My bird has dry feet, wobbly nails, and a sharp beak. What's wrong?

Small nail clippers can be used to take the points off. Sandpaper perch covers or concrete perches can be used to maintain length. Consider an exam with your veterinarian or an experienced avian vet to diagnose mites or skin infection. Bathe or mist with warm water once or twice weekly to promote preening and healthy plumage.

Keep an eye on her. If she will allow, you can clean it daily with a mild antiseptic cleanser. Provide perches of different shapes, textures and thicknesses to condition her feet. Having only round perches of one size can lead to sores on the feet and overgrown nails.

Thanks for reaching out about Tweety. It really depends on if there is damaging being done. Grooming is normal, but if chewing to the point of wounds or bleeding, then a veterinary visit is needed. The feet and legs can be cleaned with warm water and a gentle soap. Good luck.

If she isn't picking at it or holding the foot up all the time, it likely does not hurt her. The nail does look a bit long. You can use a nail clipper to clip the point off. Avoid the pink area (or quick). This is the blood supply and it will hurt and bleed if you clip into it. Wrap her gently in a wash cloth and expose her feet to clip the nails. She will scream and holler but you can do one foot at a time with a rest in between. Concrete perches can help promote healthy nails and feet.

Poor bird! If the foot is at all infected, trying to find a vet that can help in person is best. However, until you can find one, it is a good idea to separate the bird from any cage mates to keep from being picked on, and move him to a warm hospital cage with larger, flat perches that will make perching easier on his feet. Keeping the foot clean and dry and using an ointment such as Blu-kote (most feed and pet stores carry this for use in poultry and other birds) can help prevent infection. You can also Google how to make a bird-sized Elizabethan (cone) collar to put on the bird so that he can't get to his foot and bite it while it heals.

Feed an appropriate pelleted diet supplemented with a fortified seed mix. Use perches of different diameters to exercise the feet. A flat perch platform can also be used to make perching easier. A broken nail can be clipped off at the break. Minor bleeding can be controlled with gentle pressure and some plain cornstarch.

Some scaling is natural, however making sure Pixel is on a balanced diet and doesn't have parasites are two things you can do. Malnutrition can sometimes cause problems with the feet, such as with low vitamin levels. Some parasites such as mites can also cause scaling of the feet, so if you suspect this may be the case (IE he's itching a lot, you see flecks of stuff, etc), a mite spray can be used to treat it. If he doesn't like baths, you might see if he enjoys being misted with a warm water bottle set to mist as this may be less scary than a bath and still encourage him to preen and stay clean. If the scaling worsens or you see any visible wounds or injuries on the feet, having a vet take a look to rule out any more serious issues is best.