Quote:
> My Noble macaw has something funny about his beak and I wonder whether it
> is normal. Most of his upper beak is horn colored, as is the case with a
> Noble macaw. However, the bottom part of the upper beak is dark. The area
> between the two colors looks like the lighter layer is overgrowing the dark
> and I can feel a difference in thickness between the two parts of the beak.
> It's almost as if he had a juvenile beak that was dark in color and a new
> *** beak is growing out. The line of joining almost seems like a crack.
> Perhaps a better description would be like a fingernail that lost the upper
> layer. Does this make any sense? He was just at the pet shop to have his
> nails shortened and they said that this was normal. Can't find any discussion
> of this in any book I have. Any comments?
> Francine
Francine,
This is normal for a young noble and will vary as his beak grows during the
year. You could use an emery file and smooth the area for appearance and
to prevent any cracking (let your avian vet or the breeder demo this
procedure). Be more concerned about irregular cracking of the beak and
make sure his diet is well rounded so he gets enough vitamins and minerals
to promote strong beak growth.
Tom & Winnie
Electrooptical Devices Group | thing you know, close a deal
MIT Lincoln Lab | with a handshake, and HAVE FUN.
_________________________________________________________________________
Tom,
What do you mean by normal? Do you mean it is gradually growing
out and the strange looking area will eventually become the tip
and be worn off? What is an irregular crack in the beak? The area
I am concerned about is 3-5 mm lower than where his lower beak touches
his upper beak and look like a fingernail where the upper nail layer
has split off.
Francine
by