Clipping a bird’s toenails:
If you own a linnie, you know that their toenails grow super-fast and eventually curl up and, if not maintained, will grow back into the foot. It is important to ensure that you keep their nails trimmed, but not too short.
1. Locate the toenail’s blood source, if you can. Like humans, the bird’s toenail has a blood source (the quick) that will bleed if cut. If you’re trimming at home, you’ll need to take care to avoid cutting into the quick. In pink nails (such as on the Lutino Cockatiel) you can clearly see the quick (it’s dark pink or red), but it’s difficult or impossible to see on dark nails.
You can hold the nail up to a light to assist in locating where the blood supply ends.
2. Use scissors made for dogs and cats (or birds if you can find them). These clippers will be rounded so that you can just put the tip of the nail through the hole and clip. Just be sure that if you have nail trimmers for your dog or cat that you get a separate trimmer for your bird. Don’t use the same nail trimmer for all your pets.
You can also do this very well with regular human fingernail clippers.
3. Obtain a good clotting powder, like Styptic Powder, or flour/cornstarch. You can use this to stop any bleeding. Do not use Styptic Powder on skin, as it will burn. Only use it on toenails.
Regular ‘flour’ will do the job as well.
Steps 4-5 are optional depending on your bird’s friskiness
4. Get a towel large enough to wrap around your bird’s body. Don’t let it be so long that it gets in the way.
5. One person should towel the bird. Take the towel and wrap it around so that each end meets near the bird’s belly. Your index finger and thumb finger of one hand should be around the bird’s neck, just under her beak. This will stop her from biting you. Do not compress the bird’s belly! Birds do not have a diaphragm like humans, and if they cannot expand and contract their bodies to breathe, they can suffocate. Your other hand should be loosely around the bird’s body just above her legs.
6. The second person should gently extend one toe at a time for clipping. Do not pull too hard on the toes or foot; these limbs are so delicate and tiny that too much pressure can break them. Be very gentle. The bird will struggle. A gentle but firm grip can get the job done.
7. Using the nail clippers, take off a very small amount of nail on each foot to avoid cutting into the blood supply. Taking off the sharp edge will help to dull the nail.
8. If you do cut into the quick and the nail bleeds, wet the tip of your finger and dip it into the Styptic Powder, or the flour or cornstarch. Then dot the powder onto the nail, packing it in lightly. The bleeding should stop. If the blood flow is heavy and it doesn’t stop after packing it with powder, call your vet. Birds can die quickly from blood loss.
9. After each nail has been clipped, gently release the bird. She will probably be disoriented and stressed out. Keep her calm, return her to her cage and give her a treat. Make sure she’s warm and comfortable. If you stopped any bleeding before, check on her periodically to make sure she hasn’t started bleeding again.
Tips:
1. Keep a blood clotting powder on hand at all times, and not just for clipping. You can buy commercial Styptic Powder, or you can also use flour and cornstarch.
3. NEVER use Styptic Powder on skin! It will burn!
4. Always disinfect the clippers before using them on your bird. An easy way is to soak the clippers in some rubbing alcohol for a few minutes, then rinse off with hot water and dry with some paper towels.
5. Always use two people when clipping nails. One will hold the bird, the other will clip the nails.
6. Give your bird a treat after the clipping is over. She’ll be frightened from being restrained and need reassurance that everything is ok.
Using a Sandy perch in the cage can help to file nails. Don’t use sandpaper perch covers, or concrete perches — they’re irritating. Place a Sandy perch in an area of the cage that will get a lot of use, such as near the food dishes.
When you notice that your bird’s nails are getting too long, you can take him to the vet to have them trimmed. Vets generally charge $15 to $20 for a nail trim. There, your vet can show you how to trim nails at home.
Adapted from: http://thetrueparrot.homestead.com/howtonails.html
Edited by Nick
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