Grooming Warning
Signs
1. If your bird’s toenails are drastically
overgrown and curling under, seek veterinary
advice. This could be a sign of mites, foot
disease, or nutritional disorders.
2. If your bird’s beak is wildly
overgrown and is curling in on itself, or
is strange looking and bumpy, visit your
avian veterinarian right away. This could
be a sign of mites or a nutritional disorder.
3. If your bird is “over grooming,”
working its feathers so much that it’s
chewing them and/or plucking them out, it
could be a result of a psychological or
physical disorder. See your avian veterinarian
right away.
4. If you notice bald patches on your bird
where there were formerly feathers, make
a veterinary appointment right away. The
exception is breeding females who may pluck
out a “brooding patch” on the
chest to keep her eggs warm.
5. Molting, or the changing of feathers,
happens about twice a year. You will notice
feathers in and around your bird’s
cage. This is normal. If you notice the
molt going on for longer than a few months,
seek a doctor’s advice.
6. If your bird is drastically changing
color—say, from lime green to dark
red—and it’s not a result of
maturing, seek veterinary help. This could
be a sign of stress or malnutrition. The
same holds for excessive barring on the
feathers, when not associated with a normal
color change.
Grooming Don’ts
--Never trim any other feathers than ½
of the flight feather on the wing. Never
trim the tail or body feathers. Birds use
these feathers for balance and body temperature
regulation.
--Never pull your bird’s feathers
out in lieu of trimming them. There are
occasions where feathers may need to be
pulled, but not as a substitute for clipping.
--Never trim the wing feathers on a finch,
canary, robin, quail, or other similar birds.
--Never try to groom the beak. Only your
avian veterinarian should do this. You can
damage your bird for life if you make a
mistake.
--Never restrain a bird forcefully. Gentle
tactics result in a happier bird. If you
have to groom over several days to save
your bird from stress, do so.
--Never bathe your bird in cold weather
when there’s no warm place to dry.
--Never spray commercial bathing solutions
into your bird’s face.
--Never soak a bird that doesn’t
want to bathe. If water frightens your bird,
use gentle tactics to get him used to the
bath, not trial by fire.
--Never bathe your bird like you would
a dog, in a tub or sink full of soapy water.
Do this only if your bird comes in contact
with oil (which also requires a veterinary
visit).
-- Never try to paint your bird’s
toenails—not only is the paint a potential
toxin, your bird may not like your color
choice!
A Note On Grooming
the Beak
Don’t do it. Grooming the beak is
best left to your avian veterinarian. Sometimes
a bird’s beak will become misaligned,
overgrown, or cracked, and will need to
be fixed—but not by you. Trying to
groom the beak when you don’t know
what you’re doing can lead to serious
injury for your bird.
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