Hyacinth Macaw

Your bird’s feet have to do double duty serving both as feet AND hands. The nails at the end of those jointy toes play a big role in their grasping and maneuverability. Nails grow long and sharp and we need to be certain to keep them well maintained to keep them safe in their cages. Your will know your bird is in need of a trim when the nails is long enough to prevent the ends of the toes from laying flat and naturally against the surface he stands on. In fact, they’re probably overdue at that point.
A parrot’s nail is made up of keratin, the same substance that composes our own.There is a blood supply that runs through the center called the quick which is usually not visible because of the density and dark color of the nail. It is the quick that one needs to be aware of when opting to clip your bird’s nails. When you accidentally cut into the quick it is painful for the bird and there will be blood. These accidents do happen.

Military Macaw

Keeping a bottle Kwikstop, a coagulant powder available at just about any pet store that carries bird supplies, is a good idea.This will stop the bleeding but won’t help you keep your bird be still and cooperative the next time around.  Birds remember everything, seemingly forever.

Flour or cornstarch will usually stop the bleeding in a pinch, which is what I had to resort to one day when a combination of bad eyesight and a bad aim caused me to cut deep into Linus’s (umbrella cockatoo) quick during a nail trim. He is the only one of my birds that I use clippers on, the rest get filed, but it’s still a good idea to run a file over the clipped nails to remove any jagged edges that might cut into the skin when they lift their leg to scratch.

Mitered conure

When Theo (goffins cockatoo) first came to live with me she did not like her toes to be touched, one of many oddities about her. She would stand on your fingers, but wouldn’t allow you to hold her toes. When it came time for a trim I took her to the vet. I was working hard on trust issues with her and I preferred that they be the bad guys who toweled her and did her nails for the time being. They informed me that her quick traveled down nearly the entire length of her nails and they recommended filing for her because it was too easy to misjudge the amount to be clipped. Her nails never grow really long like like Linus’s do, but they can get as sharp as cat’s claws.

I also file the nails of my small birds. Some people use fingernail clippers, but I have seen the bad results of clips done with these clippers that seem to dull easily. A dull clipper will crush the nail instead of slicing through it, which causes splintering and pain. There is no reason to risk this when a few passes of the file will get the job done adequately. (It is equally as important to be sure that the blade in the dog nail clippers you use on your larger birds is replaced often for all the same reasons.)

With my larger birds, I will generally clip or file the nails when they are hanging on the side of their cages. It works well because they are positioned to interact with you (although this may not be what they had in mind exactly) and their beaks are somewhat prevented from interfering with the process. I will talk softly to them as I manipulate the toes into position and before they even realize, we’re done.

Military macaw

Be sure not to clip the nails too short even if your bird has a short quick.Their nail are used in manipulating objects with their feet and if you cut them too short they lose some of that ability. Further, their agility in climbing can be hindered.  Linus, likes to hang upside down in his cage and swing wildly back and forth.  Without good length to his nails, he might slip and fall. Try not to go with the idea that if you clip a little extra now that it will be that much longer before you have to do it again, this is how we have accidents with the quick.

I am not a fan of sandy perches because the rough surfaces are hard on and unnatural for your bird’s feet. I keep those and cement perches in areas of the cage that are not used for long, such as the feeding stations. They will help keep the nails in shape, but as in the case with a couple of my birds with foot issues, I am not willing to risk the problems that could arise through constant use.

Congo african grey

Obesity in parrots is one of the most common health concerns we owners face, maybe second to certain vitamin deficiencies. It is a serious concern and one that will affect the health and well-being of your parrot in the years to come.
I have found that many parrot owners really don’t have any idea what their bird’s healthy weight should be. There are lists out there that will give you the approximation for your bird’s species, but few of them take into account that each bird is an individual – some are just small and others large for their species.  I have two male standard cockatiels whose weights differ by a whopping 30 grams, more than a third of the weight of the smaller bird. Both are healthy and right on target.

Blue throated macaw

The best listing I have found is this one, because it gives you a high end and low end weight to gauge by, and because it has been compiled by someone with actual bird experience and not just text book knowledge. Still, it can’t be considered gospel.
I weigh my birds frequently and log the numbers into a journal so that I can see any weight fluctuations on a week by week basis. This is one of the best ways to determine their overall health. A rapid weight loss will tell you immediately that there is a health matter that needs to be addressed right away. A slow decline in weight should also send up red flags.
Aside from using a scale, I also take a hands-on approach by handling each of my birds. If a bird is underweight, the keel bone, which runs down the center of the chest, will protrude to varying degrees. It isn’t always evident by sight. I also put my hand around their chest and tuck a finger under each wing where it connects to the body. In this area, and down along the sides of the body, I am checking for anything that feels fat or flabby. A bird’s chest is very muscular and should feel that way.

Rose breasted cockatoo

In order to ensure that your bird is a healthy weight, food should be offered in moderation, especially the treats. A healthy diet isn’t an over-abundant one.  Providing your bird with lots of opportunities for exercise and activity will help keep weight issues under control and improve muscle tone.

cockatiel

Q:  My cockatiel seems “off” to me. His weight and his droppings are fine and he is eating normally, but something seems different about him and I am concerned. Should I see a vet?
-Karen K., San Antonio, TX

A: Illness in a bird can present itself in many different ways. Signs of illness include a fluffed up appearance, remaining at the cage bottom, and lack of vocalization to name just a few. There are times you can run through the check lists of obvious signs and your bird might exhibit none of them, and sometimes things that can be measured, such as weight, aren’t the only way to determine that something is wrong.
If you are a good owner, and it sounds like you are, you have spent a great many hours watching your bird in its activities throughout the day. You have a strong sense of what is “normal” for this individual bird. You are also likely to recognize peculiar behaviors.

cockatiel

I was watching one of my cockatiels once from across the room and couldn’t get past this strange, slight wing flip that he was doing several times a minute. Otherwise he seemed fine and was acting normally and had been all day long. I just knew that something wasn’t right. Upon closer inspection, I could see that a blood feather hung awkwardly from beneath his wing and was causing him discomfort. Once the errant feather was removed, his activities returned to normal.
The point I am trying to make is that an illness doesn’t always present itself only physically. I have several times brought my birds to the vet based on non-specific, off behaviors (vets that “get it” refer to this as “ADR: ain’t doin’ right”), and there usually is something wrong. You have to learn to trust your instincts in these situations. You know your bird best.

cockatiel

Even though I feel very confident in my ability to identify problems in my birds, and fully trust my instincts, I still sometimes feel the need to go to an outside source for an objective opinion. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees and I have friends and vets that I count on to help me during these times when I have felt too close to a problem emotionally.  If this were my bird, I would take it to see the vet – if only for peace of mind.

Camelot Macaw, Blue Throated Macaw

About six years ago, I suffered the loss of my dear, wonderful cockatoo, Abu.  I was reeling for months following her unexpected death. I had considered getting another bird, but was still in that place where it hurt too much to think about it and it seemed somehow disrespectful to her memory to “replace” her so quickly.
During that period of time, my daughter and Jamie knew each other from online.  It turns out Jamie and Dave were looking for a good home for their umbrella cockatoo, and my daughter convinced them that I could provide such a home. From my end, I readied myself to take the plunge again. It was beginning to feel too quiet around the house with just the cockatiels and myself.  Enter Linus.

Umbrella Cockatoo

When Linus came to Austin to be my new roommate, I was living in a small apartment. Having had experience with cockatoos, and living with one for so long, I knew they were not good apartment birds. I was not expecting, however, that Linus would scream from morning until night for the next four months. It was not a fun time and I was longing for that too quiet house again. I can say now that Linus has turned into such an affectionate and cherished companion that it was all worth every effort, but it wasn’t easy.
I thought I would share some tips with you about how to ready yourself and the neighbors for the arrival of a potentially loud bird. No matter what species you bring home, and regardless of their level of difficulty in handling this new experience, birds make noise. Period. It’s best that everyone be prepared.
Before Linus came to Austin, I began preparing my neighbors. I spoke to everyone in the immediate area, especially those with walls connecting to my apartment. I let them know that there would be an excess of noise coming from my place for a while and implored them to be understanding. I explained how emotional and sensitive parrots were and that they needed extra care and consideration in these circumstances.  Everyone seemed to be on board.

Rose Breasted Cockatoos and African Grey

The night that Linus arrived, I took him around to meet the neighbors so they could put a cute face to the new sounds coming from my apartment. He couldn’t have been more charming and he made several new friends on his first night here. It’s a good thing I did this that very night because as of the next day it was months before Linus was handleable again. He was crazy angry about his new living arrangements – and loud.  Very loud.  And angry.  Did I say that already?
As much as Linus had endeared himself to the neighbors, I knew patience was going to run out. So I rushed to cover those bases by purchasing gift cards to the local cinemas and giving them to my neighbors as a form of bribery. I wrote a note of thanks to each of them and explained that this transition was proving to be more difficult for Linus than was anticipated. I gave them the option of seeing a movie or two on me if things got too loud.  Also, it’s hard for someone to complain once they have accepted a gift in exchange for their silence. Sneaky? Yes. Effective? Very.

Umbrella Cockatoo

After I was successful with this approach, I posted it on a number of bird boards and It was used often by readers there facing similar dilemmas.  Gratefully, every new bird you bring home isn’t going to terrorize you in the same special way Linus did me. But some birds, even the smaller ones, seem to have penetrating or shrill calls that can be annoying not only to your neighbors, but to those in your own household. Conures seem to have this knack.
There are a few things you can use to dampen the bird sounds in your home:
Fabric:  Drapery, curtains or wall tapestries can cut down on a huge amount of noise that travels inside the house or through the walls.
Carpet:  This works in the same way as fabric. Noises that would normally bounce from wall to wall, or floor to ceiling, can be disrupted and absorbed by carpet.
Furniture: The emptier a room, the noisier it is. Filling a room up with stuff will dampen sound.
Plants: I don’t have an explanation for why these work well. But they do.  I guess they qualify as stuff.
Professional soundproofing:  This may be going too far in some households, but it is an option, albeit an expensive one.

Camelot Macaws

In the wrong circumstances, an angry neighbor can cause of you to have to part with your beloved bird.  There are laws governing how much noise can emanate from your house and yard.  Know and understand the species of bird you are planning to bring into your home (and neighborhood), and prepare ahead of time.

r

Q: My friend says that I shouldn’t get a mirror for my cockatiel because he will become infatuated with the “bird in the mirror” and want nothing to do with me.  Is this true?
Sharon M., Waterford, WI

A:  In a word, no. Cockatiels do love their own reflections and will spend a lot of  time staring at and singing to “the bird in the mirror”. Mine do, and I have never experienced my relationship suffering with any of my birds because of mirrors.

It is a bit difficult to understand a bird’s relationship to its reflection. There is really nothing in nature, besides water, that is so highly reflective that a bird could see itself. It would have to be a very still day for a bird to be able to recognize its reflection in a pond, and I have never read that anyone has observed this behavior in a wild bird. So why are so many enamored with their reflections in captivity?

It has been the subject of scientific study whether a bird recognizes the image in the mirror as itself.  Scientists believe that dolphins do recognize themselves and suspect that birds do as well. I know my umbrella cockatoo, Linus, recognizes his own reflection simply by the fact that he doesn’t try to attack it. However, my quaker gets aggressive when anything refective goes into his cage, including stainless steel bowls. Theo, my goffins cockatoo, sleeps cuddles up next to her stainless steel mirror, and lately I have watched her holding a corner in her foot and manipulating the image behind her. Very clever.

We may never have the answers to the questions this topic brings to mind. The bottom line is that if it makes your bird happy and there are no unwanted behaviors resulting from it, there’s no reason to disallow this form of entertainment.

Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot

Be very sure to select mirrors that are appropriate for your bird’s size. For the small birds, budgies and cockatiels, try Hall Of Mirrors. It’s a three sided mirror that gives multi images and is safe for their bite pressure.  My cockatiels love it so much I had to order another so they each had their own.  For any bird larger, conures on up to macaws, only use stainless steel mirrors for safety reasons.  NEVER use glass of any kind in your bird’s cage.  This includes hand-held and compact mirrors.