Okay, so Red's nails were (and still are) really overgrown, and they really hurt us when she sits on our hands... Our "honeymoon period" has unfortunately come to an end, and I am trying to let her relax a little more before taking here anywhere to get them trimmed (I'm definitely not going to do it myself). So, I have a question about those perches that say they trim the bird's nails... Do they really work? If so, what kind should I get?

I saw a post somewhere (I think somewhere on this site, but I'm not sure) that said that you should get the perch that doesn't have the sandy stuff on the very top, to avoid sores on their poor little feet, but I can't find those types of perches anywhere... even online.

Can anyone suggest a type of perch, and possibly a link on where to buy them, or at least a link to one I could look at? I'm not even sure if I'm looking at the right things.

Thanks so much!!

OH - I almost forgot I had another question... any ideas on how to get Red to try out her new (sturdy) rope perch and new toys? I bought some for her, but she won't go anywhere near them. I just sort of put them in her cage, hoping that she will eventually check them out, but I'm not sure if that's the right thing?

I really thought I was prepared for this stuff, but I feel like a 1st time mom! lol

Personally I don't like the sandy perches. Through this site though I found birdontherocks.com. Their flagstone perches are great. They offer a nice flat surface for parrots to rest their feet a long day of squeezing perches. They also gently dull down the nails. I haven't had to trim nails in almost six months since I bought them for each of our birds.

Here's the link...

http://www.birdontherocks.com/store/catego...ne_Perches.html

I'm not sure how you could get Red to try the new perches. Maybe put them near food and water dishes so he almost has to use them. You could also try taking them out and playing with them on your lap while Red was sitting with you so he could see they're not something to be afraid of.

I have a concrete perch for Hemingway but I don't have it as a primary perch for him (it's not one of the highest ones or one of the ones closest to his food) so he won't really spend a lot of time on it to hurt his feet. So far, his nails aren't overgrown nor do his feet appear to be affected. I think if his nails became just WAYYYY too long I'd shlep him off to the vet's for a filing/trim. As to the new toys/perch issue.. that is exactly what Hemingway did when we first got him. He acted like that rope perch was the most evil thing he ever saw. But over time he DID give it a try and now it's his favorite perch. Perhaps putting a little bowl with a favorite treat near it would encourage Red to try out the perch? Another thing that helped that sounds RIDICULOUS is.. moving it to a different location. If Red isn't totally terrified of it (then I'd remove it and put it outside the cage for awhile in eyesight so Red will realize it is not going to eat him alive -- Hemingway totally hated his Happy Hut and a couple of other toys until I managed to put them in the right spot for him. And Hemingway never has taken to some of the toys I picked out for him. He hates the toys with the big wooden pieces. But he loves those smaller acrylic toys and things with bells. They're finicky little suckers!

Thanks for all of your advice... I'm going to check out those 2 perches you both mentioned, and we'll see if that will help. I have a feeling though that I'm going to have to take her into the vet just because they are so long to start with. I also wanted to have them trim her wings because her previous owner did sort of a butcher job when he did them last.

I also moved her rope perch and new toy to the top of the cage, and am going to leave them there for a while to see if that helps her get more used to them, and we'll see what happens.

Thanks again! This site rocks

If they haven't been trimmed in a while, then your vet won't be able to cut them back too much. The vein in the nail tends to lengthen as the nail lengthens. So don't be surprised if your vet just does a little trim and then you have to go back in a month or two for another one. I've had to do that with several of my rehomes.

As for nail perches, I like Sandy Perches. Now, that is the name brand for the perch. They are totally different then sand perches.

http://www.sandyperch.com/

They have been approved by many well known avian vets in the US.

I have a couple of them in various cages and I find that they do help keep the nails/beaks trimmed down.

Having said all that, I wanna try those flagstone perches UZ is talking about! That'll be my next online purchase.

I really like the flagstone perches...But I also like the Cement perches as well...I don't care for the sandy perches the few I've tried and I've tried several different brands, caused sores on the bottoms of feet, especially the bigger heavier birds, So I switched to concrete perches and no more sores.

I agree with hanging the new toys and things on the outside of the cage so when the bird has out of cage time he can investigate them if he so chooses and find out that they aren't going to eat him. Plus playing with the toys a few times out of the cage with the bird near by really helps too... If you shake them and wiggle and toss them and make happy sounds as your doing it, it will help them to understand that they aren't monsters from the deep. as for the rope perch...Well You can do as suggested and put it in a position where they have to use it like by the food and water dish... or you can also try fastening it to the outside of the cage for a while so he figures out its a fun thing to use.

Remember, birds learn from example and if you're the only other member of the flock, you've just been elected to be the teacher!

Good luck and have fun with Red

Like she said, the perches help maintain not cut completely. I personally have a sanded percn in botm my parrots cages. It helps keep the nails down as i never have to trim Gizmos. Here in Ohio they are only 5 bucks at petco. Petco perches apparently it is only 3 bucks on sale that is crazy cheap once at petsmart they were 8.

Thank you all SOOO much!! The insight is so helpful It looks like I have shopping to do, lol. Thank goodness for the internet (esp. in a small town!).

You better hurry the sale ends on the 4th! In my opinion petco has the most bird accesories. I know petsmart is close but the online searching is much easier at petco.

These flagstone perches look great! What size would you recommend for a Quaker? I am going to order one, but am not sure if I should get the small or medium sized one. Thanks!

I found out about birds on a rock just last week from this site. I ordered them right away and received them on Tuesday of this week. I got one for my quaker and my goffin's. They LOVE them. Took to them right away. I got the corner ones and am so very pleased with them. I imagine they will be very beneficial in keeping nails trimmed. I kept their cement perches in their cages also.
As far as toys and when Red will play with them, I can only say that with Kiwi it sometimes takes weeks for him to even acknowledge a new toys presence in his cage. LOL But so far there has only been one that he didn't eventually beat up on. (That one was orange... my boy def does not like orange). It took over a year for him to venture inside his happy hut. In the past two weeks he has decided it makes a very fine sleeping tent. Go figure.

Definatley get the medium. Thats the minimum size. Large would be even better if you feel you have the space in the cage.

Small is just too small for a Quaker. I mistakenly ordered a small. It's now being used by our Parrotlet.

I would be careful I saw a lot of them had sharp looking edges

http://www.birdieboutique.com/sfb13003.html

This is a link to Safety Perches. They have two rough sides and two smooth sides, so that the pads of your bird's feet won't have to rest on the rough sides.


If you do with a perch that is entirely rough, just make sure don't place it at the top of the cage. Birds tend to want to sit on the highest perches and you don't want them sitting on a rough surface ALL the time. I think placing it near their food or water is usually a safe bet, because they are sure to spend time but probably not sleep there.

Birdontherocks.com is AWESOME! I would strongly recommend getting at the very least a medium sized one for a Q. Mine prefer the corner perches. I also have a wonderful flagstone playtop that John custom made for us. Take a look! Let your imagination run wild! His flagstone swings are also extremely popular! Let us know what you decide!

My baby has a big variety of perches, in a variety of sizes. He rarely has to have his nails clipped. He has cement..sandy...rope... wood. You name it he has it.