Clipping Finch Toenails If your birds are not flying in an aviary with rocks, natural twigs, and soil, there is a good chance their nails will get too long and they will become at risk of getting caught up on something in the cage. This can result in leg injury, bleeding, or death. To avoid this, keep an eye on the length of your bird's nails. To cut nails, purchase a high quality toenail clipper from your local pharmacy. Recently, I found that they sell tonenail clippers for baby humans that are smaller and better for finches. Catch the bird and hold it gently but firmly. If you are new to this you may want someone to help you out. The most critical thing in cutting a nail is not to cut it so short that you cut into the quick (vein). You want to cut just the nail, not the vein. Leave some margin for error. If the bird is wiggling and his foot is moving you ay need to careful hold his leg just above his toes. Proceed to cut the nail. Usually all four nails will not need cutting so cut only those that are dangerously long. In the event that you cause bleeding you should have some "QuickStop" on hand. This product is available in many pet shops and mail order catalogs. It is a special blend of salts and chemicals that stops bleeding rapidly. Birds can not take too much bleeding. Moisten a Q-tip (cotton swab) and dip it in the "QuickStop". Using pressure push the Q-tip onto the bleeding cut for a minute. This will stop the bleeding. Always check your birds nails when you are catching them for another reason (e.g. to sell them, to move them to their breeding cage, etc.). This is a good time to trim nails and avoid more chasing and catching episodes.
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