My Budgie's Beak has Cracked - What Should I Do?

A budgie's cracked beak is like a broken tooth for a human: Nerve endings and bones are connected to the beak, which is why this kind of damage is painful for the bird.

It is important to distinguish between a simple cracked beak and a more serious injury such as a fractured or severed beak. The latter case can cause excessive bleeding due to the amount of blood that flows to the beak. In case of blood loss, you should apply pressure to stop the bleeding and call a vet as soon as possible.

If the beak is deeply cracked, it is important to know that the two halves will not grow back together on their own. Instead, they will grow increasingly apart, so you must act and help your parakeet as soon as possible.

If the crack in your parakeet's beak isn't deep:

Luckily, in the majority of cases the crack will not be too deep and the bird will not bleed or be in pain. If this is your budgie's situation, all you need to do it leave it to regrow a healthy beak over time, just as we do when we have a cracked nail. Just in case, it's better to ask the vet to confirm the severity of the injury.

It is important to make sure you offer your parakeet cuttlefish bone or calcium supplements so that it can naturally wear down its beak, thus preventing overgrowth. Gradually, the cracked part will slowly be worn down and the beak will grow back fully healthy.

Some people recommend using a product like strong glue to glue the cracked beak back together, but you should never do this yourself. Adhesives are toxic and could get into your budgerigar's eyes, nostrils and mouth. This difficult procedure should only be carried out by a vet.

If the crack in your parakeet's beak is deep:

A cracked beak brings a risk of infection and increases the chances of your bird not being able to feed properly.

If the crack is deep or high up the beak, your parakeet could bleed from the beak. This can lead to increased blood pressure, which would in turn worsen the bleeding. This type of bleeding might not cause your parakeet severe pain, but losing such a large amount of blood could be fatal.

Therefore, you should act quickly to stop the bleeding. To do this, we can make a cap with mild soap, rubbing the affected area from the bottom up with a bar of soap. This is a temporary and emergency first aid remedy to treat a budgie's cracked beak. Once you have done this you should immediately go to a trusted vet - especially if it is bleeding lots - since it is a very serious situation that cannot be ignored.

If the beak is falling off or if the outer layers are damaged, the underlying tissues may dry out. In such cases, you can rinse the wound with sterile saline solution - a solution for contact lenses without preservatives serves well - to remove any possible residue and to help keep the tissue moist until your bird is examined by a vet. You need to be gentle when cleaning the beak, being careful not to separate or remove the beak if it is still partially attached.

The vet might cut part of the beak off or reattach it with a special plaster until it grows back healthy. At the veterinary clinic, your parakeet may be fed with a feeding tube. After, and until it has fully regrown its beak, you should give it soft and wet food.

In the case of small beak wounds, giving your parakeet supportive care, antimicrobial agents and pain medication should be enough until the wound disappears with the growth of the new, healthy beak.

For a larger, deeper wound, dental acrylic resin and a fixative light could be used to keep the beak together until a new healthy beak has regrown.

A fracture on the beak can be completely cured if blood flow is still good. However, some injuries in your parakeet's beak could be permanent, in which case your bird would need to be fed soft food for the rest of its life.

This article is purely informative. AnimalWised does not have the authority to prescribe any veterinary treatment or create a diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian if they are suffering from any condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to My Budgie's Beak has Cracked - What Should I Do?, we recommend you visit our Other health problems category.

• If your parakeet has a cracked beak, it is advised to go to your vet.