Nail trimming

[Shades Of Grey]

I thought I would poll everyone and see what your preferred method to trim your grey's nails is? Do you do it or do you hire someone? Tui needs his nails trimmed as it is painful when I hold him on my hand and he throws himself down and swings, what a ham LOL. He has a cement perch in his cage but it is not working for him very well. I don't have an avian vet in the area and the only groomer that is available charges $50 with no exceptions. I am wondering if it is worth it to pay the $50 because it seems a little pricey, or if there is a way to trim them at home. I do my conure's nails with a small pair of human clippers. Tui would need to be toweled to have them clipped and I have never toweled him before but I should probably try so I am comfortable doing it in an emergency.

 

Anyway, what do you use to clip your grey's nails and can you offer any tips besides having styptic powder and avoiding the quick

[Dave007]

$50 fo a nail clipping? Geez, that's very much on the pricey side.

 

Got a friend? Since you're the one that clips the other bird, have a friend come over, towel the bird ( even if the idea doesn't appeal to you), have the friend hold your bird and then you clip. Plus, like you said, it IS a good idea in case of an emergency

My friend takes his german shepard to the vet to have the claws done and it costs $7.

[Barbara2]

I have 3 different cement perches in different places in the cage. It seems to be working but then again Neo is only 5 months old. Time will tell.

[Shades Of Grey]

It is a little steep isn't it. She said it included nails, wings and beak if needed but I only need his nails done. I think my husband will hold him for me. My only concern is that he may hold a grudge against us if we towel him. I know he screamed blood murder when the vet toweled him before, poor baby. I wonder if I should cover his eyes with the towel someone or if that would make it worse.

[Dave007]

Of course he's gonna screech and yell when you do it. It's not uncommon. No, he won't hold a grudge. When finished, simply put him in his cage for 5 minutes and then go and get a nice treat he likes, give it to him and tell him he's a good boy. By the time 1/2 hr has passed, he'll be involved in something else.

AND just to tip you off, the next time you do it he's gonna squawk and yell --you give a treat and leave him alone other then talk. Don't hold him or try to comfort him because actually, you're the one that's going through the horrific trauma. He's simply pissed off but not so pissed off that he'll refuse a great treat.

More than likely, if you haven't ever done toweling before, I doubt that you're gonna be able to cover the eyes but it's better for your bird to see what you're doing anyway.

[Dave007]

And he's gonna squawk and yell the next time you do it and then he's gonna squawk and yell the next time you do it etc etc.

[Shades Of Grey]

LOL, got it. Thanks

 

P.S what do you recommend for clippers?

[birdhouse]

How is Tui about letting you handle his feet? If he doesn't mind then you might be able to teach him to let you cut his nails while he's perched.

 

For about a week before I do this, I play with Kura's toes, all the time. I keep rubbing them & pick them up, one at a time. I put her on her shower perch, on the bathroom counter. It's got a big enough diameter for her feet to spread to where the nails are on it & I can get at them.

 

Her front claws are curved enough to just snip. Her back claws need to be lifted a little. We take our time. I make a game out of it. We mess around between nails & keep her calm. I use a human nail clipper & only snip a little bit at a time. After, she'll let me file them if I make a ragged cut.

 

Always, always have some flour or cornstarch within reach while you clip a birds nails, no matter the method.

 

I'm really glad I can do this with Kura because Phenix has a very bad reaction to even touching his feet. He has to be toweled & I wish I didn't have to piss him off like that. Everything is back to normal pretty quickly. But Dave's right, he's just pissed. I'm the one with the one who ends up feeling guilty for the rest of the day.

[Shades Of Grey]

Thanks, I will try fussing with his toes for a bit and see if we can get anything accomplished that way first . Tui doesn't mind his toes being touched too much but he is still a little on the nippy side as we have only had him a couple months and we are building trust. I tried clipping a nail through the cage bar the other day when he wasn't paying attention. I got one done but then he tried to bite my finger afterward and wouldn't offer his foot again, little stinker lol. Tui has a bit of an attitude :rolleyes:. If I offer him a treat but he wants to step up instead, he will throw the treat and grab my finger to try to get to me. When I walk away he will find the treat, eat it and pout. Sounds like one of my children LOL.

[Malikah]

Kito stands on her t-stand and I use a dremmel on her nails. I finally taped it tonight and of course she was the most uncooperative she has ever been. I'll put it on youtube in a little while if anyone wants to see it.

[birdhouse]

I tried clipping a nail through the cage bar the other day when he wasn't paying attention. I got one done but then he tried to bite my finger afterward and wouldn't offer his foot again

 

No sneak attacks allowed They're all about trust, remember? Even if you have to towel Tui, approach him from the front & be open about it. If he loses his temper, he will get over it. If he loses his trust, he may not be so forgiving.

 

If Tui likes to grab your finger, you can try it that way. It's actually how I started with Kura. But it works a lot better for us on the shower perch. She sits still better & it just feels safer.

 

Lucky me, she's not usually nippy. But she can get a little attitude sometimes. She's a parrot after all. When she gets uncooperative, I just quit & wait til later. This is still a little new, so I'm giving her all the leeway she wants. I think she's doing great & pretty soon it won't really be a big deal anymore.

 

I know a lot of people use a dremmel. But, I tried filing my own nails that way, once. The heat it generated really hurt, even though my nails were pretty long at the time. No disrespect Malikah, but ever since, I've been afraid to use one on the birds.

[Malikah]

Yes, you have to be very careful with a dremmel. I only take off a tiny bit at a time. My bit is not real abrasive either.

[Elvenking]

I bet you could not towel Issac! He flies and he is good about avoiding things he does not want. I just bought two cement perches today in hopes that I can dull those razors. My hands are really messed up. I could try to distract him to clip...that works on a limited basis...but he would fly like crazy the moment a towel was within 5 feet. He won't be towelled.

[Malikah]

Here's my video of trimming Kito's nails. You'll notice I just touch the nail for a fraction of a second each time.

[Barbara2]

I have three cement perches in the cage. One is back in the corner and that is his chosen sleeping perch. The other two are by hanging toys so he isn't just perching on it but is actually moving around on those two. So far it seems to be helping. My arms are not all scratched up any more.

[judygram]

What a good bird to allow you to do that, Kito just takes it in stride, now what were you using for treats and thanks for sharing that with us.

[Barbara2]

... now what were you using for treats and thanks for sharing that with us.

 

I'm guessing Multi-grain cheerios.

[judygram]

I'm guessing Multi-grain cheerios.

 

Eagle eye Barbara, yes I bet she was using Cheerios since the box was sitting there right behind Kito, good catch.

[Malikah]

Thanks Judy, she is just the sweetest thing.

 

Hee hee no it was shelled unsalted sunflower seeds. Those are the only nuts she likes lately (weird I know!) and she will only eat them as rewards. The cheerios go in one compartment of the buffet wheel.

[ozziebird]

with ozzie I guess I am really fortunate, I always use a really rough thick cardboard thing emery board and we do a little every 2 weeks just to keep on top of things, he is that used to it now he angles his head just right so that when I file, the back of his head is given a rub with the other end of the file lol, he must have an almond when its done tho.... I too find the cement perches not awfully good for keeping nails trim on their own.

[Gwen]

Gwen: (Sassy's mom) This is my first post--I'm a newbie. Had teils for 5 yrs. & 9 mo.s ago go a rehomed grey. It's been trial & error (i'm a member of Bite Club) but nail clipping has been surprisingly EASY!!! As a matter of fact, I just clipped 3 or 4 nails before I got online. I use lrg nail clippers and talk to her thru the bars while she hangs up side down. She is only getting to trust me, but still decides to bite for no reason. We backed up a few steps a few weeks ago and now she lets me scratch her head but hasn't put her foot out to get on my hand yet. I'm sooooo ready to love on her but she isn't.

[Luvparrots]

Gwen please post a thread in the Welcome Room so that everyone can get to welcome you and get to know you and Sassy!!!

[Gwen]

Thanks luvparrots... I didn't know where to start and have never posted online before. (:

[Guest]

By the way, all, I've read cement perches can be rough on joints and on skin, and the diameter is straight, whereas the sand perches are of a varied diameter and therefore better for the feet and joints, and the sand isn't rough on the skin like cement is. I learned of sand perches and have been using those. They are expensive but I rarely have to get my birds' nails trimmed anymore. (The time between trimmings is hugely increased.) They work really, really well! Much better than the cement perches I used to use a decade ago when I first had a Grey!

 

$50 for a nail trimming is outrageous. It sounds like that lady knows she is the only game in town and is taking advantage. If I were you, I'd put an ad on craigslist and find another parrot person you can meet with to help each other do trims on the birds' nails.

 

One word of caution - birds don't have a diaphragm like we humans do. So they cannot expand their chest if the towel or hand pressure is too much. MAKE SURE your bird is breathing properly. Yes, he'll be stressed out and pissed off, but just watch carefully.

 

You can do it. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Shades Of Grey]

Thanks again for all the tips. I think I might look for a new nail perch. The cement perch we have actually has varied sizes, its an odd shape for foot comfort but it is not trimming his nails enough. He likes to use it to file his beak though. I saw a nice perch made of bamboo for about $30. It had nail filing grit on the sides. I am hesitant to buy it though because I have a feeling it will get chewed quickly or the grit will wear away within a short time.

 

I am happy to announce that I cut Tui's nails myself two nights ago. My husband and I finally worked up the courage to towel him and get the job done. It was a little rough at first with a couple misses before we actually got him restrained properly but Tui forgave us and the nail trimming went quickly without issue. The didn't even scream, just struggled a bit. My husband was surprised how strong he was! We were careful not to put any pressure on his chest

Thanks again for all the help. I am glad that we know how to towel him now, it wasn't so bad but its not something I would want to do every day lol.