Dear James,

Congratulations on your new arrival.

Trimming the nails is necessary only when the nails interfere with the birds perching or when the nails have become too long and presents the possibility of them snagging on the cage and other perching or landing areas.

We do not recommend the use of sandpaper covered perches, but rather an assortment of different size hardwood perches and one of the beak and nail conditioners such as a lava rock; both available at your neighborhood pet shop.

Trimming is not difficult but should be done by an experienced bird person to prevent injury.