Will my parrotlet's nail ever grow back?

I recently bought a parrotlet on Kijiji, and this one is a keeper. I've had both hand-fed and parent-fed parrots before, and this one is for sure raised on formula. For a parrotlet, he doesn't bite; he is also super comfortable with people and climbs all over me on the first day here. He's also healthy, and currently flying around all over my room in circles while merrily chirping.

Two flaws with him might be his not so appealing feathers which are kind of dirty due to lack of shower, and one of his toe nail that's too short for him to grip or walk properly, so he limps a little. I'm wondering if that nail will grow back. Don't get me wrong, I am VERY satisfied with my purchase; I am going to have a lot of fun training him. Just want to know if his nail will grow back, which would be nice both for me and the bird.

I am attaching the image of his toe. It kind of looks like it was broken; it doesn't look like a permanent injury. It's his left toe in the middle from the three you can see in the pic.

I am glad you consider this one a 'keeper'!
From what I see, that nail should be fine.

Congratulations! How exciting, sounds like the little guy has already made a big impression. A good diet and lots of showers will have his feathers glowing in no time. His toe looks a little swollen on the end but I agree with Flboy, I think the nail looks fine.

We'd really like to see a pic of your little one's top half too. What is his name?

Hey thanks. What can I do about the swelling? Should I just make sure it's clean, or do I need to apply some sort of medication?

Also, I'm going to name him Java. I will be spending the better part of the next decade of my life trying to get him to say "Hello World".

I would just keep an eye on the toe and keep it clean, no need to put anything on it unless there's an open wound.

Java is a very cute name. Haha, I doubt you'll need a decade to teach him to talk!

Java is a programming language, and most programmers start with the basic print "Hello World" programs. It's just a silly pun.

Depending on the damage, the nail may or may not grow back normally. Some birds even end up with stumps of nails. I have one bird who lost a nail due to a bite(?) at the end of her toe. It killed the nail bed, her nail eventually fell off, but it hasn't impeded her in the least since she quickly learned to live without it.


I would recommend a vet visit however... a good avian vet, if you can find one. Wouldn't hurt for a "first bird" exam, and get that foot checked out. As you say, if he's limping, it could be hurting him, and the vet can get you meds, if required.