1st Wing Clip - How long til he's safe on a pearch & know's he can't fly?

Tammy

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Just got back from the vet for Mr. Precious' very 1st ever wing clip. I've kept him on the floor like the vet said so he can learn that he can't fly. How long does this take?

The vet was sooo busy this morning with several emergencies the waiting room was standing room only. To keep him calm I had put a leash on him & left him on my shoulder instead of the carrier. He talked to the other people & laughed along with them. All of the tech's were working on an emergency so I got to hold him for everything. He was pretty calm the whole time.

I'm very worried about putting him on any perch right now as he drops like a stone. He ran & jumped off the couch (had put full laundry basket as a catcher) so I'm sitting on floor with him. How many feathers should be left whole? How long do they take to grow back?
 

oled

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If the wing clip is done the right way he can fly in downgoing direction at least 3-5 meter from a hight of about 1,5 meter
 

Pedro

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Tammy if he drops like a stone then the clip wasn't a correct clip. Oled is right, just enough flights should be clipped so the bird can safely glide to the floor.

Now it will depend on your birds age & when his next molt is due. Parrots usually start replacing flight & tail feathers yearly but is not always the case. However he will get used to not being able to fly. Poor baby.
 
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Tammy

Tammy

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I'm never going to do this to him again but I have to regain control for the safety of the kids. He was going to cut all of them but said they leave 2 on one side & 3 on the other for aesthetic purposes & keep them off balance??? When I read about it, it said to clip 5 feathers on each side. He couldn't even glide off the couch to the basket. He dropped like a rock. I had the laundry basket full of folded towels pushed up against the couch. He jumped & used his wings & fell directly into the basket. There was zero glide factor.

What have they done to him? Is there anything I can do to help him???? He turned 12 in April & has never had wings clipped before. This is the most expensive & best veterinary practice within a 2 hour radius. I pay $60 just for a nail clip.
 

IcyWolf

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Holy cow! $60 for a clip and they didn't even do it correctly?! I would be complaining if I were you. It depends on the type of bird for how many feathers to clip, obviously, heavier birds don't need as many trimmed as a very light bird. But I always do the same number on each wing, I don't know why you would intentionally make a bird unbalanced. With our alex, I think I took one too many off, she can still glide, but not as well as I would like her too, I underestimated how heavy she was and thought I would need to take off more than I really did, but she still doesn't drop like a rock. I don't plan on clipping her again, but for future reference, it's nice to know. She is the first alex I have clipped as they aren't very common around here, but if I ever need to do it again, I will know to trim less. IMO, $60 is too expensive for a clip, even if it was done correctly. I did bird grooming at the last pet store I worked at and I only charged $4 for nails and $4 for wings. We did it that way because we charged $8 for dog nails so that way it was easy to remember, since most people got wings and nails trimmed, it still came out to $8.
It also seems like they gave you pretty horrible service, "standing room only" and they were so busy that you had to do the job of the vet techs. Seems like a bad way to show their clients that they actually care about you.
 

Pedro

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Tammy once Mr Precious has a molt his new feathers will grow back in 6 weeks but you will have to wait for the old cut ones to fall out first. I would have to say it could be anywhere from 6 to 12 months. Did you notice when he last went through a molt???
 

henpecked

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IMO no one other than the owner should clip wings. Start by clipping maybe 5 of the outer (outboard) primarys.Clip more if you feel the need but you can't glue them back on . Test your result and cut another one or two if needed. I hear of more horror stories about some one else clipping a birds wings.That and people not realizing when their birds flights have regrown and losing them outside. Should i make a video and show everyone how to clip your fid's wings the right way? Trust me Mr Precious knows something is up after being flighted for 12 yrs, maybe one day is all it will take for him to realize things have changed.He is very aware of his limitations , the changes in his personality may take a little longer, but they will come.
 
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IcyWolf

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IMO no one other than the owner should clip wings. Start by clipping maybe 5 of the outer (outboard) primarys.Clip more if you feel the need but you can't glue them back on . Test your result and cut another one or two if needed. I hear of more horror stories about some one else clipping a birds wings.That and people not realizing when their birds flights have regrown and losing them outside. Should i make a video and show everyone how to clip your fid's wings the right way? Trust me Mr Precious knows something is up after being flighted for 12 yrs, maybe one day is all it will take for him to realize things have changed.He is very aware of his limitations , the changes in his personality may take a little longer, but they will come.

Someone actually just posted a really good how to video on wing trimming about a week ago but I can't remember who it was now.
 

Remy

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It sounds like they took off too much! When I got Puck his wings were over-clipped. he drops like a rock too... I'm waiting for them to grow back in! I read somewhere that caiques are only supposed to have 3 primaries clipped , since they're not strong fliers, and whoever did it clipped like 6 or 7 at least....

I don't know about anyone else's bird, but at this point I would not want to clip Puck's wings myself! Maybe in the future. I've done it with smaller birds in the past, but not birds that were as strong willed and bitey as Puck.

If I were you, I would complain, and perhaps ask for a refund!!
 

mtdoramike

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I use a mobile bird groomer to clip my birds wings. My bigger bird (Eclectus), they give a shallow clip because of him being large bodied. So yes, his feathers will grow back quicker, but he will also be able to glide to the ground rather than dropping like a stone.

My bird groomer suggested that I should take him to a room with heavy carpet and give him a gentle toss to see how far he will glide before I take him outside unteathered. If not, I could have a gone bird if the wings are clipped to shallow. I would be more concerned with the nail filing. Both my birds tend to fall off their perches for the first few nights after having their nails done. So I went out and bought 2" foam pads that are used in schools for kids to play on. I line the bottom of the cage under their perches with it. So nif they fall, they have some kind of cushion. It's covered with nylon covering so it's easy to clean.

My wife tells me I ack like and over protective mother who tries wrapping their child up in bubble wrap before sending them outside to play hahahahahahaha. But after the first time of hearing Mac fall to the bottom of is cage and then scramble back up the side of his cage, I decided I needed to do something for my peace of mind and his protection.
 

mtdoramike

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It sounds like they took off too much! When I got Puck his wings were over-clipped. he drops like a rock too... I'm waiting for them to grow back in! I read somewhere that caiques are only supposed to have 3 primaries clipped , since they're not strong fliers, and whoever did it clipped like 6 or 7 at least....

I don't know about anyone else's bird, but at this point I would not want to clip Puck's wings myself! Maybe in the future. I've done it with smaller birds in the past, but not birds that were as strong willed and bitey as Puck.

If I were you, I would complain, and perhaps ask for a refund!!

Yes, but what if you decide since your birds wings are clipped that you want to take them outside? Once outside the bird flys away because of a shallow cut, would you complain and ask for a refund form the person who clipped their wings? To me, wing clipping is subjective at best for each bird or species of bird. My birds groomers ask me how do I want them clipped. My little senegal, I always get a deep clip with her because she is small, light and can get a really good glide going even with a deep clip.
 

mtdoramike

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IMO no one other than the owner should clip wings. Start by clipping maybe 5 of the outer (outboard) primarys.Clip more if you feel the need but you can't glue them back on . Test your result and cut another one or two if needed. I hear of more horror stories about some one else clipping a birds wings.That and people not realizing when their birds flights have regrown and losing them outside. Should i make a video and show everyone how to clip your fid's wings the right way? Trust me Mr Precious knows something is up after being flighted for 12 yrs, maybe one day is all it will take for him to realize things have changed.He is very aware of his limitations , the changes in his personality may take a little longer, but they will come.

I disagree. Unless the owner is experienced in wing clipping, it could end in disaster.
 

oled

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On Villi I started with 5 primary and after a month I took 2 more on eatch side (alway do same on both side). He can flye aprox. 6-7 meter in a downgoing direction and he know about it.
 

Auggie's Dad

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Different groomers have different goals in clipping. Those who leave the outside couple of primaries intact are concerned with the aesthetics - like people who get a macaw and strap it to a perch on the wall like a piece of art.

Those who give asymmetrical clips are (generally) interested in keeping "control" of a bird by keeping them uncomfortable and scared.

While I have made no explicit statement as to whether these goals are right or wrong, if a groomer give asymmetrical clips leaving the outermost primaries I would *not* go back to that groomer; I'm not sure I would even want to be around them!

But then I don't clip at all
[[ Not saying one shouldn't clip - just that it's an option if it is safe and appropriate for your bird's environment ]]
 
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Tammy

Tammy

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Thank you all. By the end of the night he was able to glide off of the couch to get to the ground. I won't be clipping him after they grow back. I had to get him clipped so I could address his aggression with others in my household. I told the vet about him going after the children so perhaps that's why he did it that way.

I feel like a total *ss for having to ask this, but how do I know when he's molting? He never loses a bunch of feathers, he's always glossy & irredescent. On here it sounds like it's totally obvious when they molt but I have no clue.

I didn't mind that it was busy. I worked for a vet for years & Monday's are always crazy because dogs/cats get sick on the weekend. How could I complain when I see a half paralyzed dog rush in for an X-Ray & a 16 yr. old Spaniel come in for Euthanasia with a sobbing family. I was actually very glad that I got to hold him. He did way better for me than with the vet tech's. I was able to talk to him & reassure him the whole time.

The other reason I chose this vet is they are the only one that have 24/7 emergency treatment for patients. I read that by the time a bird shows he's sick it's already serious so I wanted to be able to get in whenever it's needed.
 

oled

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You can easely se when he is molting this feaders. When molding the primary you will find the clipet on the bottom of the cage
 

Remy

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So he's able to glide now? Maybe he was just getting used to it.

Puck got a little used to his, but still doesn't glide, so I know they're too short.
 

Remy

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mtdoramike - Personally, I would test the bird out indoors for a while before taking it outside to try the new wing clipping. That way I know the bird's limits.
 

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