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  • #1

    Any Ornithologists here?

    So many diverse interests here... thought it wouldn't hurt to ask...

    I have a 2 year old starling that has recently begun to get his beak stuck in some sort of pocket in his breast. He's done it twice that I know of and it kind of freaked everyone out... sudden sounds of freaked out bird and then falls from his perch to the cage floor.

    It seems, that when he's preening... his beak gets caught and he can't remove it... There's no blood so he hasn't pierced himself. Because he doesn't use anything that is provided for him to trim his beak... it's a bit longer than it should be.

    If anyone knows anything about birds... do you have any ideas on how I can keep him from doing this? I'm thinking trimming his beak would be the best thing... but not certain about the best way to do it. (I think he will be paying a visit to the vet.)

    I haven't been able to find any information on this type of thing...
    81 SH Something Special
    81 frame, 80 tank and side covers, 79 tail light and carbs, 78 engine, 750 final drive mod, Geezer rec/reg, 140 mains, LH wheels
    ☺

    79 SF MEAUQABEAUXS
    81SH Nor'eas tah (Old Red)
    80 LG Black Magic
    78 E Standard Practice


    James 3:17

    If I can make at least one person smile, or pee their pants a little, or maybe spit out their drink; then my day is not wasted.

    “Alis Volat Propriis”

    Yamaha XS 1100 Classic
    For those on FB
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  • #2
    So Spaz actually spazzed out huh??

    A bird sized shot of Gentleman Jack and another use for the Roto-Zip tool??

    When I had parakeets, there was a sandpaper roll that was made to put around the perches. They would keep their beaks trimmed down with these?

    As for your feathered marsupial question... ???? Lots of birds line their nests with down that they pluck from their breast... maybe a certain spot that this is made for??

    OK.. Completely swinging wild here.. I'll hush. Finally.


    Tod
    Try your hardest to be the kind of person your dog thinks you are.

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    Current bikes:
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    • #3
      Starlings and me.....

      Here's what I'd do if I were you. Gently grip the things head between thumb and forefingers and swing vigorously.

      But then again, I'm not you.

      Dan
      Pest control expert.
      Automotive Imbecile.
      Proud owner of 'The Swiftcicle'. (Swifty for short)
      '78E Full Vetter Dresser.
      1196 Big Bore Kit.

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      • #4
        Re: Any Ornithologists here?

        Originally posted by Wildkat
        So many diverse interests here... thought it wouldn't hurt to ask...

        I have a 2 year old starling that has recently begun to get his beak stuck in some sort of pocket in his breast. [...] I'm thinking trimming his beak would be the best thing... but not certain about the best way to do it. (I think he will be paying a visit to the vet.)

        I haven't been able to find any information on this type of thing...
        Wildkat,

        I have a parrot. Back when I was doing all my bird research, I remember reading some concerns about the possibility of trimming beaks. A few things to keep in mind.

        Use a vet that specializes in birds. A typical dog & cat vet that "also does birds" isn't what you want. Sammy's vet is the primary care giver to one of Chicago's major zoos. They KNOW birds and lions & tigers & bears (with or without a thong, Oh My )


        1) If the top & bottom mandible don't meet right, the bird will have problems picking things up & eating.

        2) Each mandible has a blood supply at the base. This is similar to the nails.If you trim a nail too short, you get blood. Same thing can happen here.

        3) It is possible that if you are holding onto a mandible and the bird struggles hard enough, the mandible can come right off the birds "face" and leave a bloody area where it popped off. Something like a human loosing a toe nail. This isn't fatal in and of itself, but the bird won't be able to eat (or drink) on its own and you would have to hand feed it until the mandible grew back out. I doubt that this would happen if the bird is perfectly healty, but I did read of this happening....

        By all means, let an expert look your bird over and see what is best to do. Perhaps there is something on your birds breast that a vet can stitch closed (or cut open) to prevent your bird from getting "stuck" instead.

        I've always heard that starlings can make pretty good pets. How well is he as a pet? Do you handle him? Teach him any tricks? The corvids in general (starlings, crows, ravens, etc) are said to be quite intelligent and able to learn to speak. Some, like the ravens and crows, are said to be more intelligent than most parrots.

        Eric
        Last edited by eroellig; 04-02-2008, 01:42 PM.
        Eric Roellig
        1980 SG w Windjammer V & KG hard bags
        **Very first bike**
        Current condition: Running!!! Lead, follow or get the #^%# out of my way!!!!!!

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        • #5
          Sick bird

          The bird may be in distress or sick. Its not uncommon for birds to do this that are ill, I'm no ornithologist but I do belong to a birders association and have seen several birds in distress exhibit this same behavior.....the best you can do is try to keep feeding it and let nature take its course, just my opinion.
          Bruce
          78XS1100
          Bruce Doucette
          Phone #1 902 827 3217

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          • #6
            Thanks guys

            He's a great addition to the family... no tricks... but he mimicks human vocalizations (says "Hey Mom"... a LOT... wonder where he picked that up from ) and does a pretty good wolf whistle... He seems to be pretty smart... until he got his beak stuck the second time... though he hasn't done it again... I've handled him since he was about a week old so no fear of humans... which was made obvious by the way he would land on someone's head and peck them when he was going through his adolescent stage... (DiverRay can attest to that one)

            He doesn't seem to be sick or in distress... He flies quite a bit and sings up a storm (he has a lovely voice)... Like I said, he was preening himself when it got stuck... So I think he may just need a trim... It doesn't hang over the bottom of his beak that much and doesn't seem to be mishapen... just very long...

            Since these birds are foragers, I've picked up some aluminum pans that I will put some gritty substance in (sand or sand and dirt mix, maybe) and then a few mealworms... maybe it will sand his beak down naturally? Any drawbacks to this?
            81 SH Something Special
            81 frame, 80 tank and side covers, 79 tail light and carbs, 78 engine, 750 final drive mod, Geezer rec/reg, 140 mains, LH wheels
            ☺

            79 SF MEAUQABEAUXS
            81SH Nor'eas tah (Old Red)
            80 LG Black Magic
            78 E Standard Practice


            James 3:17

            If I can make at least one person smile, or pee their pants a little, or maybe spit out their drink; then my day is not wasted.

            “Alis Volat Propriis”

            Yamaha XS 1100 Classic
            For those on FB

            Comment

            • #7
              which was made obvious by the way he would land on someone's head and peck them when he was going through his adolescent stage...
              I think Diver Ray's mid-life crisis shouldn't be discussed here.
              (How about a separate thread?)
              "Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor, not a mechanic!' ('Bones' McCoy)

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              • #8
                Re: Thanks guys

                Originally posted by Wildkat
                [...]

                Since these birds are foragers, I've picked up some aluminum pans that I will put some gritty substance in (sand or sand and dirt mix, maybe) and then a few mealworms... maybe it will sand his beak down naturally? Any drawbacks to this?
                Actually, yes. There are some drawbacks.

                It appears from my readings that pet birds shouldn't be given "grit". The usual reason for giving it to them is so they have the grit in their gizzards to help grind up food. Pet birds tend to ingest too much of it and impact their gizzards - to considerable risk to the bird.

                While digestion isn't your primary reason, if your bird injests it instead of just grinding its beak in it, you could have real problems.

                Eric
                Last edited by eroellig; 04-05-2008, 09:49 AM.
                Eric Roellig
                1980 SG w Windjammer V & KG hard bags
                **Very first bike**
                Current condition: Running!!! Lead, follow or get the #^%# out of my way!!!!!!

                Comment

                • #9
                  Prom, Kat's well trained bird just keeps the "Low Life" away. I was just part of the training process.
                  As far as the "mid life crisis", SWMBO does NOT have any complaints!!
                  Ray Matteis
                  KE6NHG
                  XS1100 E '78 (winter project)
                  XS1100 SF Bob Jones worked on it!

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                  • #10
                    Speaking of Corvids...

                    Here is perhaps the most famous Raven of all.

                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FID1C...eature=related
                    Eric Roellig
                    1980 SG w Windjammer V & KG hard bags
                    **Very first bike**
                    Current condition: Running!!! Lead, follow or get the #^%# out of my way!!!!!!

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Vincent Price... what a classic.
                      "Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor, not a mechanic!' ('Bones' McCoy)

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