Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!wugate!dinorah!mary
From: mary@dinorah.wustl.edu (Mary E. Leibach)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: parakeet question
Message-ID: <768@dinorah.wustl.edu>
Date: 19 Jun 89 17:50:21 GMT
References: <1211@uceng.UC.EDU>
Organization: Washington University (St. Louis)
Lines: 87
In-reply-to: lbechtle@uceng.UC.EDU's message of 19 Jun 89 00:56:40 GMT

lbechtle@uceng.UC.EDU (laurie bechtler) writes:

>I have a question about the cere (is that the right word for the 
>"nose"?).

Yep, don't ask me to pronounce it though. :-)

>My 5-yr-old male parakeet always had a bright blue
>cere, then some 6 months ago it started turning dull, brownish,
>and flaky.  But he was as alert and active as ever, and I could
>not find much mention of this in books from the library, plus I
>couldn't afford vet bills unless absolutely necessary, so I 
>decided to let it go.

You can call the vet (or you should be able to) and he will tell you
if it is absolutely necessary to bring the bird in, or tell you what
else to do for free.  I have talked to Cally's vets lots of times, at
any hour of the night.  I have only had to take her in twice so far,
with a bill of $19 each time.  It was well worth the money both times.
You are very lucky you still have your bird.

>I thought it might be related to aging.
>Now the brown stuff is almost completely gone all of a sudden,
>and it's bright blue again.  Was Mickey sick and I didn't realize
>it?  Or is the cere color not significant?

I don't know much about parakeets, having had one for less than three
weeks now.  But flakey brown stuff doesn't sound too good.  Try
calling your vet and asking him about it.  The only color a normal
male budgie's cere should change to is a more intense blue, and that
when he is, shall we say, hot to trot!

>    Also, he seems to scratch his head a lot.  I have two different
>mite sprays that I use on him and the cage every six weeks or so.
>It seems to help but then he starts scratching again.  Do most
>people spray their birds regularly?

You don't say what part of his head.  If it is his beak, it is pretty
normal, most of my birds wipe their beaks off on their perches.
Equivalent to humans brushing their teeth.  If it is on the feathers,
and he is moulting, it is to get rid of the sheaths his new feathers
come in.  If it is his brown flakey cere, it probably is driving the
poor thing nuts.  A close examination of the perches would reveal if
he truly has mites.  If he does, talk to your vet.  I NEVER spray my
birdies with mite spray or anything else but water.  I don't use those
silly mite protectors either.  And my birds have never had mites.
Spraying something toxic like mite spray (particularly two kinds) is
likely to stress the bird, to say the least.  Keeping his cage clean,
disinfecting it (with something like Clorox water) weekly (with the
bird far away from the fumes), and keeping him away from new birds
that might carry mites should be enough to keep them away.  Treating a
bird for diseases he doesn't have isn't good for the bird, and most
over-the-counter bird medicine is useless or worse.

After all, do you spray yourself once every six weeks for mites?  If
your nose turned brown and flakey would you avoid the doctor?  I sure
wouldn't.

No, I do not work for a vet, or am employed in advertising for vets.
But I have benefited from using them, more often than I have paid for
office visits.  The benefits of a vet knowing how you care for a bird
so he can suggest improvements, having someone to tell you your bird
will be okay when she is apparently bleeding to death, knowing that a
new bird is in the best of health and will not infect the others with
some dreaded disease, etc, is well worth the $64.50 I have paid for
office visits for three birds over the course of 3/4 of a year.  I
have three healthy, happy birdies to show for it.  I now know that
birds should have huge cages, that they need veggies, how to deal with
broken blood feathers, etc.

>Thanks...Laurie Bechtler

You're welcome Laurie.  I hope you can get to talking with your vet,
and get everything with Mickey straightened out.  As little Blakey has
been teaching me, just because Budgies aren't big, doesn't mean they
aren't wonderful!

	-Mary, 
		and Cally the Precocious Cockatiel(tm), 
		and Vila the Cudly Conure(tm)

		And introducing Blake, the Beautiful Budgie(tm)!

	 Better known as      Blake's Birds(tm)!
	
	 Dedicated to the memory of the British SF show Blake's 7, and
	 the liberty and rights of pet birds!