Helping Kiwi with her Hyperkeratosis

June 22, 2021 3 Comments

This is Kiwi, and she has something very unique and special about her. Many of my Instagram followers really enjoy point out her abnormal growth on her cere. I've had many different opinions on this, but people who aren't aware of her condition can sometimes be rude about it. I've had people who assumed she has scaly mites, which is not the case.

Kiwi has a condition called hyperkeratosis. Kiwi only has it on her cere, but some parrots also have them on their feet. Kiwi's cere looks a bit different than other females. When you glance at her cere, you can tell that it's a bit larger in size, and when you look at it from the side view as it protrudes outward.

Hyperkeratosis is an abnormal thickening of the outer layer of the skin. Female budgies tend to be more prone to it than males. I've also noticed that budgies with recessive genes also tend to be less likely to get it. It seems like a female who has crustier ceres is more likely to get it from my research. That being said, hyperkeratosis does not affect a bird's lifespan. Kiwi will have to see a vet for the remainder of her life, but her condition does not affect her negatively. The only concern with hyperkeratosis, mainly for birds affected by the cere, is not to leave it alone for too long as there can be potential for blockage of the nares.

My vet did not recommend any changes to our diet. In the morning, I offer veggie mash. Their veggies consist of legumes, grains, dark leafy greens, a little bit of fruit and some herbs. During the afternoon, I give my birds 1 teaspoon of pellets. When it's around 8 pm, I offer them 1/4 teaspoon of seeds. I must emphasize that I make my own homemade seed mixture as I do not believe seeds available in the current market are good. Making my own seed mixtures is easier for me as I know exactly what I am offering them. Kiwi has seen an avian vet that works closely with the third largest zoo in the world. I trust my avian vets a lot. Many people in the avian community who hear about hyperkeratosis assume automatically that it's due to a vitamin A deficiency. All my birds already have a healthy diet, and we currently are not concerned about their Vitamin A intake. Before I show images of how I remove it, I want to say that hyperkeratosis can happen due to vitamin A deficiency. If that is a concern of yours, I would advise you to talk to your avian veterinarian about your bird's condition. Female budgies, mainly due to genetics, are more prone to getting this condition.

I've heard few other budgie enthusiasts who remove the excess keratin build-up by soaking the affected area in mineral oil (or a safe oil of their choice). Then gently rub the hyperkeratosis scales off with a cotton tip. Typically, I have my avian veterinarian do it during our annual avian vet visit, but I decided to show a quick demo on how I do it at home. If you are worried about possibly injuring your bird, please have a professional take care of it. If you want the process to go a bit smoother, you can dab a tiny bit of coconut oil on your bird's cere. I can do it without adding any oil to Kiwi's cere, but if your bird is having this done to them for the first time, dabbing a tiny bit of coconut or olive oil might make the process a bit easier for your bird. Since Kiwi has had this done before, it was unnecessary, but I added some oil just for demonstration. You can add the oil 30 minutes before starting. Please make sure you don't get any inside your parrot's nares. For sanitization, it's best to add some on a q-tip and gently apply it to your bird's cere. If you have a closer look at Kiwi's cere in the pictures below, it slightly looks darker and shinier once the oil has been sitting on her cere for a bit

I will have some pictures of Kiwi's after pictures and pictures of the waxy build-up I removed. I must mention this; the build-up was not removed on its own. I had to use my fingers to get it off. It's vital when doing this that you understand proper restraint methods. I think the one advantage I had while doing this is Kiwi being very trusting of me. If your bird is not tame, slowly remove any items that might hinder capture or pose a risk to themselves, then gently yet firmly use a towel to secure the bird in a corner or against the cage wall. Restrain the head with one hand and support the torso and wings with the other hand. Make sure the chest is exposed, and you are not squeezing the chest. Gently, use your fingers are remove the dead skin off the cere. Since the skin is not live tissue, it does not hurt your bird. Often, your bird is more annoyed being restrained rather than you picking at its cere. With that being said, make sure to only work in small batches. Always keep your eyes on the chest and make sure your bird is exhaling and inhaling properly. Make sure there is not any bleeding.

And I'm sure you guys are enjoying the HQ pictures I took of Kiwi's dead skin on her cere. Let's be honest, not only does it look gross, but it also looks like dried-up ear wax. The rest of Kiwi's day was me making sure she was comfortable. Kiwi also had some millet at the end as a treat. Now time for the bird reveal! Here are pictures of Kiwi's new cere!

Absolutely gorgeous!

Beautiful!

On a final note, I wish that this would bring awareness to Kiwi's condition and how she might be different from other budgies. I decided to make this blog post because I've been getting a bit hateful comments about Kiwi. Some people call her 'ugly' because of her cere or calling me a bad owner because I should take her to the vet. Anyone who has been following me would already know that I take my birds to the very every year for their general exams. I know that many people will still comment about it regardless of how many times I try explaining it. I'm just hoping that I can have other parrot owners be more familiar will her condition. She is different, but that doesn't make her ugly. Different is beautiful :)

3 Responses

Rhiannon

September 10, 2022

One of the birds I take care of at work (long term care facility) has this condition. It is thought he’s male, but learning about this it could be possibly they got the sex wrong. The bird is not tame at all, can they live with all of that stuff on their beaks or should I try to see if I could take him to the vet?

Amanda Mifsud

May 26, 2022

My female budgie Tiki has the same condition. Her cere is very thick. Today I cleaned it with a wet cotton tip as she is in the nest and her cere was crusted up with dirt. Tiki’s looks worse than kiwi’s but I don’t think that pieces of wax will come off

Kathryn

February 23, 2022

Thank you so much for your detailed info.I live up in an area that has limited vets and they are not taking new patients anyway soooo you saved me.I think I can handle this.I thought it was mites until I saw your post.