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Nail Trimming
reprinted with permission of Heather Kinzey
Heather's Feathers
main page
Grooming
Your Bird
The left toe shows
the general idea of an appropriate length. The actual nail will have slightly
more curve than the drawing. The black outline is the hard nail portion.
The bone shaped part is the end of one toebone and there is another smaller
toebone to support the quick and nail itself. The inner line is where
the quick is. The quick is the matter inside the toenail consisting of
blood supply, nerves and new nailbed. The nail needs to be trimmed or
worn down naturally and kept at a consistent length, to prevent the quick
from lengthening and thickening as it shows in the drawing on the right.
The drawing of the overgrown nail shows how the quick will creep down
farther into the end of the nail as it grows. This makes it painful to
groom and greatly increases the chances of bleeding. Obviously the pain
and bleeding are to be prevented if at all possible. When nails have gone
too far it is really best to dremel the ends every 7-10 days until they
are at the proper length. Most people don't want to do that, and some
birds stress more during grooming than others, and want to opt for cutting
higher and then stopping the bleeding after. I often have to offer a free
housecall a week or so later to avoid having to do that. I really feel
you shouldn't cause even small harm to the bird unless it is necessary
for it's health. I do know my outdoor aviary caiques haven't needed anything
done to their beaks or toenails in a year. My indoor caiques need grooming
about every two months on the nail's sharp points.
Here
is a good picture of the dremel. It is very very important that you know
what you are doing and get trained before using one of these on any animal!
It is not only important to know how to trim but emergency first aid if
something goes wrong. There is the possibility of burning the bird with
too much friction, cutting the skin if the dremel slips or the bird grabs
the tool with either his foot or beak. There are also dangers in catching
and holding the bird properly. Birds do not have a diaphragm like we do
so if you hold them and apply pressure to their bodies you can suppress
their breathing. Birds often ball up their feet tightly to prevent you
getting their toes, and then toes can be broken and nails ripped off,
by applying pressure in the wrong direction to open the foot. The holder
must also know what to do and not to do. I also don't recommend learning
on your own caique. Caiques can hold grudges as anyone here can tell you.
I do groom my own caiques but I learned on other birds at the store I
worked at before I tried it on my caiques. Birds take their cues from
us and if we are tense and nervous, they become that way too, and this
is potentially even more added stress on a toweled and restrained bird.
But if someone learns how properly and feels confident about it, in-home
grooming can be a great alternative to taking them somewhere where they
will be exposed to disease, stress, hot or cold, traffic and unfamiliar
environment.