My budgie's beak is dry, crusty, and scabby. Is it mites? What to do?

Thanks for your question, and thank you for the photo! When we see crusting around the nostrils and on the cere, it can be due to excess keratin/hyperkeratosis, or it may be actual material on the skin itself. If it is excess keratin, often suboptimal nutrition is the culprit. The most common nutrient that is involved in this is a deficiency in vitamin A. If it is material on the skin itself, this is often related to an infectious process, sort of like a runny nose with a cold. Due to this, I would recommend having Kiwi evaluated by a veterinarian. They can perform a physical examination and see if there are any other signs of vitamin deficiencies, and to see if there are any signs consistent with infection. Depending on the findings, they will recommend diagnostic testing and/or treatments that you can elect to pursue. Diets that are mainly seeds are often the culprit for a lack of vitamin A, and by adding pellets or vegetables into the diet this can be addressed. I hope that this gives you a place to start, and I hope that Kiwi feels better soon!

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.

Thanks for reaching out about Angel. Is there aggression in the cage, could this be caused by other birds? If so, isolation to reduce further trauma. Scabs can also be due to scaly beak and leg mites, which are contagious to other birds, more common if this or other birds are recently acquired. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Some local pet stores could have remedies, but probably not as effective as the vet. Good luck.

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.

Unfortunately from your photos I can't tell very clearly what is going on with the beak. If the beaks are overgrowing or impeding the chicks' ability to eat or drink, then I would have a vet take a look and trim the beaks down so that they can grow back into a more normal shape. If there is a growth, swelling, or discharge, it could indicate an issue such as an infection or underlying problem which should be treated by a vet. If the babies are otherwise healthy, eating, growing and there is no discharge, etc, then just keeping an eye on the beaks may be fine, but if they continue to grow oddly or become problemsome to your birds, having a vet look is always best.

Although a picture would help to determine the underlying cause of it, that is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to an infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This appears to be a problem caused by mites, called scaly mites. This can also be a nutritional problem or other type of skin infection. Please have Blue seen by a veterinarian who sees birds and is experienced. A physical exam and possibly some tests (skin scrape, cytology) will determine the cause and treatment can be started. Mites in birds are often treated with a drug called ivermectin or similar. Sometimes antibiotics are given if there is evidence of a bacterial infection also. Good luck with Blue! I hope y’all get a speedy recovery.