Nail clipping - tips for doing it yourself?

[FlyBirdiesFly]

So, yesterday I took Ducky and Kermit to the pet store to get their nails trimmed. They clipped one of Ducky’s nails too short and I noticed bleeding after we got home. It was only a few drops of blood, but it still must have hurt a little and I’m deciding to start doing the trimming myself. Obviously those two birds just got trimmed, so I won’t need to do their nails for a while. Taking them in was always stressful and I’m not sure if I should be trusting anyone other than the vet to do it. I did try trimming their nails myself once and they struggled a lot, and Ducky bled a little. Are there any tips for trimming parrots nails safely and without the birds being mad at you afterward? How do you make sure you don’t cut into the quick? Would you recommend filing the nails instead of clipping them? Or should I leave this job to the professionals?

 

[Kiwibird]

We have done Kiwi's nails and wings ourselves for years. Usually, my husband restrains/talks to/distracts Kiwi while I clip and file his nails. My husband also (gently) holds Kiwi still while he sits on the back of a chair so I can extend each wing to clip without him needing to be toweled. If we have to do both, it's only about a 3-4 minute task start to finish. He is also much calmer than when we used to take him to a bird store to have it done. Once I did clip a nail too short and needed to apply styptic, but that's about the extent of any issues we've ever had (even the best AV can occasionally clip a nail short enough to bleed a little).

If you choose to clip at home, I'd highly recommend having a second person to assist. One person restrains the bird, the other does the nails. Be certain you and your helper (if you have a second person) are completely confident in what you're doing. I typically just clip the painfully sharp tips off, swish a file over them and let his cement perch do the rest. If your bird has light nails, you may be able to see the quick. If your birds have darker/black nails, it's really just a guess but they go a good ways down in each nail so you should never take much more than a couple millimeters off unless the birds nails are seriously overgrown. You should have styptic powder and hydrogen peroxide on standby. If you don't already, invest in a pair of clippers for parrot nails and use the smallest nail file you can because they are much easier to work with when you have unwilling feetsies actively resisting your efforts I also recommend having treats on hand for when it's over and have a fun activity your bird can begin to associate with getting to do after grooming to make them less resistant to it (over time). Kiwi likes a shower after his treat but it could really be anything your bird likes

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

Thank you for the advice! I am very lucky that all 4 of my birds have light nails. Toweling is a huge challenge for me and I struggle to hold the bird without them wiggling and kicking their feet. I’ve seen YouTube videos of birds that do not have to be towered for a nail trim. The bird either just lets the owner take their foot and do the clipping while they’re still on their perch, or lies on their back on a table while the owner has access to the feet. My birds would never let me do that.

 

[Sunnyclover]

I like to file my 2 birds nails, I file them like every 2 to 3 weeks. They're not a huge fan of the pedicure but they tolerate it especially if it's after a shower when they're wet. Birds are more calm after a bath, that might be a good time to clip or file nails.

 

[Carl_Power]

I could do with learning how to do this too. There are some videos online showing how. One suggests just clipping 1 nail per day and offering a reward like training. Less stress on the Parrot if its not comfortable yet and the bird learns its a good thing because there are treats. Then you could just try 2 nails ect then 3 x

 

[dhraiden]

I use this dremel at home with the assistance of B.

Mango is quite good about getting his nails done this way, Mochi is a bit of a squirmer, and in fact it's quicker (and probably safer) to clip them quickly and surely, once she's secured.

When their nails seem to be getting especially sharp, we ensure they spend more time on those perches that naturally file them down.

 

[Scott]

Thankfully many of my birds nails maintain a proper length. For those that don't, I prefer not to towel as it associates negativity with the relationship. I can hold and cuddle a few of them to a level of relaxation that allows me to trim with a clipper. For the others, it is an occasional trip to the vet for grooming by a tech on an out-patient basis.

I clip very conservatively to avoid bleeding - this of course means more frequency!