ajcpets

Today’s advice comes from Dr. Tarah Hadley of the Atlanta Hospital for Birds and Exotics. Look for your answers every Monday. Click here to see all the AJCpets experts. Then submit questions in the form of a comment.

Q: I have a blue and gold Macaw who’s beak grows crooked and he has to have it trimmed regularly and I was wondering if there was a more permanent solution that you know of to this problem. Thanks.
A: A bird’s beak may grow abnormally for many reasons, such as from congenital causes, trauma while young from the parents or during hand feeding, nutritional imbalances (such as high fat diets), or an infectious process.

Make sure the diet and other areas of your bird’s care are appropriate. An often neglected area of beak care pertains to finding healthy wood toys or other items that your bird likes to chew on. When birds chew and destroy perches and toys, that helps to wear down the edges of the beak and may decrease the need for more frequent beak trims. However, a beak that continues to grow “crooked” after evaluation and improvement of correctable factors like diet, husbandry, or infection may not be correctable except with surgery. If this is the case, don’t get frustrated. Keep in mind that the beak of your pet bird is not exposed to the same natural conditions in captivity that he would be exposed to in the wild.

Q: Can I have a potbellied pit in Johns Creek?
A: We checked with city officials and the answer is yes, but only one.

— Cover photo by William Berry / AJC

About our AJCpets Expert: Dr. Tarah Hadley, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian)

Dr. Tarah is a board-certified avian specialist with extensive experience treating a variety of exotic animals. She serves as director of the Atlanta Hospital for Birds and Exotics and is also a member of the veterinary staff at Zoo Atlanta.

Dr. Tarah is a graduate of Dartmouth College. She received her veterinary education at Tufts University and the University of Tennessee. Dr. Tarah belongs to several professional organizations, including the Association for Amphibian and Reptilian Veterinarians, the Association for Exotic Mammal Veterinarians, and the Association for Avian Veterinarians.

She is the current vice president of the Greater Atlanta Veterinary Medical Society. Dr. Tarah enjoys spending time with her parrots Fred (Amazon) and Sebastian (African Grey). For more information about Dr. Tarah, visit www.atlantabirdsandexotics.com.

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