If you have a tame pet bird who likes to be on your hand, arm or shoulder, you’ve felt how sharp those nails can get. Its really not difficult to trim your bird’s nails, but if you’ve never done it before, it would be a good idea to have your avian veterinarian or your bird’s breeder show you how to do it.
The method or materials used will vary with different sized birds.
For my smaller birds (cockatiels, lovebirds, parakeets) I used an ordinary, but sharp set of fingernail clippers. I can hold the bird in one hand & also use the same hand to separate the feet and nails. The other hand uses the clippers & I carefully took off just the sharp tip of each nail.
For my Congo African Grey Parrot, I wrap her in a towel with her face covered. Although I have done this by myself, it is much easier with a 2nd person to keep track of the bird’s beak. Even with their face covered, they can sometimes get a good bite in. My handfed CAG, Jewel, voices her objection loudly to this procedure, but would probably bite if she got the chance. For her nails, I use the set of guillotine nail clippers that I also use for my dogs’ nails.
No matter how often you clip those nails, you must always be prepared for a nail cut too short. Just as you are squeezing the clippers, your bird might jump and before you realize it, there is blood coming from that nail. Do not panic! You should always be prepared by having some quick stop or even a bit of flour beside you. Gently hold a bit right on the too short nail and within minutes the bleeding should be stopped.
If you have different sized and different textured perches for your birds it will cut down on the number of times you have to cut your bird’s nails. Some birds don’t seem to need them done at all. Please, do not use sandpaper perch covers in the hope this will end toenail cutting. They don’t help with the nails, but they can cause sore feet for your bird.
I received a message from Gregory - a friend of mine who suggested some additional information for those who cut bird nails less frequently than I do. In this instance, taking off the sharp point will not help with the length and some of the canaries and finches nails get quite long.
His suggestions include holding the bird in your left hand, if you are right handed and before doing any cutting, you have a good look at the nails in front of a bright light to determine where the blood vessel or quick is located. You can safely cut any nail that is 1/8 inch past the end of the quick. Gregory also suggested talcum powder or aluminum powder can be used in case you accidentally cut the quick.
Canaries and finches have 3 toes pointed forward and 1 pointed back, whereas parrot species have 2 pointed forward and 2 pointed back. Possibly because the canaries and finches have only the 1 nail at the back, this one seems to cause most of the problems (getting caught on toys or perches or cage wire) if it gets too long, so be sure you look after all the nails when you clip them.
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