Well my name is mud for the next day or so............

[mtdoramike]

where my birds are concerned. The Mobile Bird Groomers just finished their holiday grooming. Both had their nails, beaks & wings clipped. So they are a might miffed at me right now. Matter of fact, they are both sitting on their playstands giving me that I hope you die look and I think plotting their revenge.

 

[osnyder]

We made the mistake of clipping Geordi's wings ourselves several days ago. The result was three days of silence, and he's not letting his former best friend, my husband, touch him. Back to the groomer next time-- maybe the result will be less severe!

 

[Spiritbird]

Is it a routine to have their beaks trimmed?

 

[mtdoramike]

It all depends on how over grown they are I think. I wouldn't actually call it a trim. It's more like a light sanding. I like to have the very tip of their beaks dulled slightly, especially Tiki's, which is like the tip of a knife. When her beak is dulled a little with a couple of passes with the nail file, it usually won't draw blood when she pinches. But when it isn't dulled down a tad, it doesn't take much of a pinch to draw blood.

 

[Mare Miller]

Do you have the beak trimmed solely for that reason? Do beaks that aren't trimmed get too long like nails on a dog for instance?

 

[Remy]

I won't groom Puck myself for this reason, haha.

 

[mtdoramike]

Do you have the beak trimmed solely for that reason? Do beaks that aren't trimmed get too long like nails on a dog for instance?

Yes, beaks can get overgrown like nails. Birds in the wild usually chew on different things to groom their own beaks.

 

[suebee]

awww mike but wish we had such things as groomers here!

 

[Mare Miller]

I quit cutting mi Amigo's nails because I free flight him and believe he needs them to grab the trees. When he holds onto my hands, it hurts, sometimes bleed but I can't bring myself to do the trim, he needs them. He's never bit me...his beak seams to be, not too long, so I'll let that be.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I run a mobile bird grooming service, and do my own birds as well.... The male Moluccan Adam took almost 4 months before he decided that I wasn't the devil... lol. He had just arrived and was in rough shape and appeared to need a lot of work. It was about 3 weeks ago he decided we could be friends... I don't trim my birds wings, so that isn't so bad since that is the one that upsets birds most. Sorry Mike

 

[antoinette]

Thank goodness I am most fortunate Mishka loves his vet.
Immediately after clipping his wings and trimming his nails, Mishka whistles and gives him a kiss.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, my BC thought my vet was the devil, but saw me as her savior when we were there. So at least she didn't hold it against me that I took her there. However, she let me trim or file her nails.

My Nanday won't let me trim her nails, and even gets angry if she sees me doing my own, lol! Thankfully her cement perch seems to do a good job and I haven't had to trim her nails for years. I even see her using it on purpose to groom herself.

One thing my vet did though was trim off the little black needle point on my BC's beak. I had to tell him that it was normal for that species, and not overgrown. I admit, it's kind of odd, and I don't know of any other species that has a beak like that.

Other than that, I have never had to have the beaks done. I think if you provide plenty of chewing material, most birds will take care of it themselves.

The former owner of my amazon did all of it himself: nails, wings, beak. I don't want to do a beak myself, I admit. I am hoping now that he has a large cage and toys I won't have to. He's definitely chewing his toys so hopefully that will take care of it. If not, I will let the vet deal with that.

 

[roxynoodle]

Oh, and wanted to add that I'm not aware of any groomers in my area. During bird shows, there is usually a groomer there, but I've always been reluctant to take my birds where they could be exposed to diseases. Some pet stores have one as well, but same thing.

Anyone needing grooming services can have their vet do it. Or perhaps another bird owner in your area can come over to help, or teach you.