Exotic Pet and Bird Grooming in Charleston, SC

Exotic Vet Care offers nail trims for all exotic pets, and full grooming for birds. We recommend that all pet birds have their wings properly trimmed, unless they are in a home with a predatory animal (such as a cat, for example) and may find themselves needing to fly away from danger. Trimming the wings is helpful when training a new or fractious bird, because it often reduces the “attitude” the bird may display. A bird in a high place feels he is the master of all he surveys, up to and including his owner.

Nail trimming is mostly for the owner’s comfort, as it is difficult to handle a bird, rabbit, or iguana with razor-sharp nails, but long nails can also become tangled in fabrics and potentially injure the animal.

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Bird Grooming

There are three core aspects of bird grooming: nail trims, beak trims, and wing trims.

Nail Trimming

Beak Trimming

Birds generally maintain their own beaks, but if the beak is excessively sharp, we can trim it a bit. Some birds, especially those with a history of nutritional deficiency, may experience beak overgrowth or malformation. In this case, a corrective beak trim would be necessary, and repeated trims along with changes in nutrition are often necessary to resolve such a situation.

If the beak becomes overgrown, this can lead to other issues, including poorly-kept plumage, dull feathers, poor posture, fungal infection, and disease of the major organs. Left untreated, an overgrown beak can eventually become life-threatening.

Wing Trimming

You cannot trust your bird’s grooming to just anyone. A less experienced groomer may trim your bird’s wings too short. Having too-short wings will inhibit your bird’s ability to fly, and could put them at risk for falls, which can damage their feathers and even harm their legs. Proper wing trimming ensure that your bird remains comfortable, healthy, and able to take wing without risking injury.

Rabbit Grooming

Sometimes our buns need a little help with their grooming. Rabbits are normally very clean, well-groomed animals, and it is extremely stressful for them to be unable to groom themselves properly. Just imagine not being able to do one of your most important daily routines to take care of yourself! Daily brushing helps a lot, but once the fur develops mats, it becomes a much larger issue.

Rabbit skin is very thin and easily cuts and bruises, and rabbits can get very stressed when handled for grooming. We offer “medical grooming” to relieve this condition. After a thorough examination and consultation to ensure dietary or other contributing factors are corrected, your bunny will stay with us or will be scheduled to be dropped off another morning for medical grooming.

For medical grooming, your rabbit will be given a mild sedative and a valium-like medication that helps with fear and anxiety. One of our technicians will monitor him as he gets groomed under sedation. When the grooming is complete, your rabbit will receive another medication to reverse the effects of the sedatives, and then they will be ready to go home.