Does anyone file their parrot's nails without towelling?

[Saemma]

This is my next Mabel Mission. She is deathly afraid of towels. It will take a VERY VERY VERY Long time before she will feel comfortable in a towel. I think she must have had nightmarish experiences with a towel because Sachi and Emma are fine in a towel.

I believe nail filing can be done without a towel.

Any best practices appreciated.

 

[Cydney]

I don't really file Kai's nails as they tend to take care of themselves. However, I've conditioned Linus, my parent's WBC, to sit on my knee while I'm sitting on the floor and let me hold his feet one at a time to file his nails.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

I massage Percy's foot in my left hand then hold it while I clip a nail can get one or two at a time you should desenitize your bird to the clippers or file a little at a time Percy will take them to me when he wants a clip under supervision of course he gets to touch them

 

[saroj12]

all i do is cover their heads with a *very light* cotton towel so they can't see the evil clippers

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

as far as towels Percy hates white ones but tolerates dark colors (blue) you may want to take the color in consideration

 

[Birdiemarie]

Yes, I file Ruby's nails without toweling. She either sits on a stand or on my knee and I lift the foot I want to work on. It takes a little maneuvering to get her to not step up with her other foot also sometimes but she cooperative most of the time. I find it helps halfway through to stop and have her step from hand to hand and let her stretch her feet and then go back and continue filing.

 

[Deejo]

I believe nail filing can be done without a towel.

Any best practices appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Most certainly it can be done without toweling!
Simply start with showing the nail file to Mabel.
Talk to her, show her the file over & over again.
Let her touch it with her beak. Offer rewards when she lets you pick up her foot.
Sometimes, you may only be permitted to file one or nails...do the others the next day.
That method worked great with my YNA when he got older, as he no longer allowed me to file his nails as I had done for 10 years!!! So we started from scratch. It took about a week. All of our other birds just sat on my lap while I filed.

 

[Saemma]

THanks guys!! This is very encouraging!! Hmm.. Now only if I could teach her how to do my housework too!

 

[allison]

There is a M2 at the rescue who lets you file his nails without toweling.

 

[Sapphire Moon]

Now only if I could teach her how to do my housework too![/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]

 

[birdlady]

Yes I can usually file Nani's nails. Most times she is cooperative. I play with and rub her tootsies and then start filing them. I can only usually get through a couple at a time before she loses interest and takes off though. lol

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

I use a towel but not because he bites but because he can squirm sometimes.

 

[avianantics]

I do all of mine without toweling. In fact when they see the nail file they raise their foot.

Takes time and patience if you haven't started them when babies. But if you make it a pleasant experience, they will actually look forward to it.

 

[MaximotheMacaw]

I do. I taught my blue and gold to let me use the pedi-paw on him without a towel. I never used a towel on him.

 

[Ming-Ming]

Douglas is great! I can flip him on his back, clip all his nails, and he'll just lie back and take it
Like a day at the spa!

 

[Allessa]

Yes I can usually file Nani's nails. Most times she is cooperative. I play with and rub her tootsies and then start filing them. I can only usually get through a couple at a time before she loses interest and takes off though. lol

LOL Jaden is this way too. He doesnt mind it at first, but he gets bored very easily. I find myself holding down his toes towards the end so he cant escape. But if he sees me pull the filer out, its a chase! I dont use a towel with him tho, he never bites me.

Curly and Jaden i dont use a towel for, but everyone else i do. Otherwise id probably have a few holes. Clipping day here is funny. Everyone knows after the first birdie that its "that time" and they all run like crazy. Its the only day that they arent CLUNG to me..hahah

 

[aisia]

My U2, Sebastian, loves her nails done. We use one of those small battery operated dog files (petapaw or something like that). She sits on our knee and lifts her feet for you to file the nails. She demands it done 2x a week. lol.

 

[love4birds]

Chewy sticks her foot out and I dremmel her nails. She loves getting her pedicures

 

[bubblelady]

My U2, Sebastian, loves her nails done. We use one of those small battery operated dog files (petapaw or something like that). She sits on our knee and lifts her feet for you to file the nails. She demands it done 2x a week. lol.

Don't know if it's a smaller bird thing or just an individual bird thing but someone on another board posted she got one of those to save a trip to the vet, since her tiel didn't really like the vet, and the bird died of a heart attack as soon as she started to use it. Just a word of caution...

 

[Zoso]

My TAG and B&G are the only two that need nail trims here. I have never toweled either one of them and I use a rechargeable Dremmel tool. (No cord to get in the way helps a lot.) I find its better to use a lower speed, (less noise and intimidation), and although I can do it myself, I find if I have my daughter hold the tool stationary and I hold the bird and its foot or beak and gently guide it toward the tool it works out the best.