie's cere starts turning brown.



DustyAndGreen said:



How should I address this? Bring her to a vet or let it heal on its own?
I am stumped on what caused it but most likely would be her hitting her beak against the cage or something hard. 
As mentioned earlier she is acting normally, eating and grooming herself but I still want to be safe!

Click to expand...

I would definitely recommend taking her to an Avian Vet to ensure the beak isn't going to break off up close to her cere.

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma. 
This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet.
When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment. 
This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable.
The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.

Distinction between an Avian Vet and a Vet that "Will See Birds"

Having your budgie examined by an Avian Vet allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet in case your bird needs care for an injury or illness in the future. Additionally, it is always helpful for the vet to have a baseline for your bird to refer to should it need future treatment.

I completely agree with aluz regarding the rope toys.

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-budgie-housing-toys/355426-dangers-rope-perches-tasseled-toys.html
*


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## DustyAndGreen (Jan 28, 2013)

Ok! Thanks! I will schedule an appointment asap and trim the rope toy. 

Thanks for the quick responses everyone!


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