Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 4/5/2007

Question
hello and i have a parakeet with a POSSIBLE scaly face mites.  i have somehow ran into the info facts about them and remembered one little spot that my parakeet has right next to its beak.  it definitely wasn't there.  and i noticed that its beak looks like its been cracked or something.  the spots that i am talking about used to be on both sides of the beak.  the right one is gone but i still see the left one.  its a yellow color and it looks like some sort of potatoe chip stuck there.  i really don't know what to think....  do u think that he has scaly face mites?  if he doesn't... then is it still okay to use the drug to cure him?  i don't know what to do.  also, about the cracks on its beaks... there are times when its serious but sometimes it looks perfectly fine....  what is going on with my bird?  thank u very much for ur time.  i am scared for my bird

Answer
Hi, Stanley.  Thanks for posting!

Scaly face mites bury under the skin on the bird's legs, feet, and around the beak.  The area will look like warts on humans if it's in the early stages.  Some scaly mites can actually become crippling to a bird.  Use "scaly face mites" as a search string in an internet search engine for pictures of scaly face mites to compare them with what your bird.  If your bird has these mites, they will spread...they do not stay confined to 1 area.  Mites can result in disfigured beaks, but disfigured beaks can be caused by other things as well, such as nutritional deficiencies, vitamin/mineral deficiencies, injuries, etc.  Sometimes our birds get food, etc., stuck on the sides of their beaks...is this what you are describing?  The potato chip description you give doesn't sound like scaly mites to me.  I'd have to see a photo to determine if your keet has scaly face mites, but you can see what these look like on the internet.  

You should never use a drug on a bird (or yourself for that matter) unless you know what you are treating.  Therefore, no, it is not OK to use "the" drug (whatever drug you are referring to here) to cure him if it isn't scaly face mites.  

I don't know what's going on with your bird's beak without seeing a photo.  Sometimes it's there and sometimes not doesn't sound like an illness or problem to me...illness, disease, and health problems aren't serious one day and nonexistent the next.  Are you sure this isn't food on/around the bird's beak that has hardened versus cracks?  If your bird has cracked mandibles, the bird needs to be seen by a certified avian veterinarian.  

Chrys