nail clipping

[crickets girl]

Does anyone clip their bird's nails? Do you have any advice? A way to subdue him? Clippers to use? Any help is appreciated.

[jodeg]

I clip Angelina's wings with no problem, but she takes care of her nails by herself -- lots of nail preening. The Parrotlets I've had in the past also did it themselves.

When it comes to my Conure, I take her to the bird shop where I bought her. They clip nails, trim wings and file beak (if it needs it) all for $10. I'd rather she be mad at them than me!

[Bodie]

Bodie does his own pedicure's. Parrotlet's tend to ball their feet up when you try and clip them. I have no issues with his nails too sharp. Since he is fully flighted I want to make sure he can grip real good when he lands.

[Flugmeister]

Does anyone clip their bird's nails? Do you have any advice? A way to subdue him? Clippers to use? Any help is appreciated.

If your bird is active and has sufficient rough surfaces to climb on, you should not need to clip their nails. Invest in a concrete ladder and some natural bark perches--the nails will work down on their own and you will spare your charge the trauma of clipping. It sounds like you have noticed how small their feet are, very easily damaged irreparably by the slightest slip.

[crickets girl]

Ok. He has a concrete ladder and perch. I'll pick up some bark perches next time I'm out. I'm relieved I don't hafto put him through that. Its bad enough with my mom's canary...

[Flugmeister]

Ok. He has a concrete ladder and perch. I'll pick up some bark perches next time I'm out. I'm relieved I don't hafto put him through that. Its bad enough with my mom's canary...

Bark perches are easy to make with a lag screw, a wing-nut and some washers. If you are handy-challenged, just get a big branch and put it in his cage so that he can climb up it. Side branches are a plus, just give your bird a little tree in there--he'll love it. Varying diameters of branches are great for giving their feet a workout.

There is an Internet site listing dangerous trees for birds, not many really. Since you are in "Penn's Woods" you should have no problem finding a suitable branch :)

[Jose's Mom]

On this same note- do P;lets bite thier nails or simply "groom them" ? We have a debate in our house-Jose seems to bite his nails- perhaps taking after my husband??? :rolleyes: My Husband states that he is grooming them, the same excuse he give me !!!

[Bird Lady]

I remove all perches that come with the crates and replace them with natural wood perches. I also use the little swings that have a gritty perch and none of my finches or Charlie have nail problems...No fancy screws or other attachments - I just break them to the right length and stick them through the wires. Could look better I guess, but don't have the tools or help to do it any other way. Works for me.....

[Jinx n Noodle]

I believe they sell a thing at Petsmart/Petco where it's a plastic base and you can screw/tighten it over the tip of a brach so it screws onto the side of a cage.

I use to trim Jinx's nails, but then she would bite them afterwards and they would bleed, so I stopped doing it. Her nails don't seem to grow very long. Otherwise I think she occassionally chews at them to keep the tips shorter.