How to clean my bird's cage, trim its beak, and tell its gender?

Palpation of the pelvic bones is certainly a valid method of sexing birds, but a somewhat difficult one. Even experienced veterinary professionals still have difficultly sexing birds by this method or many others. In all honesty the only way to truly sex these parrots is by either waiting to see if it lays eggs or with imaging modalities at your veterinarian. In terms of general avian care, the first thing I would do is locate an avian veterinarian and establish a relationship. It does not have to be a specialist, but at least someone who is familiar and comfortable working with pet birds (unfortunately there are not too many). They can help walk you through some of the quirks of parrots in particular. In regards to general husbandry, wing clipping is not usually necessary more than once a year. Occasionally, twice a year is needed but this is uncommon. Nail trimming / beak trimming frequency will be determined by their environment and behavior. The more time Julie spends moving around and gnawing on things, the less likely and frequently you will need to have her trimmed. With a new pet bird, I would recommend a thorough check up by a vet as soon as possible to try and determine age and health. I would also bring in a fecal sample to make sure there are no parasites that might require treatment. Hope this information is helpful!

Thanks for reaching out. Most birds beaks do not need trimming. They naturally where down as they chew food and investigate materials. Generally, when a bird needs a beak trim, something is wrong, such as liver disease, malocclusion or some viral diseases. For bathing, some birds like the shower, a wash bin or can be sprayed gently. Some appreciate room temperature, some warm. You just need to play around a little. Good luck.

Follow directions for application on the container. Some sprays can be used directly on the bird (avoiding the eyes, nose and mouth), others cannot. Clean and sanitize her cage, bowls, perches and toys. Discard anything that cannot be sanitized. Change the cage paper or substrate daily. Provide a mineral block, pumice stone or cuttlebone to maintain beak length. Your avian veterinarian can trim the beak if necessary. Concrete or textured perches can also be used as they promote healthy feet as well as provide natural beak trimming opportunity.

Trim her nails anytime holding her is uncomfortable. It is never recommended to trim the beak at home. If you've never trimmed bird nails, have your veterinarian show you the first time. You can place a mineral block and chew toys in the cage to keep the beak pared down.

Julie looks like she may be a Quaker parrot by looking at the side view of her in the picture. You can post additional views in this forum for confirmation. Small parrots should be fed a varied diet with a commercial pelleted diet being the base. A fortified seed diet can be offered in limited quantities to prevent obesity and finicky eating. Most fresh fruits and vegetables can be offered daily as well. Favorites are grapes, apple, cooked egg and pasta. Limit fruit to prevent loose droppings. The cage should be cleaned weekly, if not more frequently depending on how messy she is. Provide different sized perches to exercise her feet. Parrots are chewers so care must be taken that they don't chew wires or toxic plants. Provide plenty of bird safe chew toys and other toys to keep her engaged. Rotate them out to prevent boredom. Ideally, she should be examined by an experienced avian veterinarian yearly. Please peruse the Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach Library for articles regarding bird care.

Bruno appears to be female. This is determined by the color of her cere ("nose"). In female budgies, it is flesh colored, in males it is noticeably blue. She may be coming into her breeding season which could be a potential cause for the appearance of her cere. She would have to be physically examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating birds in order to diagnose any infection in the area.

Rough skin on the legs usually indicates dry skin or even possible issues such as mites (parasites) or vitamin deficiencies. Treating your bird for mites and making sure she's on a balanced diet should help. Nail length has no bearing on the condition of the legs, but if the nails are too long, trimming them can help with perching. Without seeing a photo of your bird, it would be hard to say if they are male or female. Birds do not change sex randomly, and it could be that your bird is now old enough to show mature colors, or has a mutation that may make it harder to sex.