Question about clipping nails

[Nightfeathers]

I purchased a pair of spice finches today. They're doing beautifully, peeping and such, though still a bit shy of course. They are sharing an aviary/cage with my zebras. I call it that because its a parrot cage, 4 feet tall, and 2 wide and deep. Lots of room for flying, lol. I've been watching to make sure but so far all is well everyone preening and singing as normal, but I have a smaller cage waiting in the wings just in case.

Anyway on to my question. My zebra finches nails stay trimmed. I have a variety of perches of varying widths. Two natural wood, one processed large wooden one that came with the cage, a rope one designed for a parrot, a hanging rope dog toy they like to pull string for their nest out of, and a swing which they adore. The swing has a gravel perch part, again designed for a parrot but they love it. All this combined seems to keep their nails in perfect shape.

So the spice finch pair though, came with nails that are very overgrown. They can perch, land fly, etc, but I notice the nails getting caught until they move the foot to unhook it. I noticed one landing on the side of a nest got its toe caught for a second when it tried to take off. Obviously they are in need of a trim.

I have never trimmed a birds toenails before. In fact I've never trimmed anything on one. I always use perches, etc to keep them in shape. Also they are obviously just now settling in, and still very skittish. So my question is does anyone know of a place I can find a good step by step with pics on how to trim, and should I do this right away or give them a few days to settle in first? I don't want to scare them into a heart attack or something, but I also don't want one of them getting caught and injuring him or herself.

Or would it be best to let them remain as is and let the nails wear down naturally? I'm not sure they will given their length though. Any help you can give would be much appreciated.

[L in Ontario]

I don't know of a website offhand though I'm sure they are out there. You could try Google "finch nail trimming".

If the nails are white - then you should be able to see the quick in front of a bright light. Do not cut into the quick but I would try to remove about 1/4 of the nail length - while avoiding the quick. If the nail is black - take off a little less than that. Then in a couple of weeks you can trim off a little more.

I personally would either remove the nest and rope toys until you are comfortable enough to do the triming or do it right away so they do not risk their lives getting caught someday while you are out.

Good luck.

[DVBourassa]

http://www.finchaviary.com/Maintenance/NailClipping.htm

[Nightfeathers]

I found a great video showing exactly how to do it earlier, so their nails are now trimmed. I had to leave a couple a bit long cause of the quick, but nobody was injured and both birds are back in their home and happy. It was a lot easier than I thought too, and they handled it very well. Thanks for the advice.

[Sally]

There is an excellent article about clipping nails right here on our own Finch Information Center, and at the bottom of the article is a link to a video about clipping.

[Hilary]

I'd keep an eye on them. I have a variety of perches for my spices as well, but still need to trim their nails on a regular basis.

[ac12]

I trimmed my societies claws today. This was the 3rd time I did it and my hands were still shaking. Probably from fear of cutting into the quick and general nervousness.

On the dark claws I find it very hard to see the quick and on some claws I just could not see it. So for those I just cut about 25%. Better safe than sorry.

The problem claws are the front outside toes/claws. It is hard to determine how short to cut those, and those toes being shorter makes it tricky to avoid accidentally cutting the center toe.

Surprisingly 2 of the societies seem to be quite calm about it. They settled down and did not squirm, which made it a lot easier.

I figure I have to cut the claws another 2 times to get it down to where they should be. Especially the front outside claws, which after watching them on the perch need to be cut shorter. I just need the quick to receed far enough so I don't cut into it.

[L in Ontario]

Sounds like you are doing great so far! Cutting 25% is good - I would never cut more than that at one time.

[Aga]

Some time ago I was using sand perch covers ( from Wal-Mart) to keep my birds claws trim. Their feet were in perfect condition, I did not have to trim the nails.Really But I read that sand covers may hurt toes and cause inflammation so I stopped using them. I bought natural perches which my birds just love! But their nails are longer, they do not wear off even if they are using natural perches..I tried to trim the nails but both birds have black nails and I did not see the quick. should I trim them anyway, what if they start bleeding? Can I use regular baking flour to stop the bleeding? And what do you think about sand covers?

[Sally]

I don't use the sand perches, have not heard good things about them. However, I do use the concrete perches (Living World mini pedi-perch), which seem to help. I put these perches right next to the water tube, so all the birds land on them frequently.

There are things you can buy to stop the bleeding if you cut into the quick, but you can use ordinary cornstarch. Just have a small amount of it in a tiny dish, and if you see blood, dip that toe in the cornstarch. It should stop the bleeding quickly, but you need to keep an eye on the bird to make sure it doesn't start up again.

[L in Ontario]

I only use the concrete perches as well (like Sally mentioned). If you clip too much - you can also use flour to stop the bleeding. Simply hold it on the end of the bleeding nail for about 30 seconds and then see if it has stopped bleeding. But try to clip only 25% of the nail at most.

Too bad Nightfeathers hasn't posted since last September.

[ac12]

I remember when I used the sandpaper perch cover. One of my birds would fly to the perch then hover and fly away. She did not want to land on the perch. Probably because of the roughness of the sandpaper on her foot.

There is a perch called a "safety perch" where the top is smooth, and the abrasive material is on the sides. This should be easier on their feet. I may try that for my wifes canary.

[mickp]

Even if you happen to cut the quik by accident the bleeding stops very quickly and will not harm the bird.
If you are concerned about stopping the bleeding use some cornflour as a clotting agent.
There are times when I will cut the quik on purpose, so I can get a blood sample for DNA testing. On completion of this all I do is release the bird back into the aviary, have never had a bird that has needed assistance to stop the bleeding.

[Meagan83]

Too bad Nightfeathers hasn't posted since last September.

I lost one of my KY friends

[Aga]

Hi, it is me again. I have not posted anything for a while because my computer was broken. I trimmed my birds nails, everything went smoothly:) My bird are just not very happy when I handle them, one of them was pinching my finger like my parakeets do )