Ringneck Nail Biting

[Ben01]

Hello everyone, I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster. I'm the happy owner of an Indian ringneck named Charlie, and thought I'd throw a question to you all.

Charlie has a habit of biting his nails. Is this because they're too long and is this a normal behaviour (ie. is he just naturally 'trimming' them himself) or am I being neglectful somehow and need to trim his nails? I've done a bit of a hunt around the forums, and most discussion on the topic seems to put it in-line with wing-clipping (Charlie's wings aren't clipped, but he's been hand-reared, so he is very tame). I've seen that they can bleed if done incorrectly, so I'm loathe to give it a go, but will seek some professional (Vet) intervention if required.

Grateful for any and all advice!

Regards

Ben

[sanjays mummi]

Sanjay used to chew his talons when I first had him, but stopped after a while and has'nt done it since. I wondered if it was boredom and/or stress. His cessation coincided with learning to forage and a bigger cage he could actually fly around in.

[Ben01]

Cool. He's still fairly young, so hopefully he'll grow out of it. I'll grab him some new toys to play with as well just to keep things a bit more interesting in the cage.

Thanks for your reply!

Ben

[Melika]

Hane chews his nails when he is uncomfortable with the situation. Especially if I am holding him. He won't bite me, but he clearly wants to be somewhere else and isn't happy or feeling very secure- this usually happens when there are lots of people around or perceived danger and he would rather be tucked away in his cage hiding behind some toys. Sometimes he gets frustrated when I won't let him bite at my ring or go somewhere he wants to go and will pick on his nails then as well.

Tsume, Hane's brother, would bite his nails constantly if you tried to pet him. He really did not like to be touched.


So in my limited IRN experience, it means the bird is uncomfortable/frustrated with something.