greys toenails

Question
We have a hard time getting our grey into a cage to take for nail trims.  Is there any help you can give on this? The other question is there any way to teach him to trim his own? He does chew them once in awhile. What do the wild greys do? Thanks Dave

Answer
hello and thank you for your question.  i know how horrible my little ones have been about getting into a smaller, unfamiliar cage. first of all, it is great that you are taking him for nail trims. nail/wing trims done at home can be dangerous if you aren't experienced. please don't let his/her behavior keep you from taking him to get this done.
greys, as you probably know, are extraordinarily smart parrots. they, like us, are used to familiar environments and surroundings and are very perceptive. when they are "forced" to go into an unfamiliar place, such as a new or different cage, they panic and go into "fight or flight" mode so to speak. i always think of it as trying to drop your child off at school for the first time...new surroundings can be traumatic.
first of all, check that there is nothing frightening about the cage you are using as a travel cage (very subtle things can scare birds). are there toys or objects in the cage that could scare him? is the cage too small or oddly shaped? is the entry small and you are having to "push" him in? all of these things can scare a bird. it's best to have the biggest cage possibly that he can travel in safely with minimal distractions (no toys, i take the food and water out so it doesn't spill, etc). Also, I try to make sure the cage has adequate space for the bird to enter into so I'm not holding the bird awkwardly or having to turn him on his side to get him in...I sometimes use cages with the "play top" with the "roof" that opens up and i can simply place the bird in through the top of the cage and set him on a perch, then close the top. birds can pick up on when we feel anxious and are sort of "manhandling" them into a smaller space and they begin feeling anxious too.
finally, another option would be to acclimate the bird to the new cage on days that he isn't going for trims. perhaps have him spend a little time "inspecting" it, walking around it, on top of it..maybe place a treat inside so that he can go in and let him stay there a while. if he doesn't always associate that particular cage with a "stressful" event like a trip to the vet, he will be more comfortable with it. i hope this helps.
as far as teaching him to do his own trims, unfortunately, i have never found that to be possible. the nails are pretty hard and even if they could cut through the nail, my guess is that the beak wouldn't cut them evenly and they may be left jagged or loose.  i know that they chew on them sometimes, but i think that is more for cleaning purposes, especially if he uses his feet for picking up food.
in the wild, it is sort of a mystery as to how they are able to keep nails short. they are probably alot longer in the wild because there is no human there to complain about how long they are and that they are getting poked! additionally, some people say that because wild birds are always climbing about on a multitude of surfaces...branches, bark, etc, that their nails are trimmed naturally as opposed to being on smooth perches all day like in captivity. whatever you do, please do not consider those sandpaper perches as in my experience, they have done more harm to birds' feet than good for their nails.
thank you again and i hope this helps!  alicia