Are these nails about right, or too long? Too short?

[Linwood]

Double Yellow Head, and I've been trying to trim her nails a bit opportunistically. She does not mind at all the actual cut, but I'm trying to get her to tolerate me just holding a foot and cutting, not restraining her overall. It often becomes a tug of war and I give up and try later. So it goes slow and a fraction of a millimeter at a time. And some nails she is more resistant than others. I've also added a couple of sandpaper perches where she plays to see if that helps (though more for her to wipe the beak on). I think it may smooth the edges a bit but it's not doing anything for length, I think.

But I'm not sure what is the "right" length though. Could some of the experts here opine?

Here are some photos to try to get all nails and different angles. I was thinking walking was the best way to tell?

 

[Clueless]

Not an expert here but I'll try to snag a picture of Secret later on today

 

[Rebel]

 

[Linwood]

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Is the important part that last pad (over the letter B) touch the table?

There's a lot more curve to some nails than others, I've read things like "half circle" but they don't seem the same for each nail to fit right.

 

[Rebel]

Im by no means an expert. I have difficulty with a couple of my birds. I know how they should be cut but cant always get them short enough without nicking the quick.

I would say its important for the whole foot to sit flat on the floor.

 

[Macawnutz]

I always prefer the nail not to touch the table flat-footed. That is my technical measurement.

 

[Linwood]

I always prefer the nail not to touch the table flat-footed. That is my technical measurement.

Hmmm... so it isn't part of the grip when walking (on rough surfaces)? I wonder how much more I have to cut off before it just tilts down but doesn't touch.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

In my unprofessional personal opinion there are a few a tad too long, but nothing seriously so. It's good that you're paying attention to small details. I took screenshot and highlighted it. Green is good, yellow is just shy of being good and red is where things get a little dodgy. And I do want to stress I don't see anything too concerning. But its definitely good to work towards a more ideal length. And I say this as someone who also doesn't have all 8 toes in perfect length in my own bird but continually works towards it



I think this these two toes illustrates a good length vs not so good.

See how the red highlighted one curves much more than the green? To me green one is in a more relaxed and comfortable position. Again I'm not a professional and I feel like good nail length is always a work in progress. And rarely do I have all 8 nails at the most ideal length. I hope this helps

 

[Linwood]

I Green is good, yellow is just shy of being good and red is where things get a little dodgy.

Thank you thank you, very helpful.

 

[merlinsmom13]

It's a bloody battle here for nail trimming. I basically knock off the worst and hope for the best. I love it when we have vet visits so someone knowledgeable can help me.

 

[Linwood]

I forgot I had a photo I took at the vet visit about 7 months ago. It's consistent with not touching the table -- or almost not touching. I need to go shorter, especially on the back.

The vet did cause a bleed.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

I forgot I had a photo I took at the vet visit about 7 months ago. It's consistent with not touching the table -- or almost not touching. I need to go shorter, especially on the back.

The vet did cause a bleed.

View attachment 465932

They look really good to me in this picture.

The one I highlighted in red wasn't as ideal as the others, but that's me being really nick picky. Otherwise they look like pretty perfect to me. If your birds nails are growing really quickly, you're gonna want to bring that up to you vet because there can be medical problems that can cause that. I don't know the time frame of the pictures but if the first set of pictures more current I wouldn't be concerned if that's growth from 7 months ago. I think that's pretty normal. You may want to have a vet visit every 6 months to do nails trims. But that's really a personal choice on what you're most comfortable with. Honestly I wouldn't be overly concerned. I recently put a flag stone perch in my cockatoo's cage and it's a been helping keep his nails less sharp.

I'm sorry his nails bled

 

[Linwood]

I don't know the time frame of the pictures but if the first set of pictures more current I wouldn't be concerned if that's growth from 7 months ago. I think that's pretty normal. You may want to have a vet visit every 6 months to do nails trims. But that's really a personal choice on what you're most comfortable with. Honestly I wouldn't be overly concerned. I recently put a flag stone perch in my cockatoo's cage and it's a been helping keep his nails less sharp.

I'm sorry his nails bled

I looked it up, the pet visit was 6/27/25, so it's about 6.5 months of growth.

I am hoping that sandpaper on a few perches will slow things down a bit, I added that less than a month ago. It's not where she sleeps, so I do not think it will hurt the feet. And she seems to like stroking the beak on it.

Nails bleed sometimes. She didn't seem to mind either. I have styptic powder handy, and spent 25 years on a little horse farm, but more to the point raised a human boy child who made sure any fear of blood I had was extinguished. We had to wrap him in a towel a couple times for a doctor visit.

At the vet the nails were a non-issue, but she went absolutely berserk though when they wrapped a bandage around the leg where the blood draw was done. That bandage had to go, right then, immediately, and the death of a few humans in the way would not have been an issue....

Tomorrow. It's bath day anyway, might as well add a bit more unhappiness to it, and do some trimming.

 

[Finchbreed]

It looks from those pics as if you are doing a good job of nail trimming.
Sarahs suggestions are good.
Nails should be trimmed just short of the quick so they do not bleed - just like you would do with your own - being male.
The smaller the bird and the lighter the toe nails (in colour) the easier this is.
I have been doing all my birds nails for 40+ yrs - and those of some friends and acquaintances too.
But these are smaller not big birds. The bigger the bird the harder the job - because thicker nails are harder to see the quick in.
Rocks in the bottom of the cage to sit on and mixed size and type perches help to wear the nails naturally.
Sorry - I will never be comfortable with sandpaper perches that can tear the feet - would not want to walk bare foot on it myself so not suitable for my birds.

 

[Linwood]

Sorry - I will never be comfortable with sandpaper perches that can tear the feet - would not want to walk bare foot on it myself so not suitable for my birds.

Yeah, I waited a long time. I have four pieces about 4" long on specific play perches, which comprise maybe 10-15% of the perches total. I did it because her beak looked a bit ragged and she spent an inordinate amount of time rubbing it against the perches - not sure it itches, or she just couldn't get it clean, or whatever. She avoided them for a while, but after getting used to them now she will go over and rub it on the nearest sandpaper perch, sometimes chewing on it for a while. But in total now less rubbing, so I hope it's working out.

FWIW since we are on the subject of trimming....

A month or so ago that ridge was very prominent and ragged, and the point on the beak a bit longer and the edge a bit ragged. To me this is starting to look much better, I think it looks a reasonable length, and the ragged area on the ridge is much reduced and the tip under it is satin smooth and sharp.

I don't mind trimming the nails, I assume it's like people, ferrets, dogs, etc. that I've done before. I won't think about trimming a beak. But hopefully the sandpaper is letting her self-trim.

 

[Macawnutz]

It can take a few trims to get to what you consider perfect length. Everytime you trim the quick will retract and if you give it a few weeks you can trim them shorter.

Amazon's are great as you can see through those white nails. You really don't want to make them bleed. Trim as much as you can and wait a few weeks to trim again.

 

[Finchbreed]

I get what you are saying about the beak - but this could be done with a sandpaper perch at beak height above her favourite perch - with a perch too small to sit on.
As I said - standing on sandpaper just feels wrong to me. Not suggesting you are doing wrong - just saying what I feel.
Oops that should be vein not quick - where was my head just then.

 

[Macawnutz]

Beaks grow from the inside out, not the top down. It's completely normal to have beak areas that are shredding or need some sanding/buffing. Usually they do this on their own by means of perches or rough objects. Other times a vet can help by sanding/Dremeling the beak.

 

[Linwood]

As I said - standing on sandpaper just feels wrong to me.

I get it, but think of it like walking in sand if you have lots of non-sandy areas to walk was well -- if it hurt, I wouldn't walk there. She's not as smart as I am, but I think she's smart enough for that. It's not like I added it to her sleeping or eating perches. It's in completely avoidable areas. I found an older photo before the perches (it was after a bath but ignore that). You can see the flaky areas on both beaks, those are now fairly smooth. I think the flaky part was bothering her.