Clipping Nails

Those little birdie nails can get razor sharp! There are maincure perches, marketed for naturally wearing down your birds cage, available on the market. Even with the use of such perches, there will be the occasional nail trim needed. Overgrown nails can make perching difficult and increase the chance of catching on carpet or clothing. A general rule is that a nail is too long if the toe is elevated off the ground when on a flat surface. Even short nails may need to be blunted occasionally to remove sharp points.

How to trim:
Step 1. Purchase a commericially available styptic powder and clipping instrument from reliable petstore. Styptic powders go by the brand ofCanopy, Quik-Stop, and silver nitrate available in stick form.
Step 2. Have an assistant ready to help properly restrain the bird and hold the foot
Step 3. Examine the nails, with light colored nails the quick will be easily visible, giving you a guideline so you know how far back you can clip.
Step 4. Clip about 2 millimeters from the end of the nail
Step 5. File the clipped end, and shape nail if needed
Realize that a small amount of bleeding may result from clipping until you get accustomed to clipping, and know how far back to clip the nails. If the nail begins to bleed, apply styptic powder to end of the nail. Watch your bird for any continued bleeding after being returned to his/her environment.

• Nail clippers designed for birds are best, (such clippers are readily available at our local petstore) but human nail clippers are also satisfactory for use in this procedure.
• Nails that are overgrown will need to be clipped a small amount (1 to 2 mm) each week until satisfactory length is achieved.
• Nails that curve to the side or rotate will need extra attention with the file, and this may indicate a problem with the perch.Make sure your birds cage is equipped with a variety of perches that are varied in diameter.
• Work quickly to avoid causing the bird excessive stress.
• Extremely long nails, or nails that grow at a rapid rate, can be an indicator of medical problems. If you are noticing abnormal symptoms, have your bird checked by an avian veterinarian.

Readers have been requesting visuals of what overgrown birdie nails look like. Photos will be following shortly.