Concerning Pigeon toe nails and beak

[For_my_Princess]

Good afternoon every one,

I was reading the post about cookie's beak
and I had a few questions related to the
subject.

Is it necessary to trim the toe nails of
a pet pigeon? If so, is there a link that
would show me how to do it?

I also got concerned about the problems
that can arise from the pigeon having a beak
too long. But how can I determine if it is
too long in the first place? Is there some
measurements or is it just by looking at it?

My pigeon is three months old now and I
have never trimmed his toe nails or his beak.
But when he was one month old, he did have
a transparent tip like cookie. It has since
turned to a dark black brown colour now like the rest of the beak. Does it mean that it
was a little too long at the time?

Regards,
Mary

[raynjudy]

Hi, Mary:

Please see reply below in [brackets]...

Good afternoon every one,
I was reading the post about cookie's beak
and I had a few questions related to the
subject.

Is it necessary to trim the toe nails of
a pet pigeon? If so, is there a link that
would show me how to do it?

[No. Not always... We don't trim Cosmo's or Ally's toe nails. Bernie's we do. If the toes aren't rotated abnormally due to obviously overlong nails, don't mess with them.]

[This will be covered in our book project--along with nearly all things pigeon! But I know of no visuals on the technique. What we do is to trim back just a wee bit, at a slight angle in keeping with the normal nail profile, taking care not to bite into the blood supplied nail. In bright light, you can see where the nail is not at all translucent; avoid cutting anywhere near there!]

I also got concerned about the problems
that can arise from the pigeon having a beak
too long. But how can I determine if it is
too long in the first place? Is there some
measurements or is it just by looking at it?

[You will need a micrometer (just kidding!) It will be obvious if there's a problem: The tip will be bent; the pigeon will flinch when trying to eat, etc. If these conditions don't exist, don't sweat it!]

My pigeon is three months old now and I
have never trimmed his toe nails or his beak.
But when he was one month old, he did have
a transparent tip like cookie. It has since
turned to a dark black brown colour now like the rest of the beak.

[That's perfectly normal.]

Does it mean that it was a little too long at the time?

[No. This was a trait of a juvenile pigeon--perhaps the remnant of the "egg" or "pipping beak".]

[Nature does most of her work in fractal curves. We all have a nose. We all have ear lobes. And for all their shapes and sizes, they're all normal.]

[200-million years of evolution refines a thing pretty well--and pigeons are a prime example! It is great that you're observant. It is wise that you ask questions. But unless there's really good cause to suspect a problem, the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", applies here.]

PIGEONS FOREVER!!!

--Ray