How to Trim Parakeet Nails?
When it comes to parakeet care, one requires to be very attentive towards their special needs and you choose to own them. First of all, learn about how to take care of them. Taking care does not only involve feeding, but one needs to look after them properly.
Cutting parakeet nails is one of the caring tasks that one needs to know about thoroughly. Toenails may become long, sharp, or flaky and make perching uncomfortable. So, make sure you do nail trimming every couple of months, or so. The essential step in parakeets care is a clipping of their nails on time to protect them from pain and suffering. If you are a parakeet lover and intend to have one at your home or you are already having one, this blog would be a great help for you.
Nail Trimming Process for Parakeets
Parakeets could be a very good companion to humans. They are social and require a friendly environment for being healthy. If you want to own a parakeet, you need to understand their requirement of affection and attention. These budgies could be good friends of yours only if you can grow a bond of trust with them.
Parakeet claws are very soft. When it comes to cutting their nails off, one requires to have essential information. Parakeets are sensitive and require attentive care. If proper care is not provided to them, they can die very easily. If you want to have this little cute friend with you for long, learn about their caring essentials like how to feed them, where to keep them, what to feed them, etc.
Parakeets have very rapid nail growth. If they are not cut timely and maintained properly, they cause a lot of suffering and pain to them. Trimming parakeets nails involves a detailed process. To achieve your goals, you need to have some essential stuff listed below.
A Soft Wash Cloth
It will help you to handle parakeets carefully. Apart from this, you will have fewer chances of getting bitten. Hold your parakeet softly and be gentle with these little friends of yours.
Clippers
They are easily available in the market and will help you to secure the vein of this little bird. It is really important to locate a parakeet’s vein while cutting their nails. Once it gets cut, it can cause a bird’s death. So, be particular and aware of the fact.
Additional Help
Clipping a parakeet’s nail is not an easy task because it will not let you do it easily. So, you need to have some extra help to make your little friend hold strongly so that there would be no chance for accidents.
There are professionals available who can trim the nails for you. But if you want to do it at home you need to acquire some knowledge about the do’s and don’t do’s of the process.
Your little bit of carelessness may lead to the bird’s death and surely you won’t want it at any cost. We have mentioned the necessary requirements. Now, we are giving detailed steps that might be helpful for you:
How to Cut Parakeet Nails? (Step-by-Step Process)
Here is the step-by-step procedure on how to clip parakeet nails:
Start from Holding
The success of your aim depends on your holding skills. Take the soft cloth and hold it gently, you need to be soft and have to handle its feathers carefully, don’t squeeze the bird just keep its feathers under control because as long as feathers are under control, it won’t be able to go anywhere. Here if you need to take help don’t hesitate!
Locate the Veins With Clips
This is the most important step, you need to locate the vein and clip it carefully. It’s because in parakeets it’s quite difficult to identify the veins, it will look like a red thin line. Just make sure to separate nails and veins before you finally trim the nails.
There are chances of cutting veins and accidents may happen, in such case you need to go the professionals immediately.
Release the Bird
If you are done with all the steps mentioned above and have trimmed the nails successfully, now it’s time to release the bird. The process may scare him but after some time it will be okay!
What to Do if You Accidentally Cut the Vein??
There could be a time when you may encounter an accident and you may cut the vein. In such a situation, put some styptic powder on the wound or you may also use cornstarch.
Alternatively, take some flour in your hand and put a bleeding claw in it to stop bleeding. Parakeets are highly sensitive and soft, excessive bleeding for hours can take their life away. Don’t wait too long, go immediately to the professional to get the little one treated.
How to Make Your Parakeet Live Long???
Parakeet life always depends on its care, the more attention you will pay the more your little friend will live. No wonder parakeets could be a loving friends but don’t ignore their requirements. Generally, these birds can live for 20 years if they are treated and cared for properly.
They require affection plus attention. As we mentioned earlier in the blog about the trimming process of their nails, it is one of the requirements of their caring steps. There are so many other things that one should pay attention to if they want to keep parakeets at their home.
Housing Requirements
When it comes to selecting the cage for a parakeet, pay more attention to the length rather than height. It could be specious and there should be proper placement of perches; they should not be too small or too large. Large perches may injure the bird.
Place some toys inside like, rope, ladder, etc so that they can be entertained. They are social birds and require full attention. They can understand emotions, you can talk to them. These birds are very sensitive to temperature so keep their cage away from high-temperature places.
Cage Maintenance
These birds spend most of their time inside the cage. So, for their better health, you need to pay attention to their maintenance. Keeping it clean and hygienic will pay a lot to their health and make them live happily.
Deep clean the cage from inside once a week. Don’t let inside the waste food and water. This wasted food can make bacteria grow and later on your per may get I’ll because of your ignorance.
What Do They Eat????
The food diet they eat is highly important to make them survive longer and happy before you decide to keep a parakeet at your home. Learn about its food habits and the quantity they require in a day. These birds have a very active metabolism. They can get ill if they are kept hungry.
List of food they like:
- Copped yellow and green veggies
- Cooked eggs
- Hard-cooked eggs
- Grated cheese etc.
Parakeets require fresh water every day. Be mindful about washing and rinsing the dishes every day. When you serve fresh food, make sure to check the dish after two hours and remove spoiled food immediately.
Cleanliness is another important thing they require to maintain. Overgrowth of parakeet beaks should be controlled by giving them cuttlebones with calcium.
Medical Requirements
Their wings and nails require trimming from time to time. You should not try to cut them by yourself until you attain some knowledge and professional training in the process.
Parakeets are very small and their bodies have a small amount of blood. If the veins get cut, they can die because of bleeding. At any point, you need to have trimming services for your parakeet, consult a professional vet immediately. You can find them very easily. They are capable of handling your pets professionally and appropriately.
Hand Taming of Parakeets
Initially, it could be difficult because they won’t like your touch and will not feel secure. If you want to hand tame them, you need to be patient and have to develop an emotional bond with them. They are social and would surely respond to your love and affection.
For the first few days, you can talk to them and slowly you can offer them your hand and fingers. After some time, they will start feeling secure around you and won’t be afraid of your touch. Quietly observe your parakeet and spend some time with him, he/she won’t take much time to become your best buddy!
Should Parakeets be Let Out of their Cage???
This is a question that every parakeet lover would have in mind, should you let your parakeet out of the cage? It could be risky for your household stuff because they are very active. If you leave them open, it may lead to a mess around your home. But if we consider parakeets, for them it would be the happiest thing.
They feel really happy when you leave them free in the home but if you decide to do that you have to make the space safe and secure for them. There should not be any place where they could get stuck.
But don’t let them open initially because they would be new to the surroundings and could hurt the self. For you, it would be quite difficult to control them. It’s because, in the initial days, there would be no bond between you and this little friend of yours. So, take time and do all the things gradually.
Signs Your Parakeet is Not Feeling Well!!!
When it comes to their health, they may fall ill like human beings. When they don’t feel well and something is wrong with them, they reflect on some indications that you should notice and address them immediately. Here we are mentioning some signs that will help you to identify your pet’s health:
- Lethargic
- Lost appetite
- Missing grooming routine
- No activities
- Swollen eyes
- High temperature
- Swollen beak etc.
Possible Diseases Your Parakeet May Have
- Diarrhea
- Mites
- Feather plucking
- Infections, etc.
All these may occur in them because of food or the conditions they are living in. Parakeets are sensitive. Most of the diseases in them occur because of the food they eat. If you are careless about their food habits, they may fall ill because of their active metabolism.
If you want to see or keep your pet healthy or happy, you should keep a regular check on them and should be particular about their daily eating routine. Don’t ever skip the food because these little birds may die within 24 hours if they don’t get food.
The other most important thing is you must be aware of suitable and unsuitable food for them. Excessively sugary and salty food should be avoided. Once you choose to keep a parakeet before bringing it home, educate yourself about him/her needs and requirements.
Clean their cage with disinfectant so that there could be no infections spread in them. Clean the dishes regularly and don’t leave food for long inside the dishes.
Feet are the most critical part of parakeets. They develop infections and diseases more easily. Keep an attentive check on their feet and the most important thing is their nails. Overgrown nails are painful for them.
It is advised to take professional help to take proper care of your pet at times like in. Trimming their nails and feathers. When you choose to do it yourself, make sure to learn about how to trim parakeet nails. Taking care requires full-time attention. Leaving them on their own may risk their life.
Conclusion:
If you are willing to bring a parakeet to your home, don’t be in a rush. Think clearly because they are more difficult to take care of and pay attention to. You are not taking a task into your hand for a year or two years. Parakeets may live for more than 20 years. So, be prepared for a long-term responsibility.
Parakeets require more attention and care than your kids because after years your kids would be able to. Take care of themselves, but these little ones would always depend on you for everything. If you find yourself responsible and capable enough to handle these birds, get ready to have a lovable friend for years.
