Trimming wings, toe nails and beak?!

[EZFrag]

I went to the petstore to go fetch a few toys for the little one, as well as some nice screw bowls I want to use for the weaning later on. I asked him for the number of an avian vet nearby (Even though I suspect she is female, I'm no expert), and he gave me a number and name. He also mentioned that the vet will probably trim the wings, toe nails and beak.

 

I'm am very much against it, especially the wings. Not going to happen at all. Beak also a big no. And the toe nails as well.

 

I've read Dave's post series about trimming the wings, so I have that covered. What I want to know is why they want to trim her toe nails and beak? Are they hammered or is there a reason for it? And am I obligated to allow them to do it? Will I have to fight them over it?

[Acappella]

Sometimes a beak gets a little untidy looking with parts of it flaking off,and an owner might request the beak gets polished up, which is cosmetic. I wouldn't do it because of the trauma to the bird. As for the talons, I've had Dorians trimmed a couple of times. Sometimes they get to a needle sharp tip and to spare my poor hands I've gotten just the tips trimmed off. Some members here use a pedicure perch, which is a perch with a rough surface that works like an emery board and takes the point off their talons when they perch on it. Dorian declines to use these perches though. I wouldn't worry about it because I suspect you've got a while before Chicken is perching on your hands. Get a pedicure perch and place it by his/her food bowls or up high for a sleep perch and see if the talons take care of themselves. You may have to fight about the wings. Letting birds have their wings is a relatively new trend with pet birds and lots of people out there still insist on trimming wings. IMHO it should be left to the owner, but I have heard of vets and groomers who refuse to care for a bird unless the owner consents to having the wings trimmed. It's something you might want to ask when you're booking an appointment.

[murfchck]

There are many times a few of mine get their beaks trimmed. A lot depends on well they maintain it their self. I have 3 greys that have never had their beak trimmed and one who has to go in 2x's a year. I have one blue and gold that has scissor beak so he has to get trimmed 2 x's a year also and one who's beak just grows like mad. I now live with 12 flighted birds, 2 of them have a bad wing so they can not fly, but clipping is not done here and that is just my choice. I do have safe guards coming in and out of the house otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this. The beak trims however are necessary for those who need it, otherwise eating and playing become to difficult. One of mine had a liver condition as a baby and he has a very thick beak that grows out from his face and not down like most, it must be trimmed or there gets to a point that he can't open his beak far enough to even eat. He sticks his tongue out to the side to get what he can so he is watched carefully and trimmed as needed.

I don't understand the hammered part, are you asking if the chisel the beak? If so no, they use a small drill to grind it down. It sounds horrible but my guys take it like nail trims, which they also need from time to time. Good perches help with this but I swear that a few of mine take prenatal vitamins and the nails and beaks grow very fast! I have 2 greys with bum legs and keeping their nails trimmed is a must since they are flighted. The numb toes can snag on things and hurt them worse if not watched carefully. If they big boys nails get to long, they don't have a good grip on their perches so that could cause injury also from them falling. Getting things trimmed on our birds isn't a mean thing we do but something we have to do for their safety and well being. Wing trimming is personal for each person so if that is what they choose to do, I feel there are reasons and I am not here to judge anyone for their choice (as long as it is done correctly and the poor bird doesn't crash to the floor). :-)

[EZFrag]

I wouldn't worry about it because I suspect you've got a while before Chicken is perching on your hands.

 

She is currently perching on my hands as I move her around from on place to another. One of Dave's posts gave me the idea of letting her hook her beak onto the one hand first, then let her climb on the other by herself. Works like magic. No struggling to get her of wool blankets and so on.

 

Get a pedicure perch and place it by his/her food bowls or up high for a sleep perch and see if the talons take care of themselves.

 

The ladder I got her fits that description. She is currently sitting on it. And nibbling on the cage :confused: I hope that wouldn't be problematic.

 

You may have to fight about the wings... ... ...I have heard of vets and groomers who refuse to care for a bird unless the owner consents to having the wings trimmed

 

I really hope they don't. I really don't want to get aggressive with them.

[Luvparrots]

I do not clip, snip or bob my greys. I love to watch them fly and hear the sound of wings as they go from room to room, place to place. Priceless. They have cement perches (kept at the highest perching point of their cages) so they can sleep or manicure their claws and beaks as they wish. Personal choices about clipping, I choose not to clip.

[neoow]

I have to get Alfie's beak trimmed every so often because it grows quite long and is wonky. If I look at him straight on his top beak grows over to the right and the bottom beak grows over to the left. Its been like this for years, so I have to keep an eye on it and get it trimmed to prevent him having troubles eating, drinking and getting around his cage.

 

As far as nails go, he mostly keeps these in check himself. He has various perches to assist with this which are made from concrete or covered in something which looks like colourful sandpaper. I regularly replace these and they do a really good job at keeping his nails from growing too wrong.

 

I decided against getting his wings clipped because he is a very strong flier and I am very careful about doors and windows when he is out of the cage.

[Timbersmom]

As far as nail trimming goes, it depends on the individual bird. I have to have Timber's nails trimmed (usually twice a year). In spite of sleeping on a concrete perch, his nails will get so long that they impair his movement and then it is time for a trim. For instance, he likes to run across the bottom of his cage chasing a ball. His nails will get so long that he is tripping every other step. When that happens, to the vet we go for a nail trimming. As others have said, some birds will groom their own nails, and some don't need it with a pedicure perch.

[aerial.2000]

Marco gets a pedicure about 2times a year as well or they become razor sharp and poke me after the last butcher job on her wings however she will remain fully flighted I will never do THAT again to her! Shes had her beak filed on once ... I didnt ask apparently they thought she needed it ?! But she seems fine after it.

[Dave007]

As you can see, most are against wing clipping. I agree. Nature gave them wings for a reason. As far as beaks, there's very few reasons to get that done. Mostly, it's because of the pain a person goes through when the tips bite into soft flesh. As has been already mentioned, any beak must lose their outer covering for a new covering to come in. Trimming a beak only means filing down the tips which a person can do if there's another person around that will hold the bird while the beak is being blunted with a common store bought file. There's other birds that won't need 2 people. The bird simply allows the person to lift the leg and filing is easily done. AND as far as the beak goes, the beautiful shiny black beak that the bird has as a very young bird will eventually change into a dark grey color with loads of scratches all over it. The shiny black untouched beak will be gone forever. Birds scrape their beaks on everything, hard things, soft things, bowls, toys, cage bars etc.

As far as vets go, I've yet to come across a vet that will tell a person NOT to trim wings and the bird pays the price. As has been mentioned, there's a deformity of the beak that's called scissor beak which needs to be taken care of by the vet on a regular basis. In general, beaks grow to certain lengths, have pointier beaks and others don't have pointier beaks. Having a couple of concrete perches in a cage near the other wooden cage is always a good idea. Those types of perches not only keep claws blunted, they also allow the bird to file their own beaks down.

In Germany, it's against the law to have wings clipped unless a medical problem exists.

 

*****What I want to know is why they want to trim her toe nails and beak? Are they hammered or is there a reason for it? And am I obligated to allow them to do it? Will I have to fight them over it? ******

 

The reason is called MONEY $$$$$$$$$ and NO, you're not obligated to do it nor will you have any fights with vet.

 

Filing down a beak-----there's a trick here. Have one person hold the bird, take a pencil and let the bird have it and the bird won't let go and that's good. Better the pencil than your fingers. The tips of the beak will be very easy to file. The same thing goes for claws. Have the bird bite down on the pencil and file the claws.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Dave007

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

As Sophie has gotten older, she takes better care of her wings beak and talons. I provide the right perches, and she does a good job. She USE to see our bird groomer at least four times a year, where he trimmed all. She didn't mind.

Last weekend was a serious grooming day for her. She hung on her favorite gate separating kitchen from family room.I was in family room watching TV... but then just watched her for an hour cleaning the down, separating each feather making herself beautiful. It was interesting to watch! Of course I told her how beautiful she looked... got a wagging tail! Nancy

[ocguy106]

I guess I am lucky my bird actually likes having his beak done. I give him a pencil for his feet and he will lay on his back. If he holds the pencil in his feet like a perch while laying on his back he is fine. if he drops the pencil he gets scared on no longer likes being upside down. While he is on his back I can file, buff, and clean his beak with no bites at all. He seems to actually like it. I did clip his wings after his first flight about a year ago but since then I am letting them grow back in. he has about 3 flight feathers on both sides but they seem to fall out easily. he has lost 2 on each side so he would have 5 on each side and probably be flying by now. I think a few more months and he will be flying again.

[Mistyparrot]

I have always made sure that Misty has a good variety of perches and safe things to chew. I have never had to trim any part of him in the eleven years he has been with me. Clipping is out of the question.

 

Steve n Misty

[Inara]

Would never clip Inara's wings, she loves to fly and that is as it should be for her. When she was younger, it was as if she didn't know how to take care of her beak, so her avian vet just did a quick buff on the tip to blunt it a bit, and also filed her talons down which were like little razorblades. However, in my opinion, she filed them down too far, causing Inara to lose some of her natural grip when perching, but they soon grew back to a good length. It was at that point that I began using just a regular emery board on her talons when she would cling to the side of her cage while we would chat. She actually loves this. I also would give the tip of her beak a very light buff with the emery board also, which she loved. I no longer need to do either now though.

 

I put a concrete grooming perch (short one) on the inside of her cage door and she loves to perch on it. When she perches there, it makes it so easy to open her cage door and have her step from that short perch onto my hand or arm. It also makes it a breeze to put her back in her cage, as she just steps right onto it and then I just easily can shut the door. She's very amenable to that. It also gives her an easy landing place when she chooses to fly back to her cage. It keeps her talons blunted, and she loves to rub her beak on it to groom it. So she now is all about good self care.

 

As others have indicated, feel comfortable asserting yourself with any vet and/or groomer. If they don't like it your views and philosophy then shop around and find another. I'm lucky. My avian vet has birds of her own and she's just a doll. Inara goes to her freely and easily.

[chezron]

Brutus' wings have never been clipped. He loves to fly and i love to watch him fly. His nails get trimmed twic a year when they get too long and hamper his ability to stand flat-footed. His talons also get razor sharp and puncture my skin if I do not get them trimmed. I may try different perches.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

When you hire someone to care for your bird, it is a contract. What you ask for... needs to be delivered. No matter what their belief is! It is important to find the best groomer. For me... our groomer, was just as important as our vet.

While I believe new babies need to learn how to fly, I am supportive in trimming back during terrible twos. Yes, they can fly... but need to land and learn. My groomer trimmed Sophie and Kiki perfectly! A quick landing... a little less ADHD...Nancy