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Casper's 2nd best friend
04-26-2016, 02:31 PM
Casper needed a pedicure so we got the clippers and a towel put him on the floor and tried to do everything by the book. Casper hasn't read the book, instead of cowering in the corner he came straight at me and took a chunk out of my finger.
He was fine once we had got him wrapped in the towel, let us get on with trying to uncurl his toes which were screwed up in a tight ball while he just lay on his back and enjoyed the game.
All tips welcomed! :)

Mare
04-26-2016, 03:10 PM
I shouldn't laugh.. :). Sorry you got a chunk taken out! Amigo doesn't mind me trimming his nails although, he does try to take them from my hands. I've found it much easier to trim Sassy and Amigo's nails when they are inside their cage clinging to the cage sides. I'll just keep the clippers handy and when I see them on the side of the cage, I'll sometimes only get one or two at a time but eventually they all get nipped.

kendrafitz
04-26-2016, 04:07 PM
Oh no! I'm sorry, but the picture is just funny and it made me laugh. Silly Casper. I can just picture him charging you and then curling his toes in protest. I hope your finger heals quickly.

I can't towel Rosie, so no tips there. Although it sounds like you got him now. Rosie has sand perches which take care of her nails and beak for the most part. I have never clipped her nails. I have filed her beak and nails here and there with my nail files. She likes to chomp them, but I can get the periodic sharp pieces down in a couple sessions.

spiritbird
04-26-2016, 05:04 PM
What have you done to clip nails in the past? This is the reason I have a groomer come here to do the nail clip. She is very good at it and there are usually no issues. She only charges $10. per bird too.

Casper's 2nd best friend
04-26-2016, 06:05 PM
What have you done to clip nails in the past? This is the reason I have a groomer come here to do the nail clip. She is very good at it and there are usually no issues. She only charges $10. per bird too.

If his beak needs doing as well we take him to the vet so that Casper can hate him instead. Doing just his nails, one of us usually gets nipped so I thought I would ask what others do. I expect that the smaller the bird the harder it is, although they are not as strong they wriggle a lot quicker and you are afraid of crushing them.
We have all sorts of abrasive perches but they don't seem to work with Casper. His beak was allowed to become seriously overgrown before he came to us, almost touching his throat so now it is a bit tricky to shape without hitting a blood vessel. Another reason why we let the vet deal with it.

The Pinkertons
04-26-2016, 07:08 PM
If his beak needs doing as well we take him to the vet so that Casper can hate him instead. Doing just his nails, one of us usually gets nipped so I thought I would ask what others do. I expect that the smaller the bird the harder it is, although they are not as strong they wriggle a lot quicker and you are afraid of crushing them.
We have all sorts of abrasive perches but they don't seem to work with Casper. His beak was allowed to become seriously overgrown before he came to us, almost touching his throat so now it is a bit tricky to shape without hitting a blood vessel. Another reason why we let the vet deal with it. I do nails myself , toweling is the first thing I get my birds used to. In case of emergency or vetting, they can be swaddled without a struggle. Beak trim if needed I would leave to vet. Nail trims are never an easy task around here.

PlaxMacaws
04-26-2016, 08:11 PM
I don't towel my guys. With the exception of Salsa, I trim everyone's nails here while they're perched. Salsa would be glad to remove a few of my fingers if I brought a set of clippers too near him. But he's thankfully obsessed with snipping down his own toenails and grinding his own beak tip... that's right, he entirely maintains his own beak and nails and does a remarkable job at it! When he first came to live here -once I realized he would resort to defensive maiming to keep the clippers away- I used to employ Mare's technique of grabbing his toes through the bars in order to snip his tips. But soon thereafter I learned that doing so wasn't necessary with him.

Zaf, on the other hand, has always suffered from a rapidly growing lower beak... and when I say rapidly growing, I mean RAPIDLY! I need to trim his lower beak every 2 to 3 weeks or it will project forth like a half-pipe and begin fracturing. As for his upper beak, I can get by with snipping its tip every few months or so. Zaf will not gnaw on wood much at all.

In any case, as Suzanne indicated, it is always a good idea to desensitize a bird to the towel wrap process. We can never know when a broken blood feather or other injury requiring restraint might occur.

kendrafitz
04-26-2016, 08:50 PM
For us toweling is an issue. Rosie is a VERY strong willed girl. My vets tech is the only one able to towel her and she HATES it. We went as an emergency visit once and saw a different vet/tech. No go, they could not towel her. By the time they gave up she was a stressed out, panting mess. They actually seemed fearful of her by the end. It was UGLY.

She now associates toweling with bad things being done to her. No matter how often I play peek a boo, put a towel over my head or dry off in front of her. I am able to touch the towel to her beak sometimes. Anything else and she goes full on attack. Not attacking me but the towel and it is useless. If I put a towel or blanket on my head she will run over and fling it off. I have tried to put us both under a blanket or towel and she wanted no part of it. We have been working on this for 4 years now and no go.

Thankfully she takes care of her nails and beak herself. Just the once in a while beak chip or sharp edge. :)

The Pinkertons
04-26-2016, 09:07 PM
For us toweling is an issue. Rosie is a VERY strong willed girl. My vets tech is the only one able to towel her and she HATES it. We went as an emergency visit once and saw a different vet/tech. No go, they could not towel her. By the time they gave up she was a stressed out, panting mess. They actually seemed were fearful of her by the end. It was UGLY.

She now associates toweling with bad things being done to her. No matter how often I play peek a boo, put a towel over my head or dry off in front of her. I am able to touch the towel to her beak sometimes. Anything else and she goes full on attack. Not attacking me but the towel and it is useless. If I put a towel or blanket on my head she will run over and fling it off. I have tried to put us both under a blanket or towel and she wanted no part of it. We have been working on this for 4 years now and no go.

Thankfully she takes care of her nails and beak herself. Just the once in a while beak chip or sharp edge. :) Oh my!

Casper's 2nd best friend
04-26-2016, 10:39 PM
Rosie and Salsa are smart birds - both intelligent and well groomed :)

I have tried filing Casper's nails with an emery board but it just gets snatched from my fingers and thrown away. He doesn't really like having his feet touched even accidentally. The phrase "sorry, did I touch your foot" is often heard here after a ferocious parroty growl.

spiritbird
04-26-2016, 11:02 PM
Do you have a dremel? You would have to get Casper used to the noise first.


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Casper's 2nd best friend
04-26-2016, 11:37 PM
At first, I thought you were suggesting I use a dremel to do his beak and was imagining putting his head in the workshop vice to hold it still :pinkgrin:

I would imagine that it would be very easy to slip with a machine tool and possibly hurt his toes as he does tend to curl his foot into a ball whenever you touch them. I feel a lot happier with the clippers, they are much safer and he doesn't really mind them. I think he just has ticklish feet (like me).

The Pinkertons
04-27-2016, 01:22 AM
At first, I thought you were suggesting I use a dremel to do his beak and was imagining putting his head in the workshop vice to hold it still :pinkgrin:

I would imagine that it would be very easy to slip with a machine tool and possibly hurt his toes as he does tend to curl his foot into a ball whenever you touch them. I feel a lot happier with the clippers, they are much safer and he doesn't really mind them. I think he just has ticklish feet (like me). Notice how they have the Bird pinned down in a choke hold ,, prying the toes open. Amazing how strong they can be.

Lady
04-27-2016, 01:38 AM
OUCH Jean-Pierre, I know that hurt!

I too am lucky that Lady doesn't require trims. It is either because of the perch or her tending to them as well. She doesn't like her feet touched much either. I have been working on this issue myself with touching them when I have a pine nut in my hand and so far I have not been bitten.

All I can think of is to make sure to put a branch or perch in his feet before he curls them up. If he has something to take hold of them maybe you could snip them while he is holding onto the branch. I wonder if he would enjoy a foot rub using organic coconut oil, once you already have him toweled of course. It would also help release his grip, maybe?? It might be best if Margaret does the foot rub as it will make holding the trimmers difficult.

The Pinkertons
04-27-2016, 03:38 AM
Lady that's a great idea I must try that next time

Casper's 2nd best friend
04-27-2016, 10:00 AM
Lady that's a great idea I must try that next time

I'll give it a go as well. :)

Margaret gets to operate the clippers whilst I am keeping the bighty end busy. I must learn to delegate better.

mdg1109
04-27-2016, 10:13 AM
Unfortunately I have no advice to offer. I also have sand perches that have seemed to keep Charlies toes filed. If I had to try a way I would try a nail file to file them down. Charlie is used to the towel because he loves to be wrapped up after his bath and snuggle. As for his beak I will let the vet handle that.

I hope your finger heals soon!

spiritbird
04-27-2016, 12:24 PM
My vet (avian) instructed me to never use a pedi perch of any kind. They are too rough for the bottom of a bird's feet. So if one is using these type of perches I suggest you do a periodic inspection of the feet.

kendrafitz
04-27-2016, 01:07 PM
Agreed Dianne. If a bird is on a pedi perch the majority of the time I can see it being problematic. Rosie spends most of her time on her java stand, regular stand or me. :) She has rope, heated, java and sand perches in her cage. I do check her feet and it is a great idea to do so. :)

Mare
04-27-2016, 01:33 PM
One would think that Amigo's nails would never need trimming the way he crawls around in the rough skinned oak trees all day. I've discovered that all that does is SHARPEN them! They continue to get long but needle sharp.

PlaxMacaws
04-27-2016, 02:00 PM
One would think that Amigo's nails would never need trimming the way he crawls around in the rough skinned oak trees all day. I've discovered that all that does is SHARPEN them! They continue to get long but needle sharp.In the natural environment a parrot's routine daily behaviors should keep its nails quite sharp. That sharpness is essential for its activities (climbing, grasping, etc.). At the same time, keeping nails sharp should as well keep their length in check. It's like whittling the end of a stake to become pointed... it shortens it. The main reason captive parrots need their claws blunted is so we are able to handle them without having our skin breached by the tips.

Mare
04-27-2016, 02:08 PM
Yeah, I've noticed, Tony :). Amigo's don't get out of control long, they do whittle down just not to the point of a caged bird. Every time I have him at the vet she comments on his nails being ALLLMOST too long. I figure he does need them for gripping.

mdg1109
04-27-2016, 04:39 PM
My vet (avian) instructed me to never use a pedi perch of any kind. They are too rough for the bottom of a bird's feet. So if one is using these type of perches I suggest you do a periodic inspection of the feet.

I check Charlies feet every day. He has one sand perch, one rope perch, a branch perch and a dowel rod perch although that is on it's last leg (no pun intended) due to Mr. Busybeak chewing on it so that is on the list of things to get.

My husband also made 2 play gyms for him that are made out of PVC pipe with vet wrap on them. Husband is useful.....sometimes :th_laughing8:

Albert
04-27-2016, 07:25 PM
I put one of those concrete shelves in Saltys cage and that seems to have done the trick with his nails, cuz they used to be razor sharp. He will not perch on a cement or sand perch, so this was an ideal solution. I have the shelf right inside the opening of the door, so he has to stand on it in order to get out.

spiritbird
04-27-2016, 09:37 PM
I remember useful, sometimes. :th_laughing8:

Casper's 2nd best friend
04-28-2016, 09:29 AM
Albert that isn't going to work with Amigo - [Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]! :)