Long Toenails

[TheLaboratoryBF]

Might be a weird question; but is there anything I can add to my quail hutch to help them wear down their ever-lengthening toenails?

They are on sand (all-purpose which is fairly course and I thought would be good enough to keep their nails worn down) but they don’t seem to scratch nearly as much (if at all) as my chickens do in their run.

I tried clipping one of my hen’s nails and ended up nicking the quick (not to mention they’re too squirmy and twitchy for me to clip all of them without possibly taking off a toe).

Maybe a cheap, rough brick? Or a small seed treat I can sprinkle on the sand to encourage them to scratch? I tried mealworms and they just eat them off the top of the sand without much effort.

Thanks!

 

[el dorado quail]

Maybe file them if you can't find a reasonable solution?

 

[DK newbie]

If you got the quick, I'm guessing the nails are not really all that long?
I suppose you could put the feeder on a concrete paver or something like that so they'll spend some time on the coarse surface, but I'm not sure how much it would help.. I'm not sure I've ever heard about anyone with this problem before

 

[007Sean]

I've never heard or see this as a problem. Maybe increase the size of their run so they get more exercise! maybe that will help keep their toe nails trim.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

Thanks everyone, I’ll figure something out! Mainly just trying to be proactive before it becomes a bigger problem.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

If you got the quick, I'm guessing the nails are not really all that long?
I suppose you could put the feeder on a concrete paver or something like that so they'll spend some time on the coarse surface, but I'm not sure how much it would help.. I'm not sure I've ever heard about anyone with this problem before

It was longer than I’d expect a naturally worn nail to be; starting to curl downward.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

I've never heard or see this as a problem. Maybe increase the size of their run so they get more exercise! maybe that will help keep their toe nails trim.

They’ve got 8 square feet of space for 5 birds so I think that would be enough for exercise.

 

[le_bwah]

They’ve got 8 square feet of space for 5 birds so I think that would be enough for exercise.

That really isn't. Just like with keeping rodents—if the cage isn't big enough for the animal to run (healthy) laps, they will get long nails.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

That really isn't. Just like with keeping rodents—if the cage isn't big enough for the animal to run (healthy) laps, they will get long nails.

I guess all of the information I've been given thus far re: space requirements has been wrong...back to the drawing board!

 

[CoturnixComplex]

I guess all of the information I've been given thus far re: space requirements has been wrong...back to the drawing board!

The info you got was not wrong. You get opinions all over the board on minimum size requirements. This is not the problem imo. My birds are in smaller cages and don't have this issue!