The ABCs of Beaks

Beaks, Bills, Face Knives, Beakers - whatever we want to call them, they are an integral part of our Hookbills! So, let's break the beak down into some understandable lessons:

A. Anatomy - What is a beak?
It is not "dead" material, like hair or fingernails - rather, it is a living organ, the tip of which contains a bundle of sensitive nerves. The beak itself consists of keratin (a protein called the ramphotheca) which covers bone (the premaxilla or upper beak and mandible or lower beak). Directly above the beak is the cere, which is the soft skin containing a parrot's nostrils. All parrots use their beak as an extra "hand," for climbing, exploring, tasting, sensing, etc. "Beaking" is a stage of developmental growth, where young parrots learn how to use their beaks for various tasks. It serves in the role of a number of tools, such as knife, hammer, chisel, anvil, can opener, etc., but all the while retaining a high degree of sensitivity.

B. Basics - So what do we do in dealing with our bird's beaks on a daily basis?
Most birds love having their beaks touched and rubbed and it's a great way to bond with your parrot to touch and stroke his beak. It's important to set guidelines on appropriate beak use, using commands like "Gentle" to let your parrot know if he's using too much pressure. There's nothing wrong with letting your parrot "beak" gently and appropriately on your fingers. However, that beak can also be a deadly weapon, so be cautious about letting parrots shoulder perch. If a parrot is over stimulated, it's important to keep him down on your forearm or hand, in order to intervene on any aggressive behavior. I do not belong to the school that says "no beak on skin" - you simply need to set guidelines and pay attention to what's going on.

C. Care - To care for your bird's beak you need a combination of good nutrition and proper toys.
Some beak deformities can occur from improper handfeeding techniques but they can also occur from congenital problems or dietary deficiencies. It's important to catch these problems early in order to correct them. Beak overgrowth can be a problem for parrots who don't have enough chewable perches and toys - it can also indicate problems with protein metabolism, or liver and kidney disease. I advocate cuttlebones, mineral blocks, grooming perches, and a variety of soft and hardwood toys to keep beaks in shape. Beak trimming should rarely be necessary for birds with good diets and lots of toys, but if needed, should consist of only gentle clipping and/or filing. NEVER let anyone use a Dremel tool on your parrot's beak (or nails) the high heat can cause nerve damage. By the same token, never let anyone talk you into beak trimming (or beak notching EVER) as a way to deal with biting. Behavior work can help with constant biting, but don't attempt to deal with it by disabling your parrot's beak.

Parrots use their beaks to eat, climb, play, show affection, and explore. All of this is natural and appropriate. Problems with beaks require help from an avian vet, nutritionist, or behaviorist, so it's important to pay attention to what's going on with your parrot's beak on a regular basis.

-----------------------------------------
Your Parrot Place
Marilu Anderson, Bird Nutrition and Behavior Consultant, (503) 771-BIRD. Marilu is a regular contributor to the Your Parrot Place Newsletter. YourParrotPlace.com - Only the Best for Your Parrot!

Free eBook!
140 pages! A compilation of parrot articles from 2000-2004.
http://www.yourparrotplace.co m/ebooks/ypp2004ebook.htm

In The News:
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jWoj-xA1xcoCq8oQAb5janun5ZpQD93Q65380cid=1257614273ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNHjj7TWQyAiqNZkwGuxYf7KDPJSvgimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=FimSYnFXHNAJimgurl=ap.google.com/media/ALeqM5jhVStHjMOtX1xujSH8JyE40WBh2w width=80 height=49 alt= border=1brfont size=-2The Associated Press/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jWoj-xA1xcoCq8oQAb5janun5ZpQD93QGNM03cid=1257614273ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNFrNYJEMNuLvSfYzkxIemVCme1J5AJudge OKs $24M for cats, dogs sickened by bpet/b food/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Associated Pressnbsp;-/font nobrOct 14, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1CAMDEN, NJ (AP) — A federal judge Tuesday approved a $24 million settlement for owners of dogs and cats who were sickened or died after eating bpet/b food b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2008/10/15/2008-10-15_25_milllion_settlement_okd_in_tainted_pe.htmlcid=1257614273ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNG3H-OogH6U8IUddNT8McKZDyvY2Q$25 milllion settlement OK#39;d in tainted bpet/b-food case/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrNew York Daily News/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/10/14/tainted-pet-food-deal.htmlcid=1257614273ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNFXWPDf8td7JuD5Hp6IRmjXpXkOegBereaved owners may receive millions in poison bpet/b-food settlement/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCBC.ca/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/10/pet_food_settlement.htmlcid=1257614273ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNEWzi6wofn6t56GH8QELcMGGSfJEgbPet/b Owners Eligible For $24 Million in Landmark Melamine Settlement/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrConsumer Affairs/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/4012cid=1257614273ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNHYLBTN0w_IJDurkBssGXcpWcXqdAnobrNewsinferno.com/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/menu-foods-income-fund-settlement/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B81957B23-9999-4C17-BE4A-1E0BD572F8F7%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1257614273ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNGPiSuc6XsLL4iZ4_pDdRvUX7Xw-gnobrMarketWatch/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1257614273hl=ennobrall 416 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-10-15-michelson-pet-sterilization_N.htmcid=0ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNF-StMiDrcC7cs-TYUwheLPG8ogrAMedical inventor Michelson offers $75M for a way to sterilize bpets/b b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fUSA Todaynbsp;-/font nobr1 hour ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1It is estimated that nearly 73% of dog owners and 86% of cat owners now spay or neuter their bpets/b. But the rest mostly seem inclined to keep things as they b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail%3F%26entry_id%3D31130%26type%3Dpetscid=1258189723ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNH_KqYnIPKGTT9QB5kVtXNULPfKcAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=RZrs0GSwp-EJimgurl=www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/pets/2008/10/12/photo-7.jpg width=80 height=65 alt= border=1brfont size=-2San Francisco Chronicle/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail%3F%26entry_id%3D31130%26type%3Dpetscid=1258189723ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNH_KqYnIPKGTT9QB5kVtXNULPfKcAA chat with Charles Regal, bpet/b custody mediator/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fSan Francisco Chronicle,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobr7 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1I#39;ve since discovered a whole pack of people who are blazing the bpet/b-sharing trail right alongside us. In celebration of my own one-year joint custody b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.courant.com/entertainment/events/hc-family1016.artoct16,0,5004005.storycid=0ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNGObbOlKC3aQBkv6gg5mXbhiAlKrAimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=LE4OPfqy_zEJimgurl=www.courant.com/media/photo/2008-10/42914803.jpg width=80 height=53 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Hartford Courant/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.courant.com/entertainment/events/hc-family1016.artoct16,0,5004005.storycid=0ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNGObbOlKC3aQBkv6gg5mXbhiAlKrAFor Families This Week: Muppets, Pumpkins, Cars, bPets/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fHartford Courant,nbsp;United Statesnbsp;-/font nobr2 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Today at 7 pm, the Sesame Street Adventure quot;Elmo#39;s Green Thumbquot; opens at Hartford#39;s XL Center. Join Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Zoe and Telly as they search Big b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/arts/story.html%3Fid%3Dc1dd23f5-f59f-4d13-9761-d37cd32231e6cid=0ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNEQsVzF3a0MKs1msIiuEg_ukM3ttgbPets/b hop on green bandwagon/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fThe Gazette (Montreal),nbsp;Canadanbsp;-/font nobr15 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Even if people don#39;t get on the quot;think greenquot; bandwagon, our bpets/b, apparently, will be. Backer#39;s 42nd Annual bPet/b Industry Christmas Trade Show is one of the b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/snif-labs-selects-prompt-communications/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BFEC76E0D-4AE8-44CD-85B0-CD1378B2B3A6%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1258142826ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNFeJQodvvfqNEtV5Cu4Qa0jMtY5dwSNIF Labs selects Prompt Communications as its public relations b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr10 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The new product will blend real-time activity monitoring with online social networking to provide dog owners insight into the lives of their bpets/b while b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/vca-animal-hospitals-offers-free/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B9607BF13-FB01-4215-A88A-CFC178047FF7%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1257877672ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNGg-Kpw9mNxpUmop655J0ZQLyhN-wVCA Animal Hospitals Offers Free Boarding for bPets/b Affected by b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobr23 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Conveniently located VCA animal hospitals will provide a safe environment for bpets/b that have been affected by the fires through October 29, 2008 on a space b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20081015/HURBLOG/810152996%3FTitle%3DHelp_keep_homeless_pets_warm_this_wintercid=1258172588ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNGYBQrLdhaSoYqdqvZwHtrSvCnDmwHelp keep homeless bpets/b warm this winter/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fDaily Comet,nbsp;LAnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1HOUMA –A local animal-advocacy group is offering you a chance to help keep homeless bpets/b warmer this winter. The Humane Society of Houma-Terrebonne is b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/pet-bistro-raises-bar-pet/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257BF0331861-959B-410F-88C0-7568834A7098%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1257423311ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNEhditwnleq-clPxA8AKTnsDEYL7gbPet/b Bistro Raises the Bar for bPet/b Cuisine, Offering Healthful b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrOct 14, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Unique to the industry, bPet/b Bistro is catching on among discerning bpet/b-lovers. bPet/b Bistro founder and CEO Rafaela Miett spent a decade cooking up recipes b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Db-q_OLIaWrYcid=1257423311ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNHSBMjMCICtyDmqfambxsUbaauUcgVideo: Pet Food#39;s Mystery Meat/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrCBS/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/b-q_OLIaWrY/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/b-q_OLIaWrYtype=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/30913129.htmlcid=1257423311ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNEcGwluHQ8BxyPfij3AbCgRTUodUwbPet/b Food Dangers/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWTVY/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1257423311hl=ennobrall 9 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/839461.htmlcid=0ei=1ZH2SJ_3DKTe6APKifCUCAusg=AFQjCNGV3EF2spv-fp3dNx7unovvTpQRSQbPets/b of the week: Herbie and Chloe/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fKansas City Star,nbsp;MOnbsp;-/font nobr21 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Where to adopt Herbie and Chloe: Second Chance bPet/b Adoptions (www.2ndchance bpets/b.net). Please contact bpets/b averdc@aol.com or 913-814-7471 for more b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
pets - Google News

Tips on Easy House Breaking Your Puppy

If you are lucky enough to get a 7-week-old puppy,... Read More

Kittens Are Just The Cutest Things

Is there anything more cute and cuddly than tiny little... Read More

Special Gifts for Animal Lovers

Animal lovers come in all shapes and sizes. Undoubtedly if... Read More

Too Many Cats?

Cats are becoming increasingly popular as pets these days, and... Read More

Horse Training Creativeness: The 5th Of 6 Keys To Developing A Partnership With Your Horse

The 6 Keys To Building A Life Long Partnership With... Read More

Essential Fatty Acids for Parrots

You may be hearing more talk these days about "Essential... Read More

Parvo in Dogs

What Is ParvoParvo is a serious viral disease that can... Read More

What You Need to Know Before Adopting an Older Dog

Newer doesn't always mean better.Adopting an older dog may be... Read More

Living With a Pet Serval

Some sources seem to indicate that living with a serval... Read More

Sugar Gliders: Tiny Acrobats

In the last decade or so, the popularity of sugar... Read More

So, You?ve Decided To Kill Your Pet!

The other day I was doing a research online for... Read More

How to Keep Your Cat Free from Diseases with Your Quick Guide to Cat Grooming

Even a cat that compulsively cleans itself can benefit from... Read More

Rabbits As Pets

Rabbits are one of the most popular pets, apart from... Read More

Cat Lover Gifts

Among the most well known cat lover gifts are photo... Read More

Biting & Nipping Behavior Can Kill Your Dog!

Dog bite injuries are alarmingly the most common condition that... Read More

Training Your Dog To Lay Down On Command

Training your dog to obey commands is an important part... Read More

How Are You Treating Your Pet?

Can you comprehend a time when dog food, cat food,... Read More

Flea Control for Pets

Flea control can be a very hard thing to do... Read More

Seven Ways to Boxer-Proof Your House

You are ready to bring your Boxer home? First, you... Read More

Westies Dogs and Your Children

Almost without exception, breeders will advertise that their favorite terrier,... Read More

How Old is Your Pet- Really?

Just how old is your dog really? More than likely... Read More

Personal Pet Check-Ups

For all pet owners, regular monitoring and "examinations" of your... Read More

Thinking of Getting a Lhasa Apso Dog?

One of the cutest looking dogs around is the Lhasa... Read More

A Healthy Cat Knows What Tastes Good...

As all cat owners know, a feline can be a... Read More

Garbage-Raiding Dogs: One Simple Solution to the Problem

Got a mischevious mutt on your hands? Then you may... Read More