Jim seems to be getting his claws stuck to my jumper a lot these days so i think it might be time to clip him??

 

how should i do this, nail clippers or scissors?

You can get a specialized bird toenail clipper device for this. Read up on the internet how to do it properly so you don't nick a vein, or, even better, get somebody experienced to show you how the first time. Have cornstarch or a stipec pen (of the bird variety) ready at hand in case there is a bit of blood. Good luck to you and Jim!

I just used a regular nail clippers when I trimmed Baby's nails. I would be conservative when clipping. I am used to clipping dog's nails and you owant to trim them as close to the quick as you can. I did this with Baby and found that she had a very tough time climbing around her cage till they grew some!

Regular nail clippers work fine. You really only need to nick the tip off of the nail to make a big difference. When the bird is standing on a flat surface, if the nail causes the toe to raise up so it doesn't touch, they need to be trimmed. You don't want to trim them near the quick. If the full length of the toe is on the surface, they are fine. Are Jim's nails clear or dark?

Edited February 21, 200718 yr by Rainbow

you may want to have 2 people do this

1 to hold and 1 to clip and make sure you buy the stuff at the pet store before you do this that stops bleeding incase you nick too far (it happens). Another way to do it too is if Jim climbs on his cage and stays there you can clip them as his nails are sticking out on the side of the cage.

 

If in doubt have the vet do it first to show you. Though it is simple to do birds are hard to get to sit still

jims nails are clear, i can see the vein inside so i will be carefull, im going to do it on the weekend for him.

:budgiedance: Perhaps your wife can help you with this, as Lovey mentioned, it's a usually a two man job and they usually don't like it (but then Jim is very exceptional). Keep a small towel handy should you have to wrap him up to keep him still (which will prevent accidents). :greenb:

A tip to dealing with black nails. If you look on the underside of the nail you can actually see where the quick stops, as the nail is just like ours and doesn't go all the way around the claw. I find this is good with all animals. :budgiedance:

there is no chance whatsoever of my wife helping, she hates birds!!! cant stand the flapping!!!

she loves jim and is allways talking to him,just as long as hes under control.......ive also managed to teach jim to say ***** so thats pretty funny when the wife gets scared of his flights

:fear shame on you (Laughing out loud) but if you put him in a towel there will be no flapping :ausb:

Actually the easiest way if you are going to towel him is to use a washcloth. It is the perfect size for budgies. :fear But unless Jim sits exceptionally still while you clip, it really is safest as a two-person job. If your wife won't hold Jim maybe she will do the clipping? If not, I really recommend you have a friend with you (with good eyesight, LOL) to do the trimming while you hold him. It can be done by yourself, but is very tricky if Jim moves at all. The hard part is that you need two hands to clip feet - one to keep them straight and unsnagged from the washcloth (and keep them that way as you go through each toe), and the other to trim them.

Edited February 24, 200718 yr by Rainbow

How did the toenail clipping with Jim go?

ive just done it, and it was totally easy!!! believe it or not jim just sat on his perch which is on the outside of his cage and i just clipped each claw as he watched.....not a fuss at all.

i think he was relieved i was doing it.

hes such a cool bird.

I cannot believe it, no fuss at all, Jim is one exceptional bird!

yep no fuss, i should of videotaped it, i used the same nail clipper as i use on my talons!!!

 

and yep jim is an exceptional bird.

Mods you can unpin this I added a good description in the FAQ's thank you.

I'm no expert as you can see, but I have a friend who is budgie-educated and he had some great advice when I first got my budgie, Arny.

 

He recommended some sand sheets (for caged budgies) from the pet shop. I've used them for a year now and they've kept my budgie's claws short so that I don't have to trim them.

 

I buy a packet of 6 and cut them into thirds and only use 1 piece, cleaning it up and renewing it every few days. It works a treat! :ygbudgie:

are they sand for the perches or for the bottom of the cage? Sand perches are not recommended and can actually hurt the feet over a prolonged period of time. On the bottom of the cage seems okay.

No, I would never use anything like that on the perch.

 

They are purely sand sheets (and not ordinary sandpaper which is too rough).

 

I only use a third of a sheet just so that he's not walking on it all the time, but it sure does the trick

gotcha just clarifying for other members too out there because that was old school sandpaper perches

Oh okay I hadn't realised that sand perches were an old school idea.

Thanks, Elly

 

I also meant to say, that I put newspaper on the bottom of the cage and then the 1/3 of the sandsheet on top of that to one side.

He doesn't stay in his cage all day and has plenty of freedom. However, the amount of time he is in it seems to be enough for his claws to keep trimmed down.