parrott / conure claws

[evilmunkey]

Hi all we have a green cheeked conure who is a real character and lovely bird, although we have special perches in his cage that are supposed to be good for beaks and claws , our little fellas claws are getting really sharp especially when he sits on our shoulders etc. is it cruel to get them clipped and trimmed by a vet or is there any other methods recommended by those in the know. our little fella is about 1 and a half years old also he / she seems to be getting more agressive towards me for some reason. my guess is he is possibly male and wants the other half to have his eggs. he does seem very protective of her and agressive towards me, main thing at the mo though is the claw issue. any help welcome .

[bexVN]

Many birds get their claws and beaks trimmed. Tbh beaks usually only need trimming due to poor diet or a mishapen beak, claws are more commonly for clipping. It is not cruel and can be necessary.

It can be something you learn to do at home but initially you need to be shown, these days it's good to find a specialist vet rather than a GP vet (not saying we can't do it but as you have other potential issues to discuss a specialist will be better)

There is always a risk of stress to a bird with travelling/ handling etc and this can be serious (worst case they can die ), however it is very uncommon and many birds cope ok with being handled etc by strangers (ie the vets!) for treatment

Edited by bexVN on Tuesday 29th May 22:56