Thread: What's wrong with this cockie?

Originally Posted by POD

A new fledgeling sulphur-crested cockatoo at my place this afternoon with what appears to be a beak deformity, the lower part of the beak is very long and curves upward. He appears to be in good condition but is probably still being fed by his parents (I presume the pair who were also here are his mum & dad); I have not seen this before so pretty sure it's not a transient feature of an immature bird. Any thoughts?
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These are one of our favourite birds, absolute characters, we get enough here to be fun without being a pest.

Darwin might be an issue? Suspect it will struggle to feed. A vet chat or the BIRDMAN on the 774 ABC radio show might be able to help you?

It Trevor Chapple now. Victorian Afternoons with Trevor Chappell - ABC listen

SMS: 0437 774 774 (rates apply) Talkback: 1300 222 774; General ABC enquiries: 13 9994

I will msg you a producers email address. They usually are very helpful.

Thanks ND, message received and responded. I'll see if they are able to offer any answers.
After observing the birds for a bit longer, I don't think this one is offspring of the other two that were here at the same time. Probably an adult bird with beak & feather disease which we have seen here before. Poor guy will probably starve to death.

Originally Posted by POD

Poor guy will probably starve to death.

Kindest thing is to catch,have it checked, and euthanise worse case.

Sad situation all round.

Originally Posted by scarry

Kindest thing is to catch,have it checked, and euthanise worse case.

Sad situation all round.

Yes if I could catch him I'd take him to the vet for advice and would be happy to pay for treatment given the delight these guys give us. Stuffed if I know how to catch one though! The King parrots would be a cinch as they eat out of our hands but these guys not so much.

Originally Posted by POD

Yes if I could catch him I'd take him to the vet for advice and would be happy to pay for treatment given the delight these guys give us. Stuffed if I know how to catch one though! The King parrots would be a cinch as they eat out of our hands but these guys not so much.

Yes difficult,unless it will go into a trap,but i doubt it.

The experts use a torpedo net,but have to do it in a clear area,so probably no good for where you are.

FWIW,one of my brothers has a Ringneck,that i bred about 12 yrs ago,it recently grew a very long beak,which usually signals an underlining health problem.

The long part of its beak fell off last week,and it is still eating well,so just going to see how it goes.

Hi,
We had one like this in a local flock. It got very scruffy and disheveled and after about a year it was not in the flock. It could only eat food on the ground with its beak horizontally to get the food close to the face.
Bit sad really.
Cheers

One of the guys at work rescued a white cockie exactly the same as this when it was a chick. Several years later, it is now a member of their family and a real character. His 5 kids love it to bits, along with the 2 cats and a dog and all the animals seem to get along fine.

I wouldn't interfere with it. If it has lived this long like that, it has worked out how to survive.