pink colored beak

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electronegative
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:20 pm

pink colored beak

Post by electronegative »

Hi everyone,

New ringneck owner here as well as a new user on this site, so I apologize if this question has already been answered, but I did do a search on both these forums and on google in general and didn't find an answer.

All the beaks I've seen on IRNs are a deep red, sometimes with some black. My ~2 year old lutino (I think female, hasn't been s*xed, but no sign of a ring whatsoever, although I know some birds might take longer for the rings to come in) has a lighter pinkish beak, with some hint of orange. Almost like a salmon color, but not as intense. I'd post a picture, but I think I can't post links yet.

I read others asking about black beaks and purpleish beaks (apparently purple is actually on ARNs, I think?), but nothing about pink beaks. Is it just because she is young? I've seen baby ringnecks with the dark red beaks though...

Advice is appreciated - thanks!

*Your post looks too spamy for a new user, please remove bad words or non-english text. ( s*x) - lol
electronegative
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:20 pm

Re: pink colored beak

Post by electronegative »

Hello all,

I was speaking to some of you about my lutino IRN, Peaches, in another thread, but decided to bump this thread instead of making a new one or adding onto the existing one since I already made this one a while back.

When I got Peaches, her feathers were perpetually messy and ruffled looking no matter how much she preened. After less than a week with a full spectrum bulb and some outdoor (closely monitored) playtime, her feathers are smooth and glossy. I think her previous owner had her on a seeds-only diet and didn't give her enough natural light either.

But I am still concerned about the color of her beak. Is the light pinkish/orange color normal, or will it become more red and dark as she gets older? Or is it due to her diet? I have heard mixed answers to this elsewhere but haven't been able to find a concrete answer, so I would be grateful to anyone who can provide me with one.
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: pink colored beak

Post by InTheAir »

Hi,
I'm not 100% sure, but i think beak colour will not be so bright if the birds diet is deficient in nutrients.
Good job on improving that and providing her with outdoor time.
I haven't been around ringnecks very long, most lutinos I've seen seem to have paler beaks than other colours. .. I don't know if this is a general trend or if it is the diet they are on. I have only seen maybe 6 up close.
My memory is a bit hazy, but I seem to recall our boy had quite a pinkish-red beak when we got him at 3 months old and it darkened up within a month or 2.

Sorry, that wasn't really helpful. I'm sure someone who knows what they are talking about will chip in eventually.
electronegative
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:20 pm

Re: pink colored beak

Post by electronegative »

Thanks for your thoughts!

I didn't know lutinos had lighter beaks than the other colors. I have only seen them in videos, and all of the ones I'd seen online had dark red beaks, like Bowie the youtube ringneck. I have seen a few albino ringnecks in real life, and they also had dark red beaks.

If that's the case, then there's a relief. But if not, I would love to know what, if anything, I can do to help my bird get healthier. I am feeding her about half seeds and half fruits/vegetables, but she does not like any of the leafy vegetables I've given her - so far she only eats peas in the pod for her greens. I tried to put a salad mix in her fresh food bowl but she'll pick out all the lettuce and other leafy greens and toss them on the ground while looking for her fruit!

Also, the seeds the previous owner gave me has tons of sunflower seeds in them. I have picked all of them out and give them to her as a treat instead because I read that too much of them can be bad for the bird. But I haven't seen why - is there something in them that's unhealthy for IRN?
InTheAir
Posts: 2040
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:24 pm

Re: pink colored beak

Post by InTheAir »

That is only my observation based on a small number of birds most of whom belonged to the same person, I don't know if it is true. I might be completely wrong!

Try hanging the leafy stuff around the cage. I usually don't give Nila fruit until he has eaten some veggies.
Have you tried offering her pellets? If she isn't eating much vegetables they are a good idea. What do you mean by salad mix?
electronegative
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:20 pm

Re: pink colored beak

Post by electronegative »

Oh, I meant like one of those premade salad mixes for people lol, it has romaine lettuce, carrot shreds, cherry tomato bits, etc. in there.
AlphaWolf
Posts: 289
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 7:06 am

Re: pink colored beak

Post by AlphaWolf »

Hi, Hope you don't mind electron for raiding your thread :). Aero has also a poor health beak. When I took him to the vet a week ago she commented on the flakiness of the beak. I admit that I only fed fruit and vegetables once as I'am still learning the ropes about Diet. However I have made it a top priority so by the end of the moth to convert Aero to a healthy diet. She also said that he needs more UV light, so I was thinking of FS lights. Any tips electron about using FSs? Maybe Peaches just need more UV or it could be genetical? MissK what nutrient will result in an unhealthy beak?
"Live with parrots and you learn to panic"

AlphaWolf
electronegative
Posts: 91
Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:20 pm

Re: pink colored beak

Post by electronegative »

Yes, I am also hoping for a MissK response, she seems to know everything :D

Peaches does have a full spectrum bulb attached to the cage. I turn it on before I leave in the morning, my roommate turns it off for two hours then back on around lunch, and then I turn it off when I get home in the afternoon. Total of about 5 hours of light. I'm not sure if that's the right amount, but Peaches' feathers are smooth and glossy now - a few weeks ago they were ruffled and messy. I am using the 15W featherbrite FS bulb.
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