my parakeets thickening cere

Question
Hi, I have a parakeet named peeps and she has a cere that has been turning dark brown and looks like it is thickening... I do not think this is normal... Can you give me some advice?

Answer
Hi,

It is normal to a certain degree of thickening and color change in the cere as the budgie ages. It does not stay smooth like it does for baby and young birds all their lives. And brown is the color for females (blue or sometimes a bright purple color is for males). However, if the thickening seems excessive, or if it is not contained within the area of the cere, you need to get your bird to an avian vet. It is recommended to take your bird to a qualified avian vet annual, so if you haven't taken her in to see a vet before- this would be the ideal time to do so. This check-up will also allow the vet to make sure she is aging well and that her thickening cere is developing properly. You can find an avian vet near you at these websites:

http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/abvpvets.htm

http://www.parrotpro.com/avianlst.htm

and

www.aav.org

I hope this helps- and I hope it isn't any proplem.

-Maggie