# Budgies cere turning an odd color



## bonneh (Oct 16, 2018)

I've noticed in the past few days that my male budgie Bluebell's cere has quite rapidly become an odd purpley color. He's about 10 years old and has been very healthy up until now barr a minor crop infection about a year and a half ago. I've read that ceres turning brown in male budgies can be a sign of hormonal imbalances or cancer but this isn't really brown? He seems to be behaving normally otherwise, eating and drinking and chatting with my other budgie fine but I'm concerned due to his age and want him to be as healthy and comfortable as possible. Anyone seen this before or have any ideas as to what it could be?


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## PoukieBear (Sep 27, 2013)

It's hard to tell from the pic you posted, the cere looks normal to me.
Male's cere's will change a little bit during mating season to a slightly more prominent blue or purple colour. Now that spring is here, your budgie may be hormonal (even though he's well past breeding age)

The more concerning thing to me is his weight, he looks extra pudgy and definitely needs to lose a few ounces. What does he eat on a regular day? Does he get any out of cage time to exercise? Has he had a vet check in the past year?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm unable to enlarge the thumbnail to actually view Bluebell' cere.

I agree with PoukieBear that Bluebell seems to be overweight. I also agree that when a male comes into condition, the cere becomes a much darker color blue - which you may consider a more purple color.

I suggest you take Bluebell in to an Avian Vet for a well-birdie checkup to discuss both his weight and any other concerns you may have at this time.

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.

If there are no Avian Vets near you, please find an Exotic Pet Veterinarian with experience in dealing with small birds.*


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## bonneh (Oct 16, 2018)

Ah should have mentioned, he does have a fat deposit on his stomach from eating predominantly seed that makes him look pudgy and has been looked at by an avian vet and biopsied. He does have dried parsley and carrot etc mixed in with his seed but has been a very fussy and never really taken to fresh fruits or veggies even from a young age. As I said he's been examined by a vet and they've said he's otherwise healthy.
My only concern is his cere has never gone this colour before and I'm wondering if it's hormonal why it would be suddenly happening given his age?

Additionally I am in Australia, and hence it is autumn, not mating season.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Your budgies cere looks ok to me in your post but I do have some experience with a males cere turning brown. I had a guy that had a testicular tumor and because of the hormonal changes due to that his cere changed color. At first it was not too noticeable, it just looked sort of dirty and it seemed to come and go. He developed a twitch in his leg and I took him to the vet and x-rays were done and it was determined that there was a tumor. At one point his cere turned completely brown like a female in breeding condition. 
Keep an eye on your birds cere and if you feel it is really off color get the vets opinion on it.


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## Birdmanca (Jan 24, 2008)

I thought the cere looks all right. Keep an eye on it for awhile if you want to be really sure about it.


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

I also cannot open the thumbnail attachment. 

As a good alternative to posting thumbnails directly to the site, many of us use a photo sharing website such as Imgur. It’s easy, free, and works best with the forum.


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