Most birds are fastidious about taking care of their grooming needs. There will be times, however, when you'll need to lend your bird a helping hand. Birds instinctively tend to their feathers by preening, but since water stimulates preening behavior, you'll be helping your bird keep her feathers in top shape by making sure her bath is full. Nails and beaks stay trimmed in nature, but because your bird lives caged, she may require some help in that department also. Bathing and nail/beak trimming, as well as wing clipping, are all part of the bird grooming.

Feather Care: Bathing

Bath requirements vary depending on what type of bird you have but all species have a few basic needs when it comes to bathing.

Provide your bird with clean water in which to bathe. Some birds, such as budgerigars and canaries, bathe in tubs designed to hang in the open doorway of their cages. Other birds, such as finches, prefer shallow bath dishes of plastic or earthenware placed on the bottoms of their cages. Most birds are eager to bathe, but a bird that is reluctant may be tempted by a piece of lettuce placed in the bath water. He may also be more inclined to bathe after rubbing against wet lettuce or other foliage you've placed in his cage.

The bath water in a tub or dish should never be too deep (1/2 inch for small birds and one inch for larger birds). The bath should be removed from the cage immediately after use to keep it from being fouled by bird droppings. In addition, leaving the bath in the cage presents a drowning hazard.

Your bird will not normally require any soap or shampoo product in her bath water, although a feather conditioner may be added to the water if desired. If your bird has somehow gotten particularly dirty, there are bird shampoos available to wash off her feathers.

Certain species have unique requirements. Some types of birds, such as quail, enjoy "bathing" in sand or bird grit, which you can provide in the same type of container as her water bath. Birds such as parrots will not generally bathe in an open dish of water. Parrots must be given spray baths on a regular basis, a routine they seem to relish. The spray bottle used should be new and used only for that purpose (plant misters work well). Never use a bottle that has held anything but plain water to spray your bird.

To bathe your bird, you'll need:

• Bath dish, bath tub or spray bottle
• Feather conditioner (optional)
• Bird shampoo (optional)
• Clean water, sand or grit (Sand or grit is used for certain types of birds such as quail.)

Nail Care: Trimming

Overgrown nails interfere with the free movement of your bird. A mineral perch in the cage will help keep her nails trimmed but is not always sufficient. At some time, your bird's nails may need clipping. Here are a few nail trimming tips:

• It is best to use clippers designed specifically for birds (with a hole through which the nail fits).
• It is also possible to use, depending on the size of the bird, baby- or regular-sized human nail clippers or nail clippers designed for dogs.
• You should have on hand a styptic or blood-stopping powder (e.g., Quik-stop), designed to quickly stop bleeding, just in case a blood vessel in the nail is cut. Flour or cornstarch can also be used to stop blood flow.

If you feel uncomfortable about clipping your bird's nails, a veterinarian can do it for you.

Beak Care: Trimming

A bird's beak can also become overgrown. You should take your bird to a veterinarian to have her beak trimmed.

Wing Care: Wing Clipping

Most birds, except perhaps finches and canaries, benefit from time spent outside of their cages. If you are going to let your bird out of her cage, you'll have to be sure her flight feathers are clipped so she won't escape from the house. A bird with clipped wings is also easier to train and less likely to injure herself by flying into a wall or window if frightened.

If you do decide to clip your bird's wings, you'll need a sharp pair of scissors. A blood-stopping powder should also be on hand, in case you nick a blood feather. (If this happens, the feather must be pulled out and a blood-stopping substance applied; apply pressure to the area from which the feather was removed until bleeding stops.).

For wing clipping, you'll need:

• Sharp scissors
• Blood-stopping powder (e.g., Quik-stop), flour or cornstarch

If you feel uncomfortable about clipping your bird's wings, a veterinarian can do it for you.