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Clipping of Wings Grooming The first seven to nine flight feathers should be cut for almost all species of parrots. The only exception to this are the African Grey Parrots, both Congos and Timnehs. These birds are thickset. Just trim the first five to seven feathers. The bird wings are feather layered. Cut the outermost primary layer, right up to the secondary layer of feathers. Feathers grow at differing rates. So, they need to be checked constantly. Never cut the wings on your own, initially. Watch your veterinarian or bird groomer trim the wings. A proper trim allows the bird to exercise its muscles. It can fly within the house and glide to a landing if needed. It should prevent the bird from attaining additional altitude. If you clip it too close you will end up injuring your bird. It could be damaged severely. With very short wings Cockatiel often fall and injure themselves. Even if you know how to trim wing feathers, do not attempt it alone. Get someone to hold the bird while you do the clipping. One person should restrain the towel wrapped bird. The wing should be extended. Use sharp scissors and do not trim too Grooming much. The outer feathers are known as the flight feathers. Trim up to six or seven of these feathers. If required further feathers can be trimmed. Accidental cutting of blood vessel or pin feather leads to bleeding. This bleeding usually stops in a short while. But if the bleeding continues you may be required to pluck out the feather.

The feathers should be checked monthly. Trimming should be done when required. The outer 2 or 3 feathers may be left untrimmed. This makes the Cockatiel look good. But, monitor the bird, as it may be able to fly more than is necessary. The nails of a pet bird grow pretty quick. It is important to keep them trimmed. Long nails can snag onto anything. Once snagged, they may not be able to free themselves. This could kill or greatly injure the bird. Overgrown nails will also make perching difficult for a bird. Even short nails need to be blunted at times, to remove sharp points.

Nail Trimming Grooming Normally, climbing on the perches within the cage keeps their nails trimmed. However if you have to trim them you can use either of two techniques. The first method requires the use of human nail clippers, dog nail clippers or a pair of small scissors. The size of the bird determines the choice of the tool. Make sure to disinfect the clippers by rinsing them in alcohol before use. With the bird restrained, trim the tip off the nail. Some Cockatiel owners do their job leisurely. They clip a few nails a day. Finally by the end of the week all the nails will have been clipped. This method is good for the Cockatiel as it will not be stressed for a long period. Apart from scissors, a grinding tool can be used. A device, which rotates like a Dremel tool. This procedure requires two people. One to will have to restrain the bird, while the other person does the job.

Having nails trimmed by a veterinarian will give you an idea of how short the nails should be. Take your avian veterinarian's help before attempting to do the job on your own. Be careful Grooming not to clip off too much of a nail, as they will find it difficult to climb and to hold on to a perch. If you are not careful you could clip a blood vessel. Before clipping, view the under side of the nail. The blood vessel can be seen clearly. Clip the very tip of the nail. Take care not to clip the blood vessel that runs inside the nail. If you clip a blood vessel by accident apply Quick-Stop powder immediately. Styptic powder will also help stop the bleeding. A mineral block, a small bird lava stone or some toys to chew on should be placed in the Cockatiel cage. Using these, the pet tends to keep its beak in proper trim and shape. If this doesn't work and if your Cockatiel beak appears too long or sharp then an avian vet is best consulted. Beak trimming is an avian veterinarian's job. Never ever try to do it on your own. Sometimes, in spite of the best precautions, Cockatiel may develop quite a few beak related problems. A common problem pertains to the wearing down of the beak. Beaks should wear Trimming beaks Grooming down evenly. Sometimes, there is an uneven wearing down of the beak. Uneven beaks make it difficult for a bird to eat. An avian vet should deal with this problem.

Another problem is the overgrowth of the beak. An avian vet should address this problem. If the beak's tip becomes very sharp, then it can be filed. A nail file or an emery board can do the job. But even this is best addressed by an avian vet. A parrot's beak is made up of several layers. These layers peel. This peeling is a normal procedure. One need not worry about it. But excessive peeling, signals a trip to the vet. To keep a bird free of beak related problems, a clean beak is essential. A clean beak is an infection-free beak. Aggression is characteristic of most Cockatiel. If you have more than one Cockatiel, the dominant bird could be aggressive towards others. A dominant bird could be aggressive with other pets and even their owners. One way of blunting this aggression is to trim its beak.