Hi i have a cockatail and its nails or getting to long i want to know can i cut them myself and if i can can ?

Question

use nail clippers or household scissors and if so how do i no how for to cut them back thanks

Answer 1

Yes you can just hold your cockatail in your hand and cut them don't worry you will not hurt it!

good luck

Answer 2

Yes you can cut your birds nails yourself.  When you clip the nail just make sure you just clip the hook part of the nail.  Do no cut to close by or below the part of the nail that is pink.  That is where the blood runs to the nail.  It has a name but for the life if me, I can't remember.  

Now before you do cut the nails make sure you have some baby powder ready.  This is just in case you do cut to deep and it starts to bleed.  You can pack the nail with powder to stop the bleeding.

Something you may want to know.  Any time you clip your own birds nails or wings, the bird may look at you as an enemy.  It is best to let a vet or someone who know what they are doing do it for you.  This person should be someone who has no contact with your bird other than a check up or to clip nails and wings.

A good item to have in your cage is a perch that has a sand paper  feel to it.  This will keep the nails trimmed for you.

Good luck

Answer 3

Yes, you can clip the nails yourself. I always clipped my birds' nails myself; and no, they didn't hate me for it afterward, in case you're wondering; I just gave them some space for 5-10 minutes so they could "cool down", and afterward they were perfectly fine.

But you do need to be sure that you only cut the end 1/3 of the nail or less; the first two thirds of the nail contains a vein, called the quick, and cutting it by mistake will hurt the bird and make it bleed. If you do accidentally cut the quick, you can dip the end in baking flour and that will stop the bleeding.

It's better to have two people work on the same bird; one person to hold the bird while the other clips the nails. Birds don't like having their nails trimmed, and they like being held even less, so it's helpful to have one person drape a small towel over the bird and hold it still while the other deals with holding the feet still and trimming the claws.

A sandpaper perch can also help keep the nails short, but be aware that it won't completely remove the need for trimming, it will only decrease the frequency at which you'll need to trim the nails.

Answer 4

Yes you can...it's just like cutting your own toenails

Use a set of nail clippers [don't use your own! Buy a set especially for use on your feathered friend] they are easier and quicker than scissors which can slip and injure the bird if it panics.

Be careful not to clip too much off as the claw has a blood supply running through it and if you cut too far you can cause it to bleed....more distressing for you than the bird but not nice for either of you!

If you think of the birds nail like your own nail,

you want to be cutting the dead part [ie the part of your own nail that is white] and not the live and growing part [the part of your nail that is pink] it would bleed if you cut your nail down that far.

Be confident so your bird doesn't feel to stressed and do it as quickly as you can safely accomplish the task

Hope that helps

Answer 5

You can, but you need someone that already knows how to do it to show you how.  It's very possible to cut too short and have bleeding toenails.  The bleeding can be hard to stop sometimes.  Be sure to have "stop quik"  (powdered) close on hand to use in case there is bleeding.  Take your bird to the vet (this is the preferred way) or to the pet store and have some one show you how to do it.  (be careful of the pet store employees, many have been taught to clip wings, but not toenails.)  To keep your birds toenails from getting so long and sharp, buy a concrete perch for it's cage.  (it should not replace any of the other perches)  This will help keep toenails and beaks in good shape.  They chew on it to keep the beak sharpened, and from getting too long. Many people think that this is what cuttle bone is for, but actually cuttle bone is much too soft, it is only a calcium supplement, although birds do rub their beaks on it.  It is too soft to help shape the beak.  Please read my profile.