How to keep a budgerigar's toenails trim - with recently added Editor's Note

Tip of the month: An easy way to keep budgie toenails trimmed. The task of trimming budgie toenails can be traumatic to the budgie if it is not used to being handled. Moreover, it can be painful for the owner if the budgie bites. And if you have an entire flight of budgies to catch and trim, it gets worse!

A cement perch takes care of almost all the trimming. It acts like a nail file, blunting and filing the toenails every time the bird perches on it. The need to trim toenails is greatly reduced or even eliminated. Cement perches commonly affix to the side of the cage with a wing nut. They come in many colors and sizes.

The cement perch should be placed so it is the highest perch in the cage. This will automatically make it the most preferred perch, encouraging the budgie to use it often. Birds also like to scrape their beaks along the perch occasionally, smoothing off rough edges, I guess.

For my large sleeping cages containing a dozen or more budgies every night, I buy large, long cement perches, about 3/4" (2 cm.) in diameter and 10" to 12" long (25 to 30 cm). Several budgies can perch on these at the same time.

Copyright: Nancy Carr 1999

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Editors' Note: Since posting this tip I have been advised that these perches can cause problems:

I have received the following mail from Australia:

Now "cement" perches. You really do not want any of these, it will be like putting them on sand paper and end up with a lot of foot problems. Bumblefoot being one of them. Suggest you think again. Infection can set in where little callouses set in. If one needs to clip claws, only do it when putting them into the breeding cage. Mine never get cut. If one has a lot of birds who have long claws which keep growing uncontrollably, then one should suspect, Psitticane, Beak and Feather disease, which can also manifest itself in this way.

Betty Berry

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