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My budgie has a crusty cere and ruffled eye feathers. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Male | 1 year and 9 months old

My male English Budgie has a crusty cere. I think I've diagnosed him with Hyperkaratosis, but I could be wrong. Today I noticed the feathers around his right eye looked ruffled, which is not normal for him. Is there something wrong? Does he have Hyperkaratosis? If so, how should I be treating it?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM

Veterinarian

Published on August 29th, 2018

Thanks for your question, and thank you for the photo! When we see crusting around the nostrils and on the cere, it can be due to excess keratin/hyperkeratosis, or it may be actual material on the skin itself. If it is excess keratin, often suboptimal nutrition is the culprit. The most common nutrient that is involved in this is a deficiency in vitamin A. If it is material on the skin itself, this is often related to an infectious process, sort of like a runny nose with a cold. Due to this, I would recommend having Kiwi evaluated by a veterinarian. They can perform a physical examination and see if there are any other signs of vitamin deficiencies, and to see if there are any signs consistent with infection. Depending on the findings, they will recommend diagnostic testing and/or treatments that you can elect to pursue. Diets that are mainly seeds are often the culprit for a lack of vitamin A, and by adding pellets or vegetables into the diet this can be addressed. I hope that this gives you a place to start, and I hope that Kiwi feels better soon!

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