clipping nails alone?

[SunnyGirl]

Hi,
so the nails of my sun have gotten a bit long and I'm just wondering if I can clip them myself and how (which I would prefer) or if it's better to ger her to the breeder and let him do it? :06:
thanks for the help...

 

[MickeysMom]

It can be done, but I would think it's not the easiest thing.

We take Mickey to the vet, it's $15.00 for a nail trim, but so worth it. Our vet is awesome and has this "hold" that Mickey is completely comfortable with....she then has one of the Techs trim the nails....over and done in just minutes. We do trims evey 6 weeks or so (it's been 9 weeks since the last one, and my arms show it) I'm sure the breeder would be a good choice also. I'm just too afraid of stressing her, or cutting too much.

 

[SunnyGirl]

well the nearest wet knows only cats and dogs so its not a really god idea to go there.... for all the other choices it's at least a 20minute-car-ride.... with all of our budgies we had always clipped the nails ourselves, but wwith my sun I just don't know...

 

[artemis]

You can clip your sun conure's nails with a human fingernail clipper; it's basically the same procedure you did with your budgies, just on a bigger bird. But before you try, ask yourself how your bird handles being restrained. Will he/she hold still in your hand so you can clip with confidence, or will he/she struggle and fight (and maybe bite you)? Can one person hold the bird and another clip the nails, or would you have to both hold the bird AND clip it? And are you comfortable handling the situation if you accidentally clip a nail too close and it bleeds?

I clip my sun conure's nails myself, but she's comfortable allowing me to cradle her in my hand, and I take my time doing it so I'm sure the clipper's in just the right position before I nip the nail tip off. Pepper doesn't exactly like it, but she tolerates it. But if she wasn't willing to be relaxed in my hand and uncurl her toes, I'd definitely take her to the vet to get it done rather than risk her getting hurt because she jerked or bit me at just the wrong moment.

 

[SunnyGirl]

well she likes being in my hands and on her back and everything, though would only tolerate being held a bit firmer for things like this.... but my mum would help: me holding Sunny and my mum clipping the nails...

so I called the breeder today and asked the same question... he was surprised and just told me that he would never clip them and that noone should clip birds nails, as they could easily split in half and cause the only way for them to be short is through the use of proper perches... hmmmm, yeah ok.... but I still think that the perches just don't do al the work andin the end I'm the one beind scratched all over (everyone thinks I have a cat now haha) and not him...

oh and a similar question: the lower part of her beak is a bit to long and the upper a bit to pointy, how do I do that? ...
luckily this was never an isue with the budgies....

 

[artemis]

Sorry, but your breeder told you nonsense. A bird's nail is structurally no different than a dog's or cat's nail (or a human fingernail, for that matter). Cutting the tip of the nail (done properly, with a properly designed sharp tool) is no more harmful to your bird than it is to your dog or cat. And while wild animals don't need nail care, in captivity they sometimes do. They just can't always be active enough to wear their nails down properly. But if you don't know how to trim a nail properly, you could cause some damage - or worse, cut into the quick and trigger bleeding.

Beaks are another matter entirely; most birds do chew enough to keep their beak properly worn down, and beak trimming is something only an expert should attempt. Since you're concerned about your conure's beak as well as his/her toenails, why not make an appointment with an avian vet who can check the beak and make sure everything's OK, and also demonstrate to you the safe and proper way to trim your bird's nails in the future?

 

[SunnyGirl]

luckily my mum knows how to clip their nails well so no problem there, yay

yeah, I thought that he told me nonsense, but oh well, noone knows everything about birds and his are mostly breeding pairs that don't cuddle on humans like mine does (and a bird just can't trim his nails alone when walking on a soft surface like me)...

the idea with the avian vet is great, but hard to do.... it will sound stupid, but in such a small country, there really is only one qualified avian vet the others mostly just know budgies... I talked to the nearest (i had to return something) and showed her a pic of Sunny and she just went: ''oooh cute, what is it?''

 

[TortoiseLady17]

Our too will let me touch his feet all I want. I have been slowly introducing nail clippers to him. I let him see them then touch them. He will not hang on the side of the cage and let me clip one nail, then he wonders off. This is a huge inprovement since he ran from them the first time he saw them. I do it this way so we don't have to restrain him, he just sits and talks to us, I start touching his feet, grab a nail and clip it. I think the sound is what makes him walk away now.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I clip Rosie's nails sometimes, it usually takes a few sittings and I only do a few at a time. I don't restrain, but she is also a very calm bird and I'm extremely careful.

It's always best to have a avian vet show you how to do it first

 

[SunnyGirl]

thanks for all the answers we tried it today with human nail clippers and it worked just fine... I held her and my mum clipped, Sunny was a bit nervous, but held still and taaddaaa, she survived :04: though the nails are still a bit rough on the edges (she was scared of the nail file), now all that I need to do is buy a really good pedicure perch...

 

[artemis]

Congrats! Nail clipping's not so bad, as long as you take it slow and easy. Sounds like your bird had a non-stressful experience, so the next time should be even easier.