In order to prevent accidents, and in order to prevent excessive scratches when handling your parrot, you should clip its nails regularly if they become too long. Nails that are too long can curl, and may become caught in items, causing injury to your bird. They can also cause injury to your bird or to other birds kept in the same enclosure. Generally, a pair of clippers and styptic powder should be kept on hand when trimming your bird's nails. It may be advisable to have another person present to hold the bird while you are trimming its nails. Generally, only the very tip of the nail should be removed. If you cut into the quick, the vein that runs down the nail, the nail will begin to bleed. In this case, cake some styptic powder onto the area using a cotton swab, and try not to cut as far into the nail the next time. Generally, tiny clippings are better than one large cut. Usually, you can see where the quick is, and thus know where to stop trimming the nail, by viewing the underside of the nail. Many people find that by using natural wood perches, their birds are often able to keep their nails at an appropriate length through the abrasion of the wood. Perches made from a cement like material are also widely available and are helpful in naturally wearing toenails. It is often a good idea to have one rough perch in the enclosure along with a smoother one, so your bird has another perching option if its feet are irritated by the rougher item.

From time to time, some parrots may develop overgrown beaks. Generally, your veterinarian can file down a beak that has become overgrown. At home, if you find that the very tip of your parrot's beak has become too sharp, you can gently use an emery board to file it down to a more blunt shape. It is important not to file too much of the beak off, or the bird may not be able to eat or function normally. Some parrots like budgerigars or lorikeets will file down their own beaks if provided with items like cuttlebones. Larger birds, like macaws or cockatoos, often wear down their beaks when they are offered fresh branches to chew.

Many people regularly clip their parrots' wings as a precaution against their birds escaping or becoming injured. Parrots that can fly can sometimes have accidents in ceiling fans, or can escape through open doors or windows. Even if the parrot does not intend to escape, it may become startled and fly through a door or window that was accidentally left open. If it can fly, it may go many miles and reduce the possibilities of its being found. Most captive raised parrots cannot survive long or comfortably in the wild. The goal of wing clipping is not to render your bird completely flightless, but rather to eliminate any lift properties its wings have. Thus, your bird will be able to take short, fluttering flights down, but will not be able to fly upward. In wing clipping, it is quite important not to cut into the shafts of blood feathers. When cutting a blood feather, feel all the way up the shaft until you have determined where the blood stops before cutting. If you do cut into a blood feather, use styptic powder to stop the bleeding. Usually, the blood feather must be plucked from its source in order to prevent continuous bleeding.

Many parrot owners leave wing clipping in the hands of their veterinarians. Wings that are incorrectly clipped can impair a bird's movement, and wings that are clipped too short can result in crash landings. The types of feathers to clip and the number of those feathers to clip varies from one species to another. Your veterinarian or other expert on that species can give you advice on proper clipping for your bird. If a bird falls, it should be able to flutter to the ground, preventing broken bones or other injuries. Also, it is not recommended to clip a bird's wings until it has learned to fly. This tends to give the birds a better sense of balance and better agility, that can aid them in everyday movement and can help to prevent injury if they fall. Some birds, especially smaller ones, can fly surprisingly well even after their wings have been clipped. For this reason, it is not advisable to allow them outside without some sort of restraint, even if their wings are clipped.

In order to keep your parrot's feathers in good condition, you should allow it to bathe regularly. Some parrots must bathe at least once each day. During colder months, it may be advisable to bathe the birds less. In these months, you may also wish to wipe excess water off of the bird with a clean towel and be sure that it is completely dry before returning it to its enclosure. You should try to bathe your parrot early in the day, so that it is completely dry by the time it goes to sleep. Often, people provide bath bowls in their birds' enclosures. Some people will allow their parrots outside in warm spring or summer rains for short periods of time. Others lightly spray their birds with a hose, or place a sprinkler nearby, to simulate rain. Some parrot owners will take their birds into the shower with them. If you do this, you should be sure not to get soap or shampoo on your bird, and be sure the water is not too hot. You can also use a spray bottle to mist your bird. Some people are allergic to birds that produce a lot of dander. Dander amounts can be controlled and even reduced by bathing your bird regularly. Birds that are not bathed often enough may develop ragged feathers or otherwise poor feather appearance. They may also develop skin problems.

Additional Care Information for Cockatiel

The Cockatiel requires much less specific care than many of its larger cousins. With a good balanced diet and regular veterinary care your cockatiel should do very well. As is true with most parrots, a Cockatiel's lifespan is directly affected by the quality of its diet. A seed only diet is insufficient. A good diet is a combination of pellets; there are several good commercial brands, as well as fresh dark leafy greens, fresh orange, green and yellow veggies, and a small amount of a high-quality seed mix. The average lifespan is between 10 and 16 years, but when fed a healthy, varied diet and given a safe, nontoxic environment, a Cockatiel can live 20 to 25 years - some will even live into their 30s!

It is important to keep your Cockatiel's wings clipped. A loud noise or sudden movement can spook even a tame Cockatiel, causing it to frantically fly into windows or walls at speeds sufficient to break its wings or neck. Cockatiels do very well in large cages, with many toys to keep them from becoming bored. These birds require social interaction in order to maintain their emotional well being; place the cage in the area of the house where family members spend most of their time, such as a family room or den.

If you have bird allergies, you may not want to get a Cockatiel. Like the African Grey Parrot and Cockatoos, Cockatiels produce a fine powder down. This powder dust may cause those with allergies to suffer.

Part Three - Diet	Part Five - Health
Printer Friendly Version

Please Note: This care sheet is copyright © The Central Pets Educational Foundation (CentralPets.com). It may be freely distributed provided that this notice and Copyright remains included and unchanged. We encourage veterinarians, clubs, pet stores, breeders, humane societies, and others to use this to educate people and promote better pet care. Additions, suggestions, corrections, and questions regarding this care sheet are welcome and should be directed to content@CentralPets.com