Budgerigar Parakeets
Took in two Budgerigar parakeets (Melopsittacus undulatus), aka Budgies, yesterday for somebody that bought them to get them away from the owner due to their conditions. These guys have some major issues. Overgrown beaks that have been this way a while. Overgrown nails. And super thin. Beaks have been preventing them from eating properly, and from the colored dye on the beaks they have been fed a bad diet. These guys are small seed eaters, and with these beaks they have not been eating much.
The females cere (fleshy part at beak) is in terrible shape, most likely due to repeated infections of the sinus cavity and or injuries to the cere. This condition is called “hyperkeratosis” and can cause breathing issues if the nostrils become blocked.
Parakeet is simply a term used to describe small parrots with long, flat and tapering tails. There are many species of parakeet.
Budgies are the third most popular pet, right behind dogs and cats. They have been bred in captivity since the 1850s.
This pair (male has blue cere, female has brown) got a trimming last night as short as we could safely take the beaks and nails. Will take a few more trimmings to get the beaks back to normal but will take time.
Mario and Brandi
