Nail clipping...

[snowflake311]

Sprinkles nail have gotten so sharp it is painful to have him on my hand. I am going to take him to the vets for a check up and dna check. Tonight i could not take another second of his nails. I used a towel pinned him and just took of the sharp tip. He did fine but did not like it.

I was a vet tech i am pretty good at nail trims. Why do birds have to make it so hard.

Anyone clip their birds nails?

 

[texsize]

I have trimmed my OWA and RLA. They are both easy to towel and they get mad at the towel not at me.
I have been unable to towel my YNA. HE is to fast and if I don't get him the first time he will "GET ME".
I am afraid to try my cockatiels because they are so fragile. For the most part they seem to keep their nails worn down without help.
texsize

 

[plumsmum2005]

Just to point out it is safer to file than cut nails as I found to my cost a few months ago. Scared the pants off me and I was careful but I will only file now or ask Vet to do it. Usually it isn't much that needs to be taken off to sort those pesky pointy bits.

I don't think I would like to be caught and my feet fiddled with either.

 

[KrisandPenelope]

I have been working with my conure for her to offer me her foot and let me hold it and trim her nails. So far we're at the 2 month mark of training and I can clip all of her front nails pretty easily. I have just been doing positive reinforcement training with first teaching her to give me her foot then desensitizing her to the nail clippers and then finally allowing me to trim her toe nails. In the mean time I have the Polly perch that filed her nails down pretty nicely so they didn't get crazy long while trying to train her.

 

[Scott]

I can clip a few of mine, and am always very conservative to avoid bleeding. For others, it is impossible, and pursuing a lost cause might affect the relationship.

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

I've clipped the nails on smaller birds, tiels and quakers and stuff, but my big birds, I prefer to have someone else do for me. Last time I had Chicken's nails done, I took her to the rescue I got her from and the lady there used a dremel to file down her nails. I did just do a quaker recently, and it wasn't too bad. One nail she jerked for, so it got clipped slightly too short. However, that is why I have a container of corn starch in my bird cabinet that is out and ready to go if I am clipping nails. I don't need it often, since I only take the very tips off of the nails, but I would prefer to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

 

[snowflake311]

I have a drumel and have used it on my dogs. I feel like the sound and the file feeling would be more stressful. Yes it would do a better job of smoothing the nail down. Maybe I can work on getting him use to the sound and noise of it now. Also i feel more damage could be done with a drumel than little toenail clippers.

I have been working on letting sprinkles get use to me touching his toes. I have been working on that since I got him. I would grab his toes gentle even pinch the nail as hard as I can to pretend i was cutting it. I got him use to seeing the clippers too. So one day I tried to clip with no towel he let me put his nail in the clippers but as soon as he felt the pressure on his nail he let out his little mad peep and I stoped. I did not even have time to clipp it. So training is all good untill you use the clippers..

I have one rough nail trim perch by his food it does not seem to be helping. What type of nail trim perches do you guys use that seem to help keep the nails dull?

 

[GaleriaGila]

I used to hate doing the Rbird's nails worse than just about anything. I finally perfected a solution.
I really recommend getting those nail-trimming perches... they can eliminate nail-trimming, which was always so stressful for me and the Rb. It took a few years, but I eventually established a pattern/rotation that keeps him trimmed. I haven't had to do his nails in 20-plus years. I keep a dowel as the main "highway" down the middle of the cage, but the special cement/trimmer/textured perches are all over.
A few brands... but there are many: Polly's Sand Walk... Pumice Perch... Trimmer Perch...
Be sure to introduce them gradually: they're abrasive to their tender feet at first. I LOVE them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!