My amazons nails and wings

[purr]

I have tried everything to get her to naturally trim down her nails as they feel like needles digging into your skin. I got her those sandy perches and she avoids them like the plague. I've even took out every other perch in her cage and just left the sandy one in and she'd rather sit on her food bowl rather than on it. Do groomers/vets/etc trim bird nails?? I feel like I need one of those bird gloves to hold her.

2nd:

Her wings. I clipped them once and vowed to never do it again. She hated me for a good week or two after it. I dont want her taking flight and smacking the wall or window, but the wing feathers definitely need clipped bad. I dont know if I'd trust a groomer/vet/etc with my bird and her temper (can be a little fiesty at times).

Anyone have any suggetions on these two matters?

Thanks :)

[mopinko]

1. well

whaddya mean sandy perches? do you mean the cement kind? or the sandpaper cover kind? the cement ones are good, but you have to get the right size, which is probably bigger than you think. they make a swing like that, maybe she would think that is more fun. maybe put her food dishes where she sorta has to step on the perch to get it. it is hard to hang from the side of the cage while eating. not impossible, of course, but hard.
her wings- she probably didn't hate you. bird are programmed to lay low if they can't fly for any reason. so, she was just feeling defenseless, and keeping quiet.
at any rate, yes a vet or a good groomer can take care of both of these things, and are skilled in handling bad girls.
lots of people train their birds to cooperate with grooming. it is a slow process, but worth it in the long run, if you want to do this yourself. you can file her nails with a nail file.
what kind of bird is she?

[purr]

2. The cement ones.. It says it is for Amazon and other sized

birds.

She always hated swings, I put a 'cement swing' in there and she took it apart! I sat there and watched her undo the bolts on the underneath of it. Wasnt a cheap perch either but the comedy of the situation was worth it.

She's a yellow naped amazon, 5 years old. Shes a very good bird but doesnt like her wings being touched, and I can only assume it was from me trimming her wings.

[mopinko]

3. you can desensitize her

most birds don't like their wings touched. i doubt it is anything that you did. i'm not a clicker person, as much as anything else because i know i would loose that thing the first day. besides, i don't think there is anything that you can do with a clicker that you can't do with your voice. but- the methods behind it are quite sound. you can slowly, bit by bit, get her accustomed to having her wings and feet touched, then handled, then clipped/filed.
i confess, tho, that i have my vet do it. my grey does use her cement perch to keep her beak nice and trim. her nails need filing once a year or so. maybe you could get her used to the perch by putting one somewhere up high, in a place she likes to visit, and where she could reach her favorite treat only by stepping on the perch. you can hurt your brain trying to out think these guys.