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Amazon nails way too long!

MGrogan

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Shell
Hello - I am a new parrot owner. I recently inherited my Aunt's 27 year old yellow crested Amazon, Arthur. My Aunt was always so good to her birds so I'm sure you can imagine the horror when I picked him up a few days after her funeral. His nails are so long that the back ones are curling. I think one of them may actually dig into his toe. He doesn't completely trust me so trying to get a good look at that nail specifically is challenging. Im also not comfortable clipping his nails on my own as they are black so I cant see the vein and while I know how to hold a bird, I cant clip at the same time. Ive tried to pick him up once and he didnt panic but he "wouldnt talk to me" for about 2 days after. I dont want to break our fragile relationship by scaring him. I've been looking for Avian vet's in my area and there are virtually none. There are vet's that say they treat birds but when I call them they say that the DVM that does birds is not taking new clients, or is out or...I've been reading some different articles and the best one for horribly long nails talks about giving the bird anesthesia and using a cauterizing loop to cut them back drastically. Is this something that is done normally when a birds nails are so long? I'm not sure what to do.
 

Feathery

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Hi and welcome! I'm sorry to hear your new bird's nails are in such poor condition.

One thing to consider is getting an appropriately sized pedi-perch (smooth on top, rough on sides only) to help prevent this condition moving forward.

Have you considered looking for a rescue that is in your area to assist in clipping his nails? They'd likely be very experienced, particularly with bird's that may not be in good condition. They may assist if you reach out and explain your situation.
 

MGrogan

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Shell
Hi and welcome! I'm sorry to hear your new bird's nails are in such poor condition.

One thing to consider is getting an appropriately sized pedi-perch (smooth on top, rough on sides only) to help prevent this condition moving forward.

Have you considered looking for a rescue that is in your area to assist in clipping his nails? They'd likely be very experienced, particularly with bird's that may not be in good condition. They may assist if you reach out and explain your situation.
Reaching out to a rescue never crossed my mind. Thank you! I was looking for perches and did come across those. I ordered one on Amazon and it looks like what you described. It has a smooth top with gritty sides. Thanks again!
 

Clueless

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Welcome. I had the same issue..... rescued two amazons and both had long nails. We stopped by a bird store on the way home and had them trimmed.

Read up on the perches, there are different kinds of those. Sometimes the birds can develop sores from them.

What area are you in? Maybe someone can give you a vet recommendation.

Sounds like you may have had a relationship with Arthur?
 

MGrogan

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Thanks for the info. I'm in the Delta area of Northern California. Arthur is the bird's name actually. We do have UC Davis Pet Hospital here but after what happened with my dog, I will never take any of my animals there again. I've ordered a perch that is manzanita with the pumice/grit where nails would be. Thanks for all the info!
 

Shezbug

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Just for future problems it’s best to find an avian vet now even though you can get assistance with nail clipping elsewhere for now- there’s nothing more stressful than trying to find an appropriate vet when there is an emergency happening.

Be very careful with your pedi perches- some are seriously awesome but some are down right dangerous- you could post a link if you’d like some members to check you have the good safe ones. Remember not to use the pedi perches in an area your bird spends a lot of time- they’re often best places at water dishes or somewhere that the bird will use daily without sitting on them for lengthy periods.
 

MGrogan

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Screenshot_20220501-212051_Amazon Shopping.jpg

This is the one that I had ordered. Is this good?
 

Shezbug

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