How do you clip your bird's toenails

[LoryLover]

With my first lory, we had to wrap him in a towel with his feet sticking out to clip his toenails. When he saw the towel he ran all over the house, until we got him. And then he would bite like crazy during the process if he could. btw, the breeder actually showed us that method of clipping his nails.

With my second lory, I sure as heck didn't want that trouble again, so the first time I had to clip her nails, I had her on the bed playing and when she rolled over on her back, I put one hand under her neck to gently hold her and with her feet in the air I began clipping. She wasn't frightened at all and within a minute all 8 nails were clipped. After a few months, we graduated to her laying on her back on my left hand and with my right hand I clipped her nails. So for 15 years now that I've had her, nail clipping time goes smoothly and stress-free.

The first lory would bite his nails and get them into needle sharp tips. The lory I have now never does that, so I only have to clip her nails twice a year.

How does everyone handling clipping their smaller parrots nails?

 

[Ash]

My two alexandrines and conures just let me pick up their feet and clip. If I need to I can roll them over on to their backs and go from there.
So they are no problem

My cockatoo and IRN are a different story, they will roll onto their backs sometimes but it's only when they want to. Sometimes we have to towel our IRN as she can get a bit aggressive when it comes to clipping her nails.

 

[mrgoogls]

i kinda need to know the same thing. Cooper's nais are getting kinda long. he always lets me hold him on his back. my question i guess would be, what do i use, and how short should it be?

 

[Ash]

I usually file my fids nails back as most of my fids have black nails and I can't really see the quick.

 

[LoryLover]

Ash, I'm happy to hear that your smaller parrots are so easy to clip. I have only had experience with my two lories. I guess there must be larger toenail clipping scissors for the bigger parrots... ? Can you do it with one hand.... what I mean is, is the toenail on the larger parrot so thick that it takes a lot of hand strength to do the clipping?

mrgoogls - I have a pair of clipping scissors made for birds that I bought at a pet shop. You may want to take Cooper to a pet shop that clips bird's nails and see how it's done and how much to clip. I only clip twice a year, or when I notice the nails are getting overly long.

 

[tab_xo]

My question is... What nail file do you use? :S Fargos nails are getting sharp, and i tried using a human nail file, he just stood there not moving while i filed, but it was useless and didnt do anything, are there special bird files? :/

 

[LoryLover]

My personal preference is just to clip, rather than file. I was told to file my first lory's nails and all it did was irritate him. When I clip the tips off a long toenail, within a day or so, any rough edges are smoothed out naturally.

 

[LoveMyParrots]

I don't trim Ozzie's nails since he doesn't like his foot being touched, he may bite, I never tried to trim it myself so I don't know what hes reaction would be. But I don't want to take him to a pet shop or a vet to get his nails trimmed either, I just feel its too stressful for him to being toweled by a stranger.

So far, I just use perches that helps trims his nails. I might try clip his nails later, when he trust me even more, I only had him for 7 weeks.

As with Kiwi and Tweety, I take them to the vet to get it done while they get a check up, since they know their vet really well.

 

[Ash]

I would say my larger ones(cockatoo, then again he is a BE2 so he isn't too big) are closer to a cat's nail? Maybe a bit thicker, so it doesn't take much strength to clip them.
I usually use one hand to lift the foot (if they are just sitting there) and use my other hand to clip.

I just use a human file it seems to work, but then again you have a macaw
So it would have larger nails.

My fids love when I use the file. I think they like the texture or something?

 

[tab_xo]

Fargo doesnt use his pediperch cause he is never in his cage :'( I have tried putting it next to my chair but he would rather sit on the chair!

So just use clippers and then they should round out by themselves on the wood and such? Fargo enjoyed me filing his nails as well! LOL

Fargos nails are alot thicker and stronger than our cats nails! Might have to use the clippers for dogs?

 

[Ash]

My fids don't use their pumice perch. Haha ive tried the same thing and the would also prefer the chair xD

I pretty sure they love the texture on their nails? When Yuki sees me get the file out she comes to me. It's so cute

You might have to use dog clippers.
You could ask other macaw owners what they do with their macaw's nails?

 

[tab_xo]

haha! because chairs are so much more comfier of course

aww! how cute hehe

mmmm, the only bird clippers i have seen for sale have a picture of a budgie on it, so i'm guessing its only for little bird nails

I swear Fargos nails are the same size as our great dane cross hahahah

I think i will have to ask My arm is torn to bits

Would different wood perches help, with rough bark on it ? He has destroyed the bark off all his perches now, so they are all smoothish.. maybe new bark would do the trick ?

 

[LoryLover]

Fargo doesnt use his pediperch cause he is never in his cage :'( I have tried putting it next to my chair but he would rather sit on the chair!

So just use clippers and then they should round out by themselves on the wood and such? Fargo enjoyed me filing his nails as well! LOL

Fargos nails are alot thicker and stronger than our cats nails! Might have to use the clippers for dogs?

Yeah, I'd just clip and let them smooth by themselves. After you've clipped, make sure there's no super pointy edges on the bottom of the nail though. If he likes the file, maybe you can get a rougher, stronger file that works better. I love your B&G - he's a beauty! A friend of mine once had a B&G and he became a buddy to me, I got to hold him a lot and whenever I came to her house, his eyes would dance and he'd lift his foot and climb onto me. I miss him! Someone stole him out of their front yard and they never got him back.

 

[tab_xo]

Ok thank you!!! Yeah the nail file i used wasn't very good, i will have a look to try and find a rougher one after i clip them!

awww thank you

REALLY?!?! That is unbelievable! Who would steal him out of their yard.. they obviously have no idea that it is part of their family and not just 'a bird' He sounded like a very sweet boy!

 

[mtdoramike]

Actually very easily, I call my mobile bird groomer

 

[NWQuakers]

I taught Mark to let me clip his nails with a small human-type nail clipper. She stood on the bathroom counter and held out a foot for me to do, then switched.

Lucky is too twitchy and has to be towelled.

 

[RedTailVegas]

I have had 10yrs of nail issues! My Grey likes to sharpen his nails, helpfully! Whereas my amazon rounds his off very nicely. The vet has cut them a few times but has now said he won't do it anymore as the quicks are very close to the end of his nail which are obviously black, this has lead to bleeding in the past. Pedi perches do nothing other than make his feet bright green/ blue. He will lay on his back for me and will stand on one leg so I can rub his feet but as soon as I go anywhere near with the bird clippers or a nail file (vet suggestion) he runs a mile. So I have given up!!!!! We have a similar issue with the bathing situation although am obviously plodding on with that one! Any suggestions you guys have would be welcome!

 

[LoryLover]

I have had 10yrs of nail issues! My Grey likes to sharpen his nails, helpfully! Whereas my amazon rounds his off very nicely. The vet has cut them a few times but has now said he won't do it anymore as the quicks are very close to the end of his nail which are obviously black, this has lead to bleeding in the past. Pedi perches do nothing other than make his feet bright green/ blue. He will lay on his back for me and will stand on one leg so I can rub his feet but as soon as I go anywhere near with the bird clippers or a nail file (vet suggestion) he runs a mile. So I have given up!!!!! We have a similar issue with the bathing situation although am obviously plodding on with that one! Any suggestions you guys have would be welcome!

I'm sorry to hear your Grey is doing the sharpening of his nails. It's hard to break a parrot when they've gotten into a bad habit like that.

I hope someone here on the forum can offer you some ideas of what you can do for your Grey.

My first lory (named Woody) would sharpen his nails into needle points! We had to constantly clip his nails because of that, and of course the quicks were very close to the end, so we always had to have the stuff on hand that stops bleeding. He was our first parrot and we were learning as we went with him. The breeder told us to file his nails, but we had to towel him to do it and he screamed bloody murder.

Looking back now, I can only figure that Woody was an extra hyper bird and was unhappy spending so much time in his cage while we were at work, and through boredom would keep busy filing his nails into needle points. Fortunately though, he was a small enough bird that we could clip his nails ourselves.

The lory I have now is a dream in the nail department, compared to our first lory. I'm SO glad about that, because it can be a nightmare dealing with super sharp nails all the time.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Georgie used to HATE nail clipping until i taught her to lay on my hand and hold her feet up. It became a simple task; in a minute i would have it all cut with no fuss.
Gilbert is getting to the point where i want to clip his nails and he is just terrified. i was so surprised, since he is such a laid back bird. So i didn't want to traumatize him, and all i did was show him the clipper and put it near his feet right now. (This was yesterday, first time we tried). I am going to let him see it and get used to it coming near him and see if his fear tones down and then i will clip. It worked for Georgie and she was really kind of 'bad' about it in the beginning. Hoping Gilbert realizes it's all good soon enough.

 

[94lt1]

My macaw is brought to the vet to get clipped and trimmed.. my zon too.. my keets and sun conure will let me do them easily..