My African Gray's beak is deteriorating?

[owl]

My mother has an African Gray, Sidney, who is 25+ years old. Today I went to fill his food (my mother usually is the one who does that) and I noticed that he has a spot on his beak that looks like he's been rubbing it on something way too much or there is something wrong. I'm hoping someone can help me out, I've never been on this forum. I took two pictures, maybe someone could help me out?

In the first picture, you can see about half way down his beak where there is a spot that goes 'inward'.
http://tinypic.com/r/vgh9c8/5

This second photo is showing where you can see the spot
http://tinypic.com/r/2ly5xrr/5

Is this serious and what can I do help? Thanks

[marie83]

have you been to an avian vet with him? I don't actually know but I would guess at he has a nutritional deficiency. I think there are some diseases that cause deformity but that's my second guess

[Pajarita]

No, that's not a deformity, it's a chip that came off but what I don't like where it happened (right in the middle of the beak instead of the sides where it usually happens)and the look of the beak (too black and too shiny). The beak is supposed to be black but, normally, it's dull and not so dark a black because it has a very thin layer of dust on it (like a cockatoo's beak). Is he producing normal dust? Isn't he molting right now? What is his diet? (not what you give him but what he actually eats on a daily basis).

[Strawfrawg]

Pajarita...On this subject, how much chipping and peelin is normal for an active young parrot's beak? Marvin always seems to have a pretty big rough spot in progress. The vet says his beak looks fine and he's perfectly healthy, but I don't think it has ever been perfectly smooth since I got him. This wasn't the case with my cockatiel, whose beak only chipped/peeled occasionally. Can food residue exacerbate chipping/peeling? Marvin wipes his beak after eating wet food but doesn't like to get his face wet when bathing.

[Pajarita]

No, they always wipe their beak after they eat. Beaks are supposed to wear off, that's the way they were designed by nature. The lower beak grows actually faster than the top one only we don't notice it because the point rests on the inside of the top beak and wears out while, the top one needs a bit of chewing and tends to become overgrown when fed too much protein.

I can't really tell you with words what a good beak looks like versus one that is way too peely besides, different species wear their beaks differently but, normally and as a general rule of thumb, there are supposed to be 'layers' chipped away at the edges. They are more visible on the sides than they are in the tip but they are not supposed to be VERY big (meaning going up into more like the middle of the beak than just the edges).

Did that help? If not, post a picture of your bird's beak front and sides and I will look at it and comment.

[Strawfrawg]

Thanks. If I can get a shot of his beak, I'll post it. I just took one to post of him eating his bird cookies, but it wasn't the side with the peeling spots.

He does actually have a peel fairly high up the beak. He has a large piece of sterilized ocean rock (hardened composite of ocean materials...coral, shells, and fossilized sediment) that I got for him in Hawaii and he loves to perch on it and sharpen/rub his beak. I think that's what starts the peeling up there.

[Pajarita]

I use regular rocks in my birdroom. I get the medium size ones I find in the garden, wash them thoroughly and just put them there for them to use as perches and beak wipers (but I also use them as paper plate weights -some of the birds would pull the paper plates toward themselves so hard that they would end up on the floor, spilling all the contents -which makes a mess). When they get dirty, I soak them in soapy water, scrub them and put them back. They work real well and they are free and easy to keep clean.