# Dove attacked by love(hate!)bird, injured beak



## C777dove (Sep 4, 2010)

Help, please! My mourning dove was attacked by my love(hate!)bird a few days ago. She is now missing half of the top part of her beak. I took her to a bird specialist who trimmed the lower part of the beak to be shorter like the top half. She said this would help the dove eat easier , as the bottom wouldn't be so much longer. 
My dove lost her top part of the beak after her nostrils, down a bit more, so she still has the dark colored part left & I was told it would grow back in time. I was crying while she was getting her beak trimmed & the lady told me it's okay, nothing to cry over, it will grow back. I felt like I should trust her, as she has been raising all varities of birds in her own store for over 30 years & has a respected reputation. 
However, I keep reading or hearing otherwise & I am so concerned with how to best care for my bird's injury & if her beak actually will grow back. 
I am now hand feeding her mixed formula with a syringe, as she is still having difficulty eating seeds or anything else, as she can't pick it up. I am giving her water with an eye dropper just to be sure she is also drinking enough. 
She is fluffing up her feathers alot, so I am trying to make sure she isn't too cold.
The lovebird is NEVER allowed out near my other birds. What happened is she squeezed out from underneath her cage when I took the tray out to change her paper. I didn't even know or think she could do that, so while I was changing the paper, she had snuck out & flew onto my dove's cage so fast. She must have climbed down to the door & my dove went to peck her & the lovebird grabbed onto her beak & tore part of it off. I am in shock still (as is my poor dove). I have obviously been keeping the lovebird in a separate room & it will be highly monitored forever.
I wish I could magically make this better, but for now can anyone tell me if they had a similar experience? Any advice/help is greatly appreciated, as I want to do anything I can to help my dove now. Thank you so much


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

C777dove, Welcome to Pigeon-Talk, I am very sorry to hear about what has happened with your dove's beak. Best to post up a few clear, close-up photos from a few angles to start, so we can visually get a better idea of the extent of the injury and also see what the person you took your dove to has done to the lower beak.

Good luck with her,

Karyn


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## Pigeonlove (May 6, 2008)

I had a very similar experience...my Senegal Parrot bit off half the top beak of my Pigeon. There was blood everywhere, it was horrible. And I had to go into surgery the next morning early, so I couldn't take her to the Vet. But, it did grow back. I really felt bad...I still feel bad!


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

C777dove said:


> Help, please! My mourning dove was attacked by my love(hate!)bird a few days ago. She is now missing half of the top part of her beak. I took her to a bird specialist who trimmed the lower part of the beak to be shorter like the top half. She said this would help the dove eat easier , as the bottom wouldn't be so much longer.
> My dove lost her top part of the beak after her nostrils, down a bit more, so she still has the dark colored part left & I was told it would grow back in time. I was crying while she was getting her beak trimmed & the lady told me it's okay, nothing to cry over, it will grow back. I felt like I should trust her, as she has been raising all varities of birds in her own store for over 30 years & has a respected reputation.
> However, I keep reading or hearing otherwise & I am so concerned with how to best care for my bird's injury & if her beak actually will grow back.
> I am now hand feeding her mixed formula with a syringe, as she is still having difficulty eating seeds or anything else, as she can't pick it up. I am giving her water with an eye dropper just to be sure she is also drinking enough.
> ...


Someone here more experienced will be able to comment on the beak growing back, I am not sure whether it will 

You should keep food and water in deep bowls for the dove, to aid its efforts. It won't be able to pick up food from a level surface. Also, use a syringe to feed water rather than a dropper. Water fed with dropper is not quantitatively enough.

There are people here who raised and still raise pigeons with broken beaks and will be soon here to help you out.

What happened, is past, no point in worrying about it and increase your stress. Make sure it doesn't happen again. African love birds don't get well along with other birds. What the dove now needs is support and comfort, you can sure provide that


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Pigeonlove said:


> I had a very similar experience...my Senegal Parrot bit off half the top beak of my Pigeon. There was blood everywhere, it was horrible. And I had to go into surgery the next morning early, so I couldn't take her to the Vet. But, *it did grow back*. I really felt bad...I still feel bad!


Thats comforting


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## C777dove (Sep 4, 2010)

PigeonLove, please tell me more  You just helped me have hope How long did it take to grow back? She is perching & doesn't seem lethargic. I moved her into my room away from air conditioner, so she can stay warm. Yes, I will post pics as soon as I can, so if anyone else has any advice, I would be happy to hear from you.


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## C777dove (Sep 4, 2010)

thanks sreeshs. Yes, I will use the syringe to feed her water too from now on. I was just using it for the formula & didn't want to overwhelm her with the syringe all day, plus I thought she was having an easier time drinking than eating. But, yes better safe than sorry. I agree lovebirds are not loving towards other birds. This one was a gift & I knew never to let it near my other birds. It just squeezed out unexpectedly, it is a little terror!!! It is actually adorable, but not of course I hate it! I am not mean to it as that would just be abuse, but I am placing it in solitary confinement from ALL other birds for good.


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## C777dove (Sep 4, 2010)

*Pic of my Dove's injured beak, poor Dovey *

Please let me know if you think she will get better, thanks  I hope this pic isn't too blurry. She was very comfy cuddling with my blanket & did NOT want to be having her picture taken right now(squirmy!). Now she is happy & warm on my blanket, taking a nap


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

C777dove, you're right, the photo is a little more grainy/blurry, than I would have liked, but at least we can see a bit of the extent of injury, perhaps you can post up some better ones later. We do have a few people on the forum with experience with these kind of injuries, better photos will help a lot, the closer and clearer, the better (from a few angles is better). There are threads on birds on the forum that have lost more of their beak than your little one did, that did not grow back, and as Sreeshs mentioned, deep seed and water bowls help these birds in time to adjust to being able to self feed and water. With feeding, be slow and careful to make sure that food does not accidentally get aspirated (go down her windpipe), here is a link to another way to help feed her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU1SO0ZJoow . It will take a bit of time, but you can feed her things like safflower seeds and raw, unsalted sunflower hearts to supplement the hand feeding formula.

Karyn


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## C777dove (Sep 4, 2010)

Thanks so much Karyn. I will post some more pics when she is in a more photogenic mood today. I will check out that website


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