How to Trim a Parrot's Beak

A parrot's beak is made of keratin, which, like nails and horns, is continually going through a growth process. Unlike birds in the wild, a parrot in captivity can have trouble caring for his own beak do to the lack of rocks or other hard materials that make the process possible. In some situations, a parrot’s beak can become overgrown and inhibit his ability to eat or pick up his food. Since this can have dire health consequences, it is necessary to combat this problem in its earliest stages. A parrot owner can attend to this problem at home by trimming the beak using a dremel tool. The tool is a lightweight filer, and can be found in most hardware stores.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bath towel
• Dremel tool
• Light sanding attachment

1. Affix the light sanding attachment to your dremel tool. The light sanding tool is best for the purposes of trimming the parrot’s beak due to its gentler composition. Using anything else that is coarser in nature may cause harm to the parrot.

2. Take the parrot from his perch and wrap him in a soft bath towel. It is better to ask a friend for assistance when completing this task. Parrots are usually not comfortable with this type of restriction, so two people are usually necessary. You will want to be sure that he is placed inside of the towel with both wings and feet restrained by the bath towel. To do this, lay him in the towel and wrap it across his body on both sides while holding the towel firmly in the middle.

3. Hold the parrot’s beak closed with one hand while you apply the dremel tool to the point of his beak. To do this, place your palm over his head and secure his beak with your fingers. If he is squirming or biting while you are attempting to trim his beak, the tool can slip and cause injuries, so hold the beak firmly before you begin sanding.

4. File the parrot’s beak with the tool until it has reached an appropriate length. Make several smooth passing motions over the beak with the tool in a gentle manner. You do not want to be forceful or aggressive when using the tool, but you do want to be assertive and successfully complete the task.

5. Smooth the any rough edges that may have been left on the beak area due to the filing process. Any edges of the beak that appear to be sharp in nature can cause injury during your bird’s preening process, so smooth the areas as much as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Repeat the process any time you notice that the parrot’s beak has become overgrown. If you notice that he is having trouble eating or picking up his food due to the length of his beak, you will need to trim it once again using the dremel tool.
• Providing your parrot with perches of different textures can help keep his beak in healthy condition. A combination of cement and wood perches is ideal, but never use sandpaper perches for a parrot.
• If this will be your first time using the dremel tool, practice first. A novice can have a very difficult time performing a beak trimming, so practicing on a piece of wood or other material is suggested.
• If you feel that your parrot has an unhealthy beak growth that you are unable to tend to, ask your veterinarian for assistance.

Resources

• Information on the dremel tool

[Jennywrites]

on 10/3/2009 O.k. now what do I do that the bird's beak is bleeding everywhere?