Do you have a budgie bird who is continuously opening and closing their beak? If you don’t see an obvious reason for this, it can be unnerving. You might feel stuck as to what you should be doing, especially if you’re new to having a pet budgie.
The best advice is to remain as calm as possible and keep in mind some steps you can take to know if you need to take immediate action or if it’s a recurring issue that is normal for your bird.
There are several reasons why this could happen. You’ll have to look to the clues in other things that they’re doing or in their environment in order to have the bigger picture of what’s going on. Then, you’ll be able to tell if it’s likely to be a serious cause.
You’ll know if you need to reach out to a veterinary specialist who will be able to put your mind at ease by getting to the bottom of what’s wrong with your pet and hopefully resolve the issue.
If you do determine that your pet bird is experiencing this because of a further medical issue, it’s in your best interest to bring them to an exotic pet veterinary doctor.
A budgie opening and closing beak repetitively may not be a cause for alarm, yet it’s something that you don’t want to hesitate seeking professional help in case it is a worse problem.
A vet who has experience with birds and budgies in particular would be your best bet, so that they can assess the situation quickly and already have knowledge of what to look out for and what will need to be done.
Why Is My Budgie Opening And Closing Its Beak For No Reason?
Budgies will open their mouth when they have something that’s stuck in its throat, which can often happen after their preening. You’ll want to check that they don’t have any blockage there and take quick appropriate action to dislodge it.
This requires a visit to the vet if it’s not urgent, and you are unable to do anything to remove what’s stuck. Just make sure that you know how to properly move your budgie to prevent this from becoming worse.
Your budgie also could have built-up mucus in their throat area, or they could have a sore throat. Your bird likely will have to go to the vet for this issue. Birds tend to hide sickness as an instinct to hide weakness from their predators. You’ll have to look out for little signs that aren’t as obvious, which should be easier if you’ve had your pet for a long while.
There should be some little tells that help you to know if it’s mild sickness, a worse respiratory problem, or a minor issue that they experience only after preening or when they eat too quickly.
How Do I Stop My Budgie From Opening And Closing Its Beak?
You shouldn’t try to make your budgie stop this action. Your bird will open and close its beak repetitively for the above reasons, but also if it’s panting. Panting is when an animal opens its mouth to help regulate its body temperature.
Even though this is normal behavior and not a huge cause for concern, it can worry you since this looks different from when a dog or cat pants. A bird has a different physiology, so of course what they do will be a little off from what you may have seen with other types of pets.
Since the beak opening and closing can be a sign of a respiratory illness, it’s something to which you should pay close attention.
Don’t assume the problem will fix itself or that it’s something minor. Make sure you have a reliable veterinary doctor who works with exotic pets already in lined up in place so you can reach out when there are instances like this.
Is A Budgie Opening And Closing Its Beak Something To Worry About?
Your bird is likely to stretch and as a result, they’ll stretch their neck and their mouth will open right after. So, it’s fairly safe to say when the budgie is stretching their whole body and not doing this too often, it’s not something you should particularly worry about.
If you see them moving their back in this manner and not after stretching, there could be illness involved. Birds make this movement when about to regurgitate from a food issue or sickness.
As you can see, it’s not an extreme issue when you notice your bird opening and closing its beak in a repetitive motion. This is especially the case if you have noticed similar behavior as a result of minor issues that clear up on their own, such as getting something lodged in their throat from preening.
You’ll just want to monitor your pet bird so that you can pick up on something more extreme before it becomes too much of a problem. The last thing you want to do is have a big emergency when it was a matter you could catch early on.
You may wonder how often you should be bringing your budgie to the vet. There’s no simple answer here, though pet birds do need to go to a veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals every so often.
Don’t just bring them to the vet whenever there’s something wrong. You should have an established vet who gets to know your budgie and can give you an idea of what to expect if they diagnose your bird with any conditions.
Conclusion
Budgies are an intelligent, sweet, and fun bird to have as pets. Whether you are currently on your first pet budgie or you’ve had several, there’s always something to learn about this amazing animal. You’d do well to reach out to a professional and talk about the bird’s needs, some common issues they might experience such as budgie opening and closing beak, and as much as possible about how to care for your pet bird.
