Question about nails

[MOBoy]

Hi, when I got Martha a year and a half ago, the breeder trimmed her nails, (Very nicely.) But now, her nails are long, and I have no idea how short to trim them. I read the other post about "Nails" and how some people do not take their birds to the vet for a trim, so I'm not going to take Martha. Anyway, I was wondering how short or where to cut them. Also, do I trim them with regular human nails clipers? Thanks!
Taylor

[sdgilley]

Hi Taylor,
Here is a link
http://www.acstiels.com/Articles/BasicCare/wing.html
In our Resources forum you'll find all sorts of instructions for care, including wing & nail trimming. If you haven't read there, you really should. It's good to know what to do in case of an emergency or basic toxic things to avoid. It's all there.

If you trim a nail too deeply, it can bleed. I would have some corn starch or flour on hand and gauze just in case you have that happen. A lovebird can bleed to death with a relatively small amount of blood loss, so better to trim too little than too much.

I don't trim my birds nails at all unless they have a jagged one. I have a cement perch in their cages, so they groom themselves on that. My hen loves to climb all over me, so having longer nails helps her hang onto my clothing better.

[Janie]

Taylor, there is no way, no how, that I would trim my birds nails. If they need to be trimmed and the perches made for that aren't working, I suggest you have an avian vet trim or file Martha's nails. Even when my vet trimmed Oliver's nails every single one of them bled and she knew what she was doing. She marked his chart, "file only".....

I would do a wing clip any day before I'd attempt a nail clip.