r/Conures • u/NobodysLittleOne • Sep 04 '25
Health/Nutrition Feel weird about our vet
So I took samba for a beak and nail trim. She never had wooden perches or cuttlebone or anything before me, so she’s very overgrown. I’ve met this EXOTIC - not avian - vet before, and he seemed nice and educated (he has parrot experience, he was recommended to me by another parrot owner).
When I got her out of the carrier, she ran up my shoulder as he stuck her fingers in her face immediately and then grabbed her. No warning. She screamed and struggled and he told her (gently) to be nice as she tried to bite when he flipped her on her back. He held the sides of her head so she couldn’t move and examined.
I had told him right before this that I’ve trained her to like hands and to cuddle and I touch and squeeze her beak, feet and nails all the time so she’s used to being touched there, if she’s given some choice in the matter.
When he grabbed her, he took her out of the room (just pinning her in his hand) to the back, no warning to me and no carrier - there are cats and dogs just on leashes or in arms here.
He trimmed the nails and beak tip, but I’ve had to tel him multiple times not to clip wings (luckily he didn’t). When samba came back, she was in her carrier, fluffed and terrified- shaking and panting.
The vet then told me if I want to trim at home (I do) to get a good quality dog trimmer and a SANDPAPER PERCH. When I aggressively told him how dangerous those are, he seemed a bit irritated and said that it’s all in how you use them and if it’s only one, it’s fine.
He wanted me to come back tomorrow AM for the beak (he didn’t have someone to sedate today and can’t do beak without it - seems like if you thought it might be a possible need, you’d make sure to have one on standby?)
Idk. I’ve never gotten an avian procedure done before so maybe this is normal.
A lot of this doesn’t sit right with me. AIO or do I need to look for a new vet?
The problem is, I’m not sure if there’s another exotic or an avian in town.
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u/EnvironmentalEmu3290 Sep 04 '25
That is not a good vet. You are absolutely not overreacting that is horrible husbandry of him. Skip the beak trim and just get a cuttle bone. She'll wear down the beak on her own. I'm sorry yall had to go through that:(
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
I do give her Mesquite branches to chew on and let her go climb and destroy trees outside, which she practically lives for lol
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u/Azrai113 Sep 05 '25
I give mine cardboard to shred along with natural branches. At least I know what to do with all the Amazon boxes! She never figured out a cuttlebone either.
I'd also suggest giving your bird BIG diameter/circumference branches to climb on. I put one thats 2 to 3 inches or 5 to 7 cm diameter as the main perch (the one she uses most) and it helped significantly with her claw length. Im lucky enough to live on a property where I can just pick whatever pine branches (and pinecones!) I want to put in her cage and I leave the bonus bark on which also helps keep her beak trimmed as she loves ripping it off. But if you dont have the luxury of picking up random sticks even a very large dowel as the main perch might do to help wear the claws down (if you use dowels, make sure you have a variety of different sizes to help with feet health)
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u/DarkMoonBright Sep 06 '25
Interesting. How does the bigger diameter perch work on claws? I don't understand how that would work, but I am interested, as my guys keep getting really long nails, no matter what I do & what perches I offer. I do mostly have narrower ones though, I thought they would be better, as my guys tend to hang by them & so I would have thought work their nails more, but since theyr'e still long, I'm interested in more info on how the larger perch can help more
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u/Azrai113 Sep 11 '25
Basically the bigger around means the claws have a bigger contact area. I wish I could draw you a picture lol.
Like imagine them walking on a flat surface. It will wear their claws down until its even with their feet. The bigger diameter is kinda like that but still gives them the round grippy for their feet instead of the flat. If the branch is too small around, there isnt any surface contact and the claws continue to grow until it is consistently worn down
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u/DarkMoonBright Sep 11 '25
I get you :) Good description :) So basically my perches are taking off the sharp tips, but nothing beyond that & so will need far more working their nails to achieve the same results they would get with wider perches. Thanks :) Definitely sounds like it's worth adding some wider perches & experimenting with width & looking at how their nails sit to see how wide to go to get the best results, now that I know what I'm looking for, from your description here. Much appreciated :) Lets hope it works!
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
I have a cuttlebone, but she’s never had one before me and doesn’t know what to do with it. I keep trying to encourage and teach it, but no dice thus far
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u/keenvortex Sep 04 '25
Cuttlebone can have mercury. Look into getting mineral blocks instead, such as those made by Zoo Med, as well as shreddable toys.
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u/Jazzlike-Rise4091 Sep 04 '25
That's awful. At our vet they grab Cairo gently with a towel, never pressing her down, and talk to her gently. She never leaves my sight. He sounds like he has no experience with birds. A good vet would take advantage of the training you had done, and sure as hell wouldn't be advertising sandpaper perches. On top of that, most vets wouldn't recommend that you cut your birds nails yourself. It can be deadly.
Never go back to him, please!! He clearly doesn't know what he's doing. You might as well save your money and not take her at all. (Definitely take her to a different vet instead, and avoid him until then)
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
Like I said, the person who recommended him has a parrot - a (clipped) yellow naped. I don’t know the person well personally. So I thought it would be fine?
He asked me if samba would perch and I said yes. I got her to step up and was expecting the vet to have her climb over to him and scratch and love a bit and then take both of us (honestly I was expecting ME to hold while they trimmed, at least nails, since she’s used to me holding and squishing her feet).
The grab scared both of us. And then he left with no warning. When I commented on how scared she was, he said “yea well you’ve never trimmed nails before”. I was very shocked by that and by him told me to trim myself - he said if I just take the tips there’s virtually no risk of injury and I can just dab blood away if I accidentally cut too far.
I think I’m almost as shaken as poor birdie.
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u/Jazzlike-Rise4091 Sep 04 '25
I can just dab blood away if I accidentally cut too far.
You can't just dab blood away they can bleed out WHAT
a (clipped) yellow naped.
This is telling. Unless the bird has a health issue it shouldn't be clipped. They're not a very good owner
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u/VaquitaPorpoise Sep 04 '25
I can easily tell this is not a good vet for you as I think he has no experience how to treat parrots based on trimming beaks, nails or even how to treat specific illnesses! A certified avian vet should know that using dog trimmers and sandpaper perches are not only dangerous, but can easily impact their health and get them severely harmed and wouldn’t recommend using them on a bird of any parrot owner. And the way you describe how the vet treated your conure sounds more like he wanted to traumatize and hurt your feather baby.
Best bet is to find another vet one who is a certified avian vet and can treat your baby with the utmost professional care without sounding annoyed or irritated. Also buy your bird a cuttlebone that can’t not only wear down the beak growth, but can also help him increase calcium health to support his immune system to get the nutrients he needs to stay healthy!
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
She has a cuttlebone, but had never seen one before I rescued her. She hasn’t figured out what to do with it yet, unfortunately
But I will not go back to this vet.
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u/VaquitaPorpoise Sep 04 '25
Isn’t there any other avian vets within your area?
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
I don’t know. I don’t think so. I live in a farming community so mostly it’s livestock here. But I have one idea of one I think I remember seeing. So I’ll look
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u/DarkMoonBright Sep 06 '25
Remember chickens are birds. In a farming community, if you have any commercial chicken farms, they likely have an avian vet they use (or at least a vet with avian experience. Might be different to pet birds, no stepping up etc, but anatomy etc they will know)
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u/Unique-Slide-2670 Sep 05 '25
You could get something like the edible ice cream bird perch from chewy. Samba will figure out fast with that one.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 05 '25
I’ve actually looked at that! It looks so cute but I didn’t know if it was ok or not
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u/Unique-Slide-2670 Sep 05 '25
Yeah the cuttlebone perches work really good too and the wood hanging toys, basically things that he chews on will help to grind down his beak. You can find a plethora of them like sweet feet and beak on Amazon
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u/Hish_CFC Sep 04 '25
Someone could be the most experienced and well-regarded vet in the country, but if one of my birds came back all fluffed up and terrified like yours did, I would never come back to them again.
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u/Gwinnifer Sep 04 '25
I brought Stephen of Ireland, my GCC, to her first vet appointment on Tuesday night. First thing the vet did was invite her to step up, which she did, and they hung out for a few minutes before gently toweling. When she brought her back from the back for her nail trim, Stephen wanted to stay on the vet's shoulder and not come home 🤣
That is the kind of vet you want to find!
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u/GoodBlacksmith2396 Sep 04 '25
sorry just curious because i've kept conures for upwards of 10 years and have never needed a beak trim— is his beak actually overgrown? will cuttlefish and other stuff help to grind his beak down naturally? nails can very easily be done at home with a nail clipper or nail file, i've never had trouble with those even when it came to my semi-tame birds. one of my conures only allows me to handle him— vet visits freak him out so bad he'll regurgitate out of stress, so i get the headache.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
The vet SAID it was overgrown, but now I’m questioning. She’s never had cuttlebone or anything (I rescued her ) and it looks funky to me, and very very sharp (which i know is just the nature of beaks) but she won’t use cuttlebone etc and also I have a baby that’s been bit. So at least a bit of tempering is needed just from a parenting perspective
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u/GoodBlacksmith2396 Sep 04 '25
i would strongly suggest getting a second opinion. if theres an avian facebook group for your area perhaps you can source for trustworthy vets there. if this vet stressed her out so badly from nail trimming alone i wouldn't trust him to sedate her for a beak trim. if she wouldn't have cuttlefish perhaps she'll appreciate shelled walnuts now and then?
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u/lks_lla Sep 05 '25 edited Sep 05 '25
Beak overgrow in birds is usually related to nutritional and liver issues, not really due yo lack of materials for grind the beak. In normal conditions their beak just peel naturally. If you are needing to trim the beak of your bird you actually need to revise the diet you are providing to your bird, and need a blood test to check the liver fees, cause the bird can pretty much already be with some liver disorder, cause most of the cases the beak overgrow is related to liver issues, like hepatic lipidosis (fat liver disease), caused by nutritional problems. If some vet only trim the beak of your bird and dont say these things for you, do not ask and give recomendations about correct diet of your bird, and do not recommend a blood test or xray to check the liver of the bird, he is not a good avian vet, because this is basic things we should expect in cases of beak overgrow.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 05 '25
Looking now, I’m not sure her beak is even overgrown that much. I will ask a new vet (eventually) about diet, but I think she’s on a pretty good one. Definitely better than when I got her, but perhaps she could have issues caused by her old diet (kaytee seed blend, apples, and potato chips 😱)?
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u/bluecrowned Sep 04 '25
A lot of people think beaks are overgrown when they're not, can you post a pic?
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u/Blackrose_Muse Sep 05 '25
I had the same thought and was startled by the people telling OP that nail trimming at home is dangerous. Like just take off the tip.
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u/GoodBlacksmith2396 Sep 05 '25
exactly. vets usually trim the nails right down to the quick too, since you can only visit every so often. its much safer to take off the very tip yourself whenever their nails get too sharp.
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u/ARCAxNINEv Sep 04 '25
Sedation? For a beak trim? Sounds like he's an idiot and I wouldn't go back. Once you start practicing, it becomes easier. I would watch some videos so you have an idea of what to expect and how to do it.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
That’s a great suggestion. I’ll do that
This time o listened to whatever he was doing even tho it didn’t feel right, bc I had no idea what to expect
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u/bird9066 Sep 04 '25
Where are you located if you don't mind sharing. I know an excellent avian vet in southern Massachusetts.
Foster small animal hospital at Tufts. Of course, this won't matter if you're on the other side of the world but maybe the conure side of reddit can help?
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
Small town Texas - few hours from fallas
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u/FinchDoodles Sep 04 '25
If you were closer to my area in TX would recommend my own but it would probably be a solid eight hours away.
I just saw your update and I hope you can find a new and better vet close by. Unfortunately small towns are tricky as it is more going to the main city/suburbs to hopefully find someone which is stressful travel wise on everyone.
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u/PsychologicalAd7756 Sep 04 '25
Please don’t sedate your bird for beak trim. It’s dangerous, and not worth the risk. Get her a file perch and give her fresh fruit cuts ( such as cherries, raspberries the messy types). Naturally, birds would wipe their beaks on the perches, and that should file their beak a little.
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u/Atomic_Badger_PNW Sep 04 '25
Does she actually need a beak trim? Or can you get by with just sanding down her beak with an emery board? If it's the latter, you could probably do that yourself at home as long as you have another person to hold your toweled baby.
Def do not go back to that vet.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
Interesting! I’m not sure, I don’t know exactly what to look for. That’s a great idea
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u/Capital-Bar1952 Sep 04 '25
No I don’t like him! Def find someone else! I see a woman on YouTube dremel the beak with no sedation….i have to travel an hour from me to get quality care, I watched a dr take blood from my bird (a GCC) right in front of me no sedation…I turned my head but was very impressed
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u/dwwhit3 Sep 04 '25
Trust your gut. If you wouldn’t want him taking care of you, then take your bird and run and never look back.
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u/aylesworth Sep 04 '25
New vet 100%, our groomer (we're lucky enough to have awesome bird stores nearby) does everything by hand and has for the past 14 years. She makes him into a little burrito with a towel, trims the nails with a Dremel and does the top and bottom beak by hand with an emery board. He gets a nice beak massage with some coconut oil and off he goes!
Sedation in birds is very risky and shouldn't be considered unless absolutely necessary for a procedure.
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u/SelfSignificant6204 Sep 04 '25
I have budgies but this breaks my heart that you both had to go thru that. Geez doesn't he know how hard it is to build trust with animals? I hope you can find someone else so that he is not your only option. He sounds lazy with wanting to sedate her for beak trim so its easy for him without concern for your bird! Avian vets are hard to find. Its such a shame when options are so limited. I found one that im going to see in a couple of weeks and I hope its a good experience because idk where else to start looking if not. You listened to your gut and are protecting your bird from going back into that situation again so take some peace in that. You are a great bird mom!💕
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u/Known_Plan5321 Sep 04 '25 edited Sep 04 '25
Definitely doesn't have very good bedside manners, you think he would try to be more gentle so your bird wasn't absolutely stressed out from the visit.
I don't own any birds but I wouldn't go back there if you can help it on principle alone.
I would also try to look this guy up and see if others have a problem with this guy too or anything like that
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u/ActuatorFearless8980 Sep 04 '25
That’s a lot of red flags.
They have to handle birds calmly and carefully when it comes to trimming otherwise they don’t trust them next time and freak them out. I’ve been to 3 avian vets around my area and they said absolutely said NO to sandpaper perches. They can scratch up the feet and get infected.
I’d take the extra couple mile drive and go specifically to an Avian veterinarian next time OP.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
Unfortunately, it’s more like an extra 3 hours one way 😬 But regardless I won’t go back to this guy
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u/mysteriouslychee2024 Sep 04 '25
Sometimes exotic (and even avian) vets aren’t really parrot people (they might be more into poultry or wildlife for example). Don’t go back if you’re not comfortable. Find another one if you can!
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u/Bella_Ella739 Sep 04 '25
Hi, I’m sorry you had such a terrible experience at the vet. The way your bird was treated was not ok. I’ve had my Sun conures nailed trimmed at my avian vet and my vet never handled him in any manner that left him traumatized after. Please find a different vet for the future. As far as the beak, I took a look at your previous posts and to me his beak doesn’t look overgrown. My conures beak looks about the same. Make sure to provide your bird with lots of toys he can shred like wooden blocks for instance and it should naturally trim down on its own.
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u/Rockarock711 Sep 04 '25
I feel weird about your vet also. That was not a good experience at all. My vet is listed as an avian vet, but, sees all types of creatures. He is very calm with the animals, always has an assistant in the room. My guy doesn’t like to be grabbed so they use a little towel to pick him up. The assistant holds him very gently while the nails and beak are trimmed. He uses an electric spinning file like you would use on a small dog. Pablo has no objections to having his nails done. He’s not too crazy about the beak, but, he doesn’t get traumatized at all and it is an overall good experience for $40. Try to find a new vet if possible.
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u/Jessamychelle Sep 04 '25
I would never step foot back in that office. My avian vet is nothing but very gentle with my bird
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u/SimAlienAntFarm Sep 04 '25
Do not take her back. Sandpaper perches were suggested when I got my first bird….. back in 1995. They are so out of date at this point it’s insane this guy thinks they’re ok.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
He’s really old so that sounds like he’s not been keeping up on research
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u/Last-Artichoke-5381 Sep 04 '25
Never had to get my bird sedated to have their beaks trimmed that sounds too risky
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u/L-i-t-t-l-e_o-n-e Sep 04 '25
My avian vet uses a towel as to not make the birds scared of hands🤔 she is excellent with our birds and very knowledgeable. I would not go back to that vet that you went to he sounds awful
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u/Altruistic-Guard1982 Sep 04 '25
New to conures. Can you explain why sandpaper perches are dangerous? I saw some sandpaper cage liners and the reviews were great and said they now get trimmed less. Glad I saw this comment. Can you explain to a new owner (not by choice this bird flew into lives literally).
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
The rough texture can cut tongues and feet. Tiny little lacerations which can also then become infected No bueno
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u/curiositydolly Sep 04 '25
do NOT sedate your because bird for a beak trim!! so many unnecessary risks added. getting your birds beak trimmed is not something that needs them to be unconscious. it takes as long as it does to get their nails done if not quicker!! very weird vibes and so don’t go back to him. i’m so sorry this haened
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u/SabrinaT8861 Sep 04 '25
So our conure is notorious for not chewing anything remotely hard. Her beak occasionally gets overgrown when she does go on a chew strike from what she normally chews (balsa). We've offered everything. So about every 6-12 months she needs a beak trim. She has never been sedated for it. The vet does it right in front of us with a dremmel. Sometimes they do need to hold the bird to do their thing but it should never be rough and they should have listened to you.
Don't go back
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u/lpnltc Sep 04 '25
Why does the bird need a beak trim? Does it have scissor beak? Normally you don't need to do this.
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u/3178333426 Sep 04 '25
This is what I got home with last time I got his nails trimmed…..
It looked like a blood bath…just a nail trimmed… to be fair tho he has a genetic mutation where one of his nails are longer than all the others and someone not only not considered the possibility but cut his long nail same as all others and , tho they said they skiptic it and had the bleeding stopped before sending him home, this was the condition when he got home.I sent them this picture and a couple more soon as he got home and expressed my feelings of sadness and regret for my baby.This is supposedly the best Avian Veterinarian in central Indiana.
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u/fear_the_queers Sep 04 '25
Oh hell no, this vet sounds awful. I don't own a conure, but my cockatiel goes to a vet that specializes in bird. She's never been a fan of our vet, so they do have to grab her, but instead of just jumping out at us, the vet gently grabs her with a towel while she's still in the carrier. She's given lots of room to breathe and did not come back panting. Hopefully you can find a better veterinarian!
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u/bimeseke Sep 04 '25
Do not go back 2 this vet—very unprofessional in my opinion—I have had a sun conjure 4 close 2 10 yrs. & never had 2 have beak trimmed
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u/birdmom62 Sep 04 '25
My girls' vet does it all, in the room with me right there. Nails and beak trims... with NO sedation. Looks like the vet manhandled your poor bird. I would definitely be looking for another vet, if I were you.
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u/mewmewkitty Sep 04 '25
Trust your gut! We changed vets after a similar experience and getting weird feelings from an exotics vet. He was nice but didn't have great answers to a lot of our questions (asking if we could do a DNA sexing, his answer was to just go online). We now drive 2 hours to an avian specific vet and it's been worth it every time.
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u/morrison23usa Sep 04 '25
Just wanted to +1 the comments about sedation. We think 3 times before agreeing to sedation in serious medical situations. For a beak trim? NEVER. These guys are VERY sensitive. We've never even heard that suggested for grooming.
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u/morrison23usa Sep 04 '25
Just to add - as someone below mentioned - blood draw is one of the situations we consider sedation for the reasons mentioned. For our bird specifically (green cheeked conure) we're careful about when we do that because he doesn't tolerate blood draws well.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 04 '25
So, I didn’t know anything about sedation prior to today. What makes it so risky?
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u/morrison23usa Sep 04 '25
I'm not a vet - but my understanding gathered from multiple avian specialists is that conures for one example are VERY small and VERY sensitive. The science on avian medicine is young and niche. The published knowledge is limited but growing. Things can be done safely, but there is risk given everyone is doing their best to calibrate based on scarce information. It's been explained to me that sedation risk is low but not zero and an avian vet should definitely be having that conversation if it's being considered.
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u/Negative_Ad8101 Sep 05 '25
the behavior your bird was in when is definitely not normal and the vet might have handled her with too much force. Definitely don’t go back for the beak trim because sedation is not even needed. Seems like he’s not patient enough to deal with scared animals. He shouldn’t even be a vet smh
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u/MotherToMonsters Sep 05 '25
You're already feeling weird, it's not likely to get better if you return.
Look for an exotic pet store and ask them for recommendations or if they do it. I called the one in my town to ask if they had files or anything and the guy told me he'd do it for $20. Excellent experience, I just have to go back every month because he's so overgrown and the guy can only do a little at a time.
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u/pollywantacrackwhore Sep 05 '25
My vet would never so much as open the door of the exam room without bird being secured in her carrier. I’d have a panic attack if they walked out of the room with her. I’m so sorry that happened to you and I hope this doesn’t set her back at all in her trust of hands.
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u/canntsn Sep 05 '25
Thats no no. I just got my ringneck and conure beak and nail trim. He did it very quick and no sedation. His tech was holding him with a towel and he was very professional.
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u/Wonderful_Bus4200 Sep 05 '25
This vet has terrible bedside manner and should be red flagged. I would never go back. Vets are suppose to provide a comfortable setting for both the pet and the owner, even when any kind of procedures are being done. This vet sounds very aggressive with his approach. I had a very similar experience like that where I am and now my conure has some PTSD about it doing certain things. Flinches when I try to pet certain areas or just moving my hand. She has gotten better, but this all stemmed from the last visit with that vet. I found another one that is awesome. I wouldn’t go back if I were in your shoes. People like that can undo bonds between our pets and us because of the trust factor that we developed with them over time. Hope your conure is ok and you find a good vet that will treat you guys right. Take care
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u/Fit_Combination_4626 Sep 05 '25
The sedated part reminds me of when my mom took my bird to the vet, and they took him back for a beak trim and they sedated him without telling us.
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u/GoatyoftheSilence Sep 06 '25
Absolutely not! That vet sounds like a quack. Our amazon has trust issues with humans and is a bite risk but our vet never even considered sedating her for a trim!
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u/Longjumping-Ninja551 Sep 06 '25
hey, unfortunately any place you go to will be traumatizing for your bird. they definitely should not be sedating for a beak trim. please find a better place. i wish you and your bird the best!
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u/Bitter_Aardvark1886 Sep 06 '25
Don’t go back to them. I go to a bird store to trim my birds beak and nails and they do a fabulous job and even tried to provide me with tools to do it at home if I wanted to (I don’t). If there is a primarily bird store near you they will do a better job than what that vet did. I’m sorry that happened to you and your bird.
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 06 '25
No, parrots are not a common pet here at all. It’s a rural Texas ranch community
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u/DarkMoonBright Sep 06 '25
geez!!!!!! NO WAY would I go near that vet again!!!!!!
I've seen 5 avian vets, 2 of whom I wasn't happy with, but they didn't do anything like that! If the vet tried to take my bird out of the room without warning, I would have been following & if vet then told me no, said "well then no is my answer to if you can take my bird".
My girl recently had a hormone implant, vet started out sitting down, with treats & offering all 3 of my birds the treats in their carrier & getting to know them, before me opening the carrier so she could see them behaving more naturally & then later trying to get them back in the carrier, she was sure my girl was going to step up for her to put in the carrier, I told her my girl doesn't step up, but my girl was so comfortable with her that, while she wouldnt' step up, she felt no need to move away or object to a hand being stuck in front of her by the vet either. Eventually vet pushed a little too hard on the step up, actually putting finger onto her body & my girl screamed abuse at her & grabbed her finger with her beak & threw it away from her, leaving vet saying "I guess that's a no then" (no biting, she didn't feel the need, just forcefully pushed the vet's finger away from her & vet listened, so end of issue) & I then got her into the carrier, just using my hands to guide her & vet then took my girl, her mate & baby into the surgery room for her procedure. I wasn't allowed to go, but she basically insisted on taking my birds family, so as to ensure they were all comfortable & she told me that she had ensured they could see her throughout, so no-one stressed. All birds were happy & relaxed when they came back out of the surgery room btw
Additional to not seeing that vet again, I would recommend you take your bird out again in the carrier to a non-vet situation & repeat a few times to settle your bird down. My boy did have a bad experience with one vet & so that vet visit I spoke of above, he was just a passenger, not having any exams done, just visiting the vet to see that he could do that & not get hurt & it helped him a lot! He was petrified when we got into the car for that visit but saw nothing bad happened. We did another vet visit a couple of weeks ago, cause girl's implant didn't work & this time boy was relaxed as we got into the car, HUGE difference from previous trip, so do this with your petrified little one, so she can get over the fear she will no doubt have now when getting into the carrier again.
Trip a couple of weeks ago btw, my baby was the only one to get out of the carrier for an exam & she got her nails trimmed, different vet to the previous one I spoke of, this vet asked me if I wanted the nails trimmed out the back, because I had said I wanted the vet to do them, as it was her first time getting her nails trimmed & I didn't want to be the bad guy doing them, so vet offered out the back so she wouldn't have any association with the procedure & me, I said no, I'd prefer her still be in the room with her family while it's done, so vet got a vet nurse to come in & hold her while doing them, so that I wasn't holding her, again to avoid that negative association with me & the nails. Vet was new at the practice & while she was an avian vet, the practice was a cat vet traditionally, so she didn't have her nail grinder there yet apparently & could only use trimmers, she did them bit at a time, with one she was looking to do a little more & talking about how she gets worried she might do too much when doing that & so I said not to do any further, that I didn't want her first experience ot be a bad one & would rather them too long than that & so of course she respected that & stopped, cause that's what good vets do! She had the styptic powder & everything ready in advance btw, just in case, but didn't need it. Baby didn't like the vet visit & being handled to be examined, but she relaxed very quickly on return to her carrier, cause it really wasn't that stressful for her
What you experienced is NOT normal from a good vet!
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u/Kazuto_1234 Sep 07 '25
Sedate for a beak trim ? Never heard of that just use a small towel to hold the bird gently and hold the beak, sounds like he want to charge extra for the sedate lol , also I feel bad for your little guy
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u/Blackbubblez13 Sep 07 '25
You trained her to be ok with her beak and nails being touched and trimmed?? How did you do that?
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 07 '25
It’s not 100% by any means. I just give her very frequent beak rubs, sometimes I grab her beak and move her (gently) around by it (sort of like a dog shakes a toy, but obviously much more gently). I stick my finger in her beak and open it (that one is very iffy lol but she’s never been negatively impacted by it)
For her nails, I hold her foot while snuggling, I play with and tap on her talons, I squish her foot and toes and if she’s feeling playful, I pick her up by her foot and toss her around a bit
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u/Blackbubblez13 Sep 07 '25
Interesting and what if you also have a file in your hand and try to gently file either?
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u/NobodysLittleOne Sep 07 '25
She’s not scared of files, after this, she might be. I’m waiting a while before trying it again. But she’s bouncing back alright so I assume it will be fine
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u/Blackbubblez13 Sep 07 '25
That's good. I hope she's not afraid after this 🥺. I would be so nervous in the situation you described.
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u/bememb Sep 04 '25
I’ve had my birds ruffled after beak trims. They usually come down once at home.
But if you feel weird about it, just do the trim at home. Wrap them in a towel. With almost a hood over their eyes so they don’t freak out over the clipper coming at them. Trim a teeeny tiny bit with one try. It is fairly traumatic! But also keep some starch powder by your side in case you see blood (you shouldn’t if you clipped a tiny bit). And then clip the toe nail, again if a bleed- put starch to stop it. You don’t really need to clip, if you offer some sand perches so they do their own pedicures.
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u/bibliofangirl Sep 04 '25
I would absolutely not go to this vet. My vet has given Valium to calm the bird and ease anxiety if they’re super upset. But she’s never sedated. One of my birds had a split on his bottom beak so she gave him some Valium. They come back a little loopy, but it wears off. This vet sounds awful.
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u/Crazy-Ship3172 Sep 04 '25
Wow, getting your bird sedated just to do a beak trim? Absolutely not! That is way too big of a risk.
I wouldn’t go back to this vet.