Roger just about gave me a heart attack :(

**Logan** · 02-28-2005, 10:46 AM

Oh my........something made me come home early for lunch this morning and boy am I glad I did! I checked on the Cockatiels this morning, as did Helen, before we left the house, but we did not let them out of their cages. I promised I would let them out at lunchtime (think they understood??). Anyway, I got here about 20 minutes ago, took care of the dogs, walked back to the office to check my birds and give them some lettuce, and I realized that Roger's foot was stuck in the hanging part of the little happy hut that has been in his cage for over 3 years. OMG.

The more I tried to free him the harder he fought and bit the tar out of me. It's at the back of the cage and I could hardly see what I was doing. As I was trying to remove the hut, with him hanging on for dear life, his foot finally came free. I think his toenail was hung up in it, actually. Well, no body has a Happy Hut anymore because I took them out of both cages. It scared me to death. It obviously scared Roger too. He immediately stepped up onto my finger, though and now he's cuddling with his favorite bird girl, Milly. I was just horrified! What if I hadn't come home when I did?

A question, now, that I have never concerned myself with before.....how do you clip their nails? What tool do you use? And how often? I have their wings clipped by the veterinarian approximately every 6 months (when they start flying). Should I just have him clip their nails too?

I think my heart rate has slowed down a bit now.......it does feel like a Monday! It is cold and dreary and I knew I should have stayed in bed this morning!

Logan

**My Peanuts** · 02-28-2005, 11:07 AM

Oh poor Roger! I'm glad he is ok. With my tiels I take them to the place where I got Evie. I’m too scared to do it myself. They clip their nails for $2 per tiel. Sometimes the vet does it if someone is there and happens to need it. My tiels each have one of those Polly's cement perches and their nails stay generally short form that. I don't need to worry about nails too much. Thanks for the news about the Happy Hut. I'll make sure none of my tiels get one of those!

**BitsyNaceyDog** · 02-28-2005, 12:26 PM

Oh poor Roger.
I clip my birds nails myself, though they rarely need it. I use cat nail clippers and just barely take off the sharp tip of the nail. Always make sure to have synthetic powder near by, just in case. They shouldn't need it done too often, every 6 months or so when their wings are clipped should be fine. I'm not a big fan of the cement perches. Look at your birds feet, their nails don't even touch the perch, and I have seen the cement perches cause soars on birds feet.

**Logan** · 02-28-2005, 01:13 PM

Thanks to both of you for your feedback. We have cement perches in both cages, and the Tiels seem happy to perch on them, but I don't think they do a whole lot for the nails.....of course, until today, I have never even thought about clipping their nails (and that's 3+ years for Roger and almost 3 years for Milly). There will definitely be no more "Happy Huts". I remember reading about the death of someone's bird on my bird board, years ago, and still never gave it a second thought, thinking it was a fluke thing.........now I won't question things of that sort again, and will ere to the side of caution, for sure!

Roger seems to be fine, now, thank goodness, although I did see him messing with his sweet, right foot, earlier. Now he has stopped. There was no blood or anything. He just seems to be a bit nippy and anxious, but I have to say, I don't blame him in the least!!! I think I can safely go back to work now. I was too scared before!

**K9soul** · 02-28-2005, 01:33 PM

What an awful scare Logan

. I clip Dawn's nails fairly regularly because I wear short sleeved shirts almost all the time, and after a couple weeks her claws form little needle points that go right through the flesh in my arms when she's climbing up and down my arms

It looks a bit like a prickly cactus bumped me up and down my arm when that happens, little scratches and red dots.

I have 'scissors' birdie nail clippers like this: http://www.birdalog.com/index_m.cfm/S/41/N/294

I just hold her and snip off the very tips, I don't really try to shorten them, I just keep the very sharp little tip cut off. I think this also helps to keep her nails from getting caught in things, and by doing it regularly they never really grow, but stay the same length I think.

**momoffuzzyfaces** · 02-28-2005, 01:39 PM

Oh, Roger, sweetie! I'm so glad you are ok.
Did you talk to my cat, Leonardo? He did something similar to that when he was a baby.
I too had come home for lunch when I heard tons of MEEEEEOOOWWWWWSSSSS coming from the kitchen. He had crawled up behind the refrigerator and got his front paw wrapped around the coils.
I couldn't get him free and I couldn't let him dangle there to call for help. (this was before cell phones).

I finally shoved him up on top of the coils hoping he could sit there until I got help. When I lifted him up, his paw came free.
I think we both lost a year off our lives that day!

**ramanth** · 02-28-2005, 02:14 PM

What an aweful scare! I'm glad Roger is okay. *hugs*

**popcornbird** · 02-28-2005, 05:57 PM

What a scare!!! I've read so many scary stories about those birdie huts on many bird forums that I've never even considered getting one for the tiels. I'm glad I didn't!!! Good to hear you took them out of the cage. Poor Roger! Glad everything turned out okay!

***LabLoverKEB*** · 02-28-2005, 09:59 PM

For once it's not a TUESDAY! (Remember all wierd things/scares ued to happen on Tuesdays?)

How scaaary! I am soo relieved that your sweet Roger is alright, though! {{{{BIG HUGS}}}}}