Can you file a birds beak yourself?

Question

a java sparrow (finch)

Answer 1

You can, but it would be better to take your bird to a vet or a local pet store, sometimes they will do it for you. That's where I take mine! You can also buy special toys for your bird that will help grind its beak down.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

Answer 2

yes you can, obviously depends on the type of bird as to wether you have to or not but yes you can, its best to wrap them in a towel.

Answer 3

Only if you really know what you are doing.  If you file too much, it will become hard for your bird to eat and it will be very tender and sore.  If it bleeds you could have a real problem because bleeding on a beak can be very hard to stop.  My advice is to take it to the vet.

Answer 4

What sort of bird are we talking about

Answer 5

Yes, but don't tighten up the vice too much or you will kill it.

Answer 6

Have someone to hold the bird and file with an emery board. With the toe nails you can hold them up to a light and see the blood vein in the center. Make sure you don't cut that vein. If you do hold your finger on it to stop the bleeding just like you would do yourself. I have not seen many birds with overgrown beaks. Just take about 1/16" of the beak and then next week the same.

Now that you have your bird taken care of give it the proper perches and chew toys so they don't get into this  condition again. A good concrete perch will do well. A toy with a piece of lava rock is good for them to keep their beak from being overgrown is great.

Why pay a vet some crazy fee so he can live like a millionaire?

Answer 7

Why do you want to do that? It is a delicate job because if you take too much off the bird will not be able to eat properly also you may make the beak bleed thus opening the way in for infection.What about the bird struggling? it will certainly not like the process and in struggling may break a leg,wing or even its neck.Can you not just put the food on a coarse surface such as sandpaper and let them wear the beak down naturally?

Answer 8

only if your experienced, you have to be very careful because they have a tiny blood vessel running up the centre, you don't say what sort of bird it is, if it's of the parrot family,give it large pieces of cuttlefish secured to the cage  this will help him trim his beak on his own (works for budgies too)

Answer 9

i have a cockatiel and his beak and claws grow extremely long...

we got fed up of taking him to the vets to get them shortened.

so we bought some special scissors to do it with they are just like nail clippers..

u can buy them from any good pet store..

but you have to be extremely careful as to how you do it not to but the beak to short.

Answer 10

you can but it's best an experieced perssonnel does it ..

to prevent any suffering , nerve damage etc. .

besides why do you want to file the beak? .........

Answer 11

yes but i would take it to a vet just incase you mess up!