i have a bird needing to cut her nails what do i do?!?!?

Question

So my bird is a yellow collared macaw and she really needs to get her nails trimmed a bit.
Have any advice how i can do it myself?

ive done it before i know what im doing just what would be the best way to hold her as im doing this?

Answer 1

I have six parrots and I've always been hesitant to cut their nails due to the fact that it is so easy to cause one to bleed, but loading them up and taking them to the vet to have the nails trimmed was also stressful on them, not to mention that I do not like exposing them to other birds and risk virus exposure.

Recently, I have been using a Dremel to file their nails and it works great. I just do a little at a time.....sometimes I just let a bird sit on my daughter's hand unrestrained and bump a little off the nail tip. It's much easier than having to towel the bird and use the cat nail clippers. I have a friend who uses a battery operated acrylic nail file on her birds and she says it works well also.

Okay, I see you know how to clip the nails, you just need some information on the restraint. Honestly, with cat nail clippers, you are probably going to need a person to hold. Most parrots do not appreciate being restrained and will bite. The best method is to get a white towel and hold the bird wrapped in the towel, with the bird's skull between your thumb and index finger and being very careful not to restrict the chest muscles too tightly at any time. Simply pull one foot from the towel and clip the 4 nails, avoiding cutting too close and causing any to bleed. Repeat with the other foot. If you do cut one and it bleeds, take some flour and apply it to the bleeding nail. (If you do have to apply flour, watch the bird closely for awhile to make sure the bleeding has stopped and remove all sand or concrete perches so she doesn't cause the bleeding to begin again before it has a good chance to clot properly.

A black sock with a hole cut for the beak will NOT work. Your helper/holder needs to stabalize the birds head in a fashion so it can't bite you with the beak and the eyes will be covered with the towel. Remember, the next time your Macaw sees a white towel, he will know something is about to occur.

The difficulty depends on the bird's temperament and your courage. Good luck!

Answer 2

What I do is I get a towel and rap him up in it with one wing hanging out at a time to clip the wings and the same way to cliping the toe nails if needed. My bird loves his claws cliped. He will lay on his back and seems like he loves it. But when you have a big bird it takes two people and you will need to wrap him up. One holds the bird while the other does the clipping. Go to pets plus or petsmart and get a bottle of that powder stuff (I'm too lazy to go get my bottle to get the real name) to stop the bleeding if you cut too short. And a some clipers. Do not use human nail clipers they cut squire and can cause the nail to split. I normally only clip the tips off and do it every coupe of weeks. But like I said my bird loves it.

Just do a search on yahoo or google and read up a little .. it is not as hard as you think.. Or get a groomer or vet to show how the first time.

One more thing about using a towel. Do not cover the head of the bird. Let it see but hold the towel on each side of the head so it can breath and see. Maybe not see what you are doing but still needs to be able to breath. I have had no problems doing it this way. The bird will try to bite the towel and if like mine will bite through it and pinch the fingers that are holding it . lol

Answer 3

I hate doing this by myself.
Usually, when I MUST I am rather sneaky ( when I procrastinated making a vet appointment too long and it's looking like I'm a heroin user from their nail scratches up my arm....)....

I usually clip the tips of one or two nails at a time when the birds are calmly sitting in my lap. This is alot easier if they're eating some mashed up food like sweet potatoes which doesn't require using their feet, or if it's just before bed and they're pretty sleepy and out of it.

By the time they realize that their toes have been touched, I've put the clippers back in the desk drawer...

I think it would be impossible to, without help, towel a parrot to safely restrain it AND clip its nails at the same time!!

Answer 4

Since you know how to do it there isn't much i can say accept it will be better to file them cos if you cut it you can accidentally cut in to the flesh underneath the nail and that can hurt but the bird can also start pecking at that spot and that can cause more harm.To keep the bird calm pull a black soc over its head just cut a hole for the beak so it can breath

Answer 5

Go to a pet store and buy a sandpaper slip for a perch. That will help....

But I would take her to a vet/store that specializes in birds to let them do the trimming. If you go too far, the bird will bleed and it needs to be cauterized right away. Let the professionals do it... it only costs about $10 max.

Answer 6

Usually you can just buy a perch that is made of rough cement. Just ask a pet store, and they'll be able to help you. She will naturally grind down her claws. Otherwise, there are special clippers you can buy, or better yet, take her to a vet or qualified groomer. Just becarefull, you can do a lot of harm if you don't know what you're doing.

DO NOT FOLLOW SUNFLARE's ADVISE. That is extrememly not good for the bird!

Answer 7

I've never done it myself, but I would suggest using special clippers if you can get them, if you can't then scissors or standard clippers might work. Be careful you don't catch any part of the bird's toe in them, though. I think your biggest problem is going to be keeping the parrot still while you cut its claws; one thing you can try is putting a cloth over its head, because birds tend to quiet down when it's dark.

Answer 8

Well seeing as how these birds usually have sharp beaks and even though she probably doesnt bite, you should hold a towel over her head. I have found this works VERY well, you might want to get another person to help. But hopefully this helps you, it did for me. Good luck.

Answer 9

I would probably take her to a vet who specializes in birds and have the vet cut them and show you the proper way to cut them. Then the next time she needs them cut, you can do it yourself.

Answer 10

U could give the bird some benadryl syrup to knock it out and then trim them....the bird needs to be asleep or it will claw ya.