How can I cut my cocktail's nails?Please help and how can you understand that it's nails are ready to get cut?

I think you mean cockatiel or cockatoo? The best way is with a cordless Dremel tool with a grinding attachment. One person can distract the bird with a paper towel cardboard roll, keeping it between the beak %26amp; the hands doing the grinding. Then just take one toe at a time %26amp; grind down. If the bird is standing on a flat surface like a table %26amp; the toes are lifted off the surface at all or the toenail is leaning to the side, they are too long. They should be done about monthly.


Do NOT use clippers! They can cause profuse bleeding with the smallest amount cut off (it happened to me %26amp; my bird).


You can use a nail file but it will take longer.


ppHow can I cut my cocktail's nails?Please help and how can you understand that it's nails are ready to get cut?
I always just use human nail clippers. They sometimes make the bird bleed, but only if you hit the quick, and that's why it's helpful to have one person restrain the bird and the other do the clipping, do it in a well-lit room, and have flour around to stop any bleeding. It's best to watch someone experienced (like an avian vet) do it before you attempt it yourself.How can I cut my cocktail's nails?Please help and how can you understand that it's nails are ready to get cut?
The best thing to do is if you bird gets out on his cage top or has a play pen is to put a piece of solid brick or a piece of creek rock there. When the bird plays on the rock it will keep it's beak trimmed down and it's claws filled down. Cutting the nails only makes them grow faster. If you can take a emery board and file them down. I started doing this with my Amazon and African Grey parrots. The Greys are wild caught and I had to come up with something other than calling the vet every three or four months. They all keep their nails and beak trimmed. You can go to the garden shop and get a piece of creek rock or even a piece of lava rock.





If you don't want to do it the easy way and to for sure stress your bird out is to catch him in a towel then hold it with your thumb and fore finger on either side of it's neck right below the head. You don't want to hold it too tightly or you will choke it to death. With your other hand support the bird's body. Then a second person can hold the bird's foot while they file them down. The nail should be about 1/8'; - 3/16'; beyond the blood vein in the center of the nail. You can see it pretty good if you have plenty of light. Hold each toe individually as you file them.
I use a nail clipper for birds and I only cut the very very tip of the nails. If cut any more you will draw blood.
Here's an entire blog on nail trimming;


http://jamiesparrothelp.wordpress.com/ca鈥?/a>
An Avain vet can do this as well,





Clipping Nails





Nails need to be clipped when they are becoming snagged on toys, cage covers or clothes. I use a human nail clipper or baby nail scissors, and take off just the tippy-tips.





All nails have a blood supply. If you nick into this blood supply or quick, have some Quik-Stop or Stay on hand. If you do not have these commercial products on hand, flour or corn starch will work. Apply this with gentle pressure until the bleeding stops. Occasionally the nail gets cut too short and these products don't work. I like to use silver nitrate sticks to stop any bleeding. They are available from your avian veterinarian.





The proper size perch can help keep nails at the correct length. The tips of the nails should touch the perch. You can also use concrete perches, pedi-perches, sandy perches, hard wood perches or any of the other conditioning perches available today. Using a variety of perches also helps the bird stay comfortable since they are on their feet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It also helps to prevent early onset arthritis.





http://www.cockatiels.org/articles/care/鈥?/a>
Luckily, it's a Cockatiel and the nails will be light colored so you can see where the quick is. (The quick is the part of the nail where the blood supply is- That part that you don't want to cut because the bird will bleed and it will be painfull- But I am betting you already know this)





When the nails begin to curve under and get a sharp point to them, this is when i typically clip or file my bird's nails. I prefer to file them with an emery board, rather than clip them with a nail clipper; since it poses less of a chance that you will clip the quick; but this seems to be more difficult if you're only one person! (It's hard to restrain the bird and file it's nails all with just two hands)





So if you have someone to help you- It'd be easiest to teach them how to safetly restrain the bird and YOU file the nails.





(When restraining a bird; it's important to not apply any pressure to the chest/keel area, since that area must move in %26amp; out in order for the bird to breathe- and also note that the thick rings of cartilidge surrounding the trachea make it nearly impossible to 'strangle' a bird when restraining him with a finger over the neck area.)





Always keep on hand some flour or corn starch to stem any bleeding that may accidentally occur.





You can visit:


http://www.sunnyhollowaviaries.com/parro鈥?/a>





for more info %26amp; a diagram of where you should cut the nails.





Good luck-- Clipping nails is my LEAST favorite part about having birds! i hate it!