Nails

[rbreck]

Hello everyone, I just picked up my five month old SI Eclectus last Saturday. He is doing GREAT! My arms are not doing so well. Nails appear to have never been clipped. Is he to young to have nails trimmed? I am able to play with is feet but I think I will take him in to the Vet for this??? I don't want him to dislike me touching his toes.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

You want a safety pumice perch. My galahs nails used to be painfully sharp, I constantly had scratched up bleeding arms. I put the safety pumice perch in her cage and after 2 days her nails were no longer sharp and I've never had to cut them since. Best investment ever

The perch used in this photo seems a bit big to me, I use the medium size for Rosie.

 

[rbreck]

Thanks, you don't need to cut nails at all? That would be great. Do you put the perch in for a few days and take it out? Only use when needed?

 

[Turquoise]

Welcome to the forum. SI ekkies are awesome birds. I have a female and she is the Diva of my flock.

The perches used for their nails are usually kept in the cage or on the play perch all the time. There should be a few different size diameter perches also in the cage so your ekkie's feet don't get tired & sore standing on the same size. As long as he has other perches to climb on, he shouldn't use the nail perch so much that his nails are in danger of being too short.

In my cages & aviaries I use natural limb perches which provide lots of size difference for my birds to exercise their feet on. Not everyone prefers natural limbs which is fine. You can use different size dowel perches in the same way.

 

[mistywaterwoman]

I have a pumice perch in my lovebird cage, and I have to say, I noticed a BIG difference in just a week!! Periwinkle came to us with long nails, and I was dreading having to trim them, since he's so skittish, but a week later, they look SO much better. Honeydew also came with long nails, but she hasn't even been here a week yet, so I'm hopeful that perch will do her some good as well.
I've also noticed they rub their beaks on it sometimes? They do have a cuttlebone, but seem to prefer to use the perch...

AND it seems to be their favorite "singing spot" early in the morning, ha ha ha.

 

[rbreck]

Thanks all. Bought one last night. I will go back today for another in a different size. Beautiful in Santa Barbara today... We will see what he thinks of the shower.