Magic_man, the only time it is necessary to trim the nails is if they get damaged. Once in a great while, they will tear a nail just like a human and you just have to trim it slightly to remove any jagged edges. This is rare but does occur. Other than that, the is no reason to trim the nails. As I mentioned above, I lightly use an emery board to dull the extreme edge of the nails so they don't get caught in fabrics.

Thanks, Dave! I notice that we are often on the same page, too. The emery board is a good idea! Make sure your floor is not 100% covered with sandpaper. You probably know this already, Dave, but the birds will get tender feet if they have only sandpaper (or wire) on which to walk. (Since we are teaching a lot of magicians about birds I thought I would mention this.) I think PetSmart carries perches with sandpaper attached. Again, I would use them along with regular perches.

Magic_Man, Howard Hughes was a wealthy recluse who grew crazy-long toenails and fingernails in his reclusive days. A movie was made about his life starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Sometimes the birds get loooong toenails and this reminds me of ol' Howard.

Good point about the sandpaper. Yes, I have one perch with sandpaper and one that is plain. In the winter, I change one of the perches to a flat one so they can stretch and sit on their feet to keep them warm. For those, I just wrap a piece of sandpaper around the top and tack it underneath. I only cover half of the cage bottom with sandpaper. Pet shops sell packages of 10 or 12 precut sandpaper sheets and I just cut them down to size.

Ok now I remember that movie. thanks you guys/ladies (thats for you morning star) you are so helpful.
-Aaron

Dave, that is an excellent idea using a flat perch to keep their feet warm and letting them stretch! I understand birds can become crippled to one size perch and develop arthritis.

I have perches ranging from 1/2" to 1 1/4". My Germany-based birds are inside because of bird flu restrictions, so I don't worry about their feet getting cold. Geez, they are spoiled. I will keep the idea of using the flat perch for future outdoor perches!

This weekend I looked at 100 grams of mealworms squiggling in their plastic box. I paused, picked them up, put them in my cart, drove them around the bird food aisle, looked at them again, then put them back. ARG. Couldn't do it. Maybe next week. Ack!

And to magic_man (Aaron): Glad to help!

Yeah, the meal worms are the most appealing creatures in the universe.