Alternatives to cut lovebird nails

[DuckyMomo]

Hi, I’m new here and to owning birds. I do apologize in advance if I posted in the wrong forum, Im still navigating this website.


I have 2 lovebirds that I got last year, I have never had pet birds. Their nails are growing too long and I want to shorten it but the problem is, they are scared of nail files and clippers and i’m inexperienced so I don’t want to take the risk. I can’t go to any vets because they are too far and I have no car and can’t ask a friend for a ride to the vet, it is also freezing cold and my birds would be too stressed out on public transportation which would stress me out too. I’ve asked on reddit and other places but they all told me to try to get the birds to the vet which is impossible for me at the moment. I have bought a nail pedi perch but my birds don’t go on it often unless there’s a treat infront of them. I can’t file them either cause they get scared. I’m completely lost and hopeless and have no idea what to do. Is there anything I can do or any other nail trimming alternatives? I’m desperate and willing to try anything except the things I listed that I can’t do.

Sorry for the long paragraph but please if you can help, I would really appreciate it. Thank you

 

[expressmailtome]

Welcome! What diameter perches are you using? When a perch has a larger diameter, the tips of the nails will rub on the perch to slowly wear them down. Of course you can run into problems if the perch has too large of a diameter for the specific species of bird that you are keeping. You could also try these perches: Bird On The Rocks - Flagstone Perches from Seriously Nutz . They are very effective.

 

[Zara]

I have bought a nail pedi perch but my birds don’t go on it often

First, be sure it is a good quality pedi-perch. I am loyal to Hagen (living world) ones, but there are others that are as good. It must have a smooth top and the ¨file¨ underneath.
Place it somewhere your birds will hop on and off many time throughout the day... One the way up to the water bowl, in front of the food bowl, in front if their fave swing etc You will need to observe so you know the placement is good, and if it isn´t , change it.

More info;

Pedi-Perches

It´s no secret that I am a huge fan of pedi-perches - but only certain ones. I just want to post a thread with some info, so that I can reference it in the future instead of posting the same info multiple times and missing important parts. I stand by my pedi-perches, and only one of my birds...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[DuckyMomo]

Welcome! What diameter perches are you using? When a perch has a larger diameter, the tips of the nails will rub on the perch to slowly wear them down. Of course you can run into problems if the perch has too large of a diameter for the specific species of bird that you are keeping. You could also try these perches: Bird On The Rocks - Flagstone Perches from Seriously Nutz . They are very effective.

Hello, I got this perch from amazon and it’s stated that it’s a medium. I’ll post pictures of the size

 

[DuckyMomo]

First, be sure it is a good quality pedi-perch. I am loyal to Hagen (living world) ones, but there are others that are as good. It must have a smooth top and the ¨file¨ underneath.
Place it somewhere your birds will hop on and off many time throughout the day... One the way up to the water bowl, in front of the food bowl, in front if their fave swing etc You will need to observe so you know the placement is good, and if it isn´t , change it.

More info;

Pedi-Perches

It´s no secret that I am a huge fan of pedi-perches - but only certain ones. I just want to post a thread with some info, so that I can reference it in the future instead of posting the same info multiple times and missing important parts. I stand by my pedi-perches, and only one of my birds...

forums.avianavenue.com

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I will try to observe where they go a lot and place the perch there

 

[Zara]

Medium is too big for a lovebird. Mini is ideal, but small work too. I have 3 small and one mini - I give my pairs the small size.

edit: mini = xs
some places list it one way, other places another, but they are the same.

 

[Fuzzy]

DuckyMomo!

What sort of perches do your lovebirds have? Natural branches such as apple or willow will help keep your birds nails trim. Pedi perches and the like will certainly blunt the nails (which might be all you require), but won't reduce the length by much.

You can teach them to accept the clippers, file or dremel by shaping. I wrote something on it here if you are interested:

How To Trim Your Parrot's Nails | ThinkParrot

Make clipping or filing a parrot’s nails easy using desensitization and shaping. No need for toweling and loss of trust on the bird’s part!

thinkparrot.com