Great Green Macaw Videos

How to Teach Parrot to Let You Trim Nails - Step By Step Claw Trimming Training

This is how I taught a Great Green Macaw to let me trim his nail voluntarily. In this video, I demonstrate the training process for teaching any parrot to let you give them a nail grooming.

I use the Parrot Wizard Nail Trimmer Stone. It is much safer and easier to use this nail trimmer than scissors, a nail file, or dremel. Because the Parrot Wizard Nail Trimmer Stone is flat and hard as a rock, it helps dull the nails rather than round and sharpen them. https://ParrotWizard.com/Nail_Trimmer

It is very important to trim the claws on a parrot because they can easily grow too long and too sharp. The bird's talons are best dulled and shortened by doing a trimming as demonstrated in this video.

A Training Perch is also a must! This helps you establish the parrot at a comfortable height, in a training mindset, ready to go. The training perch removes the normal distractions the parrot would have on a tree stand, play stand, or top of the cage. https://ParrotWizard.com/Training_Perches

Here is a step by step breakdown of how to teach a parrot for nail trimming:

Step 1: Teach the parrot to give you the foot
Step 2: Introduce the nail trimmer but without actually using it
Step 3: Start gently trimming nails for parrot to get used to it
Step 4: Practice practice
Step 5: Get those nails trimmed when needed!

I started by teaching the Buffon's Macaw to give me his foot. I ask him to step up which he already knows. See my other videos about step up training. However, instead of having him step onto my hand with both feet, I click my clicker once he gets one foot up onto my hand. This now becomes the "give me your foot" trick. I say give me your foot and show him the sign, once he starts stepping up onto my hand with one foot, I can click and reward.

Desensitize the parrot to the nail trimmer. Don't just start filing down the nails right away. Instead, take the foot and touch the nail with the trimmer and give treats. Eventually a very gentle stroke of the nail trimmer. And over time those strokes can become firmer and longer until some real nail trimming is going on. This process takes practice but is well worth it! Voluntary nail trims not only save you money on taking the bird to a groomer, they also save the bird a LOT of stress by having it done calmly and comfortably at home.

See all of my videos, training supplies, and more:
https://ParrotWizard.com

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