Provided by Your Pet Magazine

Question

I have a one-year-old canary. Her nails grow very quickly so I trim them often. She seems very nervous and the last two times she has spasmed when I put her back on her perch. She falls to the bottom of the cage with her toes cramped up under her body. Is this a mild heart attack? What can I do to prevent this traumatic event? She jumps from her perch onto a cuttlebone as part of her daily exercise and I have sand paper around one perch, but these are of no help to her nail problem. Please help as I am as nervous as the bird!
Kathleen

Answer
provided by Dr Paddy Batch BVSc

Avian specialist Dr Ed Layt advises that branches from native trees are best for wearing your bird's claws naturally. In fact, sand perches can cause problems. There are also health issues which can cause overgrowth of nails and beaks, so if the natural perches are not successful, please visit an avian specialist and have the spasm episodes investigated at the same time. You may have a bird that hasn't been hand raised, in which case it finds the nail trimming process stressful. Holding your bird for a long time may be causing it to overheat. Hopefully, changing to native tree branches will reduce the growth of your bird's claws and reduce the need to handle your bird.