Why are my bird's beak and legs white and scaly? Is he in pain?

Hello, Parakeets do commonly contract the external parasite Knemidocoptes. I would recommend taking Pineapple into your veterinarian to be seen. They can examine her, weigh her, and determine the best anti-parasitic medication for her case. It generally requires a few doses of the medication over a period of weeks to kill every life stage of the mite. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Angel is beautiful, thankfully his cere looks a nice healthy colour. It is not uncommon for the beak to flake a little depending what part of the keratin cycle he is in . As for the crusts, these are most commonly due to a little mite that borrows under the skin. Known as scaly beak, it is caused by knemedicoptes mites. To treat it you need an ivermectin based drop, many vets stock a product called xeno which you apply to the skin. I would weigh him to ensure appropriate dosing. If you are concerned he seems dull or symptoms are worsening you should take him to an avian vet.

Your parakeet could be suffering from a mite infection caused by the bird mite cnemidocoptes, The infection would show up the beak as well as the legs. You should have your bird seen by a veterinarian who can easily diagnose a mite infection and then treat it with ivermectin, You should bring both birds, as both need to be treated.

Poor little guy! He very possibly has scaly mites. Ideally he should be seen by an avian veterinarian, but there is an over-the-counter product called Avimec that is a drop-on remedy for scaly mites. These mites only live on the body, so you don't have to treat the cage as well, but it would be a good idea to take it apart anyway and give it a good deep cleaning just to be safe. Plenty of soap and hot water and thorough rinsing will work. Good luck with him.

Ideally, Pebbles should be examined by your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet to diagnose and treat any infection or injury. The bumblefoot and cere injury may require antibiotics. Mites and other infection should be ruled out as potential causes for the flakiness. An unbalanced diet may also be a contributing factor. A commercial pelleted diet, such as Harrison's, Lafeber, Pretty Bird or KayTee Exact, supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables with limited seed is recommended over an all seed diet. The male Rosa Bourke will have a distinct blue band or tint on the cere as well as a distinctly pink colored throat. DNA sexing can also be done to definitively determine gender.

I strongly recommend contacting a vet for treatment of knemidokoptic mange or scaly face mites. Most mite preparations or cage protectors sold in pet stores are ineffective and some may even be toxic to birds. Because of their small size, medications that can effectively treat this condition in bird typically have to be compounded for a safe and effective dose. Overdosing parasiticides can easily be fatal in budgies. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/knemidokoptic-mange-or-scaly-leg-and-face-disease-in-birds http://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/pet-birds/parasitic-diseases-of-pet-birds It is important to completely clean the cage, typically it is recommended to remove and replace any wooden perches or toys. Good luck. Thank you for using PetCoach. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1829&aid=3068

Your bird may have a skin infection, like from a bacteria or fungus, or he may have skin mites causing him to be so itchy. I would recommend taking him to the vet to be checked out so that the underlying problem can be treated and he will stop being so itchy. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.