I'm kind of bummed out....

WOW!!!....I just deleted what I was going to post...here is the jist of it.

Promised Amy to take her out today. Last night giving lovies I saw that both her arms are fully sleeved. Even though she has NEVER flown,of course it concerns me..this is one time I wish she was harness trained.

I can't get her to her CAV coz they are booked today.. I COULD bring her to our favorite pet store,they would do it for free coz we are regular customers,and Amy could visit with her best buddies the green armed bee bee's,but last time we did that,the girl who "assisted" the girl doing the grooming, had no idea what she was doing,and was intimidated by Amy,and of course Amy squirmed and hollered..When her CAV does the grooming Amy is very receptive and calm ( just chews on the towel )

So I called a CAV that is 15 minutes away ( Amy's doc had given me a number of a 24/7 vet that has a CAV on staff) I could get her in for 11 am today ( now 10:35 my time ) GREAT I said..UNTIL I heard it was going to be $160! "oh we are going to give her a full exam" they said! I said SHE JUST HAD ONE at her regular doc!
It didn't matter! No thanks I said!

Now, I'm thinking of taking her to the pet store,and I will do the holding while the fairly competent tech does the grooming ( she has had fids for 10 years herself and is ok at grooming and I could tell her exactly how I want her to groom Amy).

I'd HATE to disappoint Amy..after all...I PROMISED her!!!


Jim

Any chance of sitting her on the back of a chair and just extending/clipping her wings one at a time yourself? That's how we clip Kiwi. Doesn't even need to be restrained, just plunk him down, keep the lighting relatively low and he'll let you gently extend his wing and clip it, then repeat. Whole process only takes a minute or two. Add talon trimming and he's all groomed up in about 3 minutes. Can't believe in all those years with Amy she still won't let you give her a trim and a pedicure

Just take care and be vigilant Jim please? I am sure Amy will wait for her trip out.

Have you thought of trying to harness train both of them, bet they watch each other like hawks? maybe the other will want some of the action too?

Kiwibird said:

Any chance of sitting her on the back of a chair and just extending/clipping her wings one at a time yourself? That's how we clip Kiwi. Doesn't even need to be restrained, just plunk him down, keep the lighting relatively low and he'll let you gently extend his wing and clip it, then repeat. Whole process only takes a minute or two. Add talon trimming and he's all groomed up in about 3 minutes. Can't believe in all those years with Amy she still won't let you give her a trim and a pedicure

Click to expand...

I have been able to extend Amy's arms a few times,but I don't feel competent doing it. As far as her tootsies,I could prolly use a nail trimmer and just nip the points off until I get her to her regular doc.

K...yes I have been thinking of a harness for Amy...the more I read about other forum folks doing it and having varying degrees of success.
It took Al a long time with Salty,but the end results are fantastic.
Commitment and persurverance!


Jim

Perhaps Al can get you started on one of your get togethers? Sometimes that is all it takes a bit of confidence in what you are doing and trying to achieve?

Be glad to start you on it Jim - we are due for a get together soon. Man with AMy having a full set of flights now, I would be scared S**tless he got spooked by something and took off. THat is how I lost my very first parrot. He never left my shoulder, we would do laundry together, shopping together, heck even drinking together. Then one day, BRAAACKKK a semi hit its air brakes as we were walking home. Skyler took off and I never saw him again.

Ever just thought of leaving her unclipped and teaching her to fly? And harness training, of course. Though I never suggest clipping, the only time clipping should ever need to be done is when you live in a household with many people coming and going an there's no way to remember to close doors. Birds have evolved for thousands of years to fly and they really need to fly for exercise. Plus, my birds gain so much joy from flying, and I watch in awe as they zoom past me, fly laps around the room, and land perfectly on my head . In my opinion, it's so much more fun to have a bird that can fly than one that sits on a perch all day. A bird is a creature of the air; why feel the need to get a bird and clip its wings when you can just as easily get a dog that doesn't fly. When people say they clip for safety reasons, I understand but also think of it like chaining a dog so it doesn't run away. The dog is safer, but surely there are better ways like locking the gate so it stays in the yard. Some people are just not equipped to handle a flighted bird; in that case the clip should be enough so that it can still fly horizontally, but not gain much lift.
Here is an article on the importance of flight:
https://theparrotuniversity.com/flight

FlyBirdiesFly said:

Ever just thought of leaving her unclipped and teaching her to fly? And harness training, of course. Though I never suggest clipping, the only time clipping should ever need to be done is when you live in a household with many people coming and going an there's no way to remember to close doors. Birds have evolved for thousands of years to fly and they really need to fly for exercise. Plus, my birds gain so much joy from flying, and I watch in awe as they zoom past me, fly laps around the room, and land perfectly on my head . In my opinion, it's so much more fun to have a bird that can fly than one that sits on a perch all day. A bird is a creature of the air; why feel the need to get a bird and clip its wings when you can just as easily get a dog that doesn't fly. When people say they clip for safety reasons, I understand but also think of it like chaining a dog so it doesn't run away. The dog is safer, but surely there are better ways like locking the gate so it stays in the yard. Some people are just not equipped to handle a flighted bird; in that case the clip should be enough so that it can still fly horizontally, but not gain much lift.
Here is an article on the importance of flight:
https://theparrotuniversity.com/flight

Click to expand...

Yes totally agree come on folks clipping is an outdated process birds are birds they are meant to fly start the harness training you will see a much happier bird

It's not difficult to give Amy's sleeves a little trim. You need a pair of scissors, big enough to cut a feather easily. Bigger than you think, you want to be able to have the tips pointed away from her body. Try the on a molted feather to get a feel for the force needed. Gently extend the wing enough to display the primaries, and clip just those. The amount of clip depends on how strong a flier she is. Some birds just need the first three primaries cut back a third of the way. Some need the all the primaries trimmed back. You can do one feather at a time, keeping the wings symmetrical. Start with the outermost feathers so the remaining ones support each other. You don't want to have a lone feather or two at the end of the wing with a gap, because then those feathers can be easily broken.

Wing feathers regrow, so if you trim them now you can always let her grow them out as harness training progresses.

Kentuckienne said:

It's not difficult to give Amy's sleeves a little trim. You need a pair of scissors, big enough to cut a feather easily. Bigger than you think, you want to be able to have the tips pointed away from her body. Try the on a molted feather to get a feel for the force needed. Gently extend the wing enough to display the primaries, and clip just those. The amount of clip depends on how strong a flier she is. Some birds just need the first three primaries cut back a third of the way. Some need the all the primaries trimmed back. You can do one feather at a time, keeping the wings symmetrical. Start with the outermost feathers so the remaining ones support each other. You don't want to have a lone feather or two at the end of the wing with a gap, because then those feathers can be easily broken.

Wing feathers regrow, so if you trim them now you can always let her grow them out as harness training progresses.

Click to expand...

My friend from the states keeps his Eclectus and Sun conure clipped which he does himself. He ended up getting blunt ended scissors so no accidents happens. His fids seem to like the calm one on one time they get from it. He lies them on their backs in his lap and does it that way which he finds easier

Kentuckienne said:

It's not difficult to give Amy's sleeves a little trim. You need a pair of scissors, big enough to cut a feather easily. Bigger than you think, you want to be able to have the tips pointed away from her body. Try the on a molted feather to get a feel for the force needed. Gently extend the wing enough to display the primaries, and clip just those. The amount of clip depends on how strong a flier she is. Some birds just need the first three primaries cut back a third of the way. Some need the all the primaries trimmed back. You can do one feather at a time, keeping the wings symmetrical. Start with the outermost feathers so the remaining ones support each other. You don't want to have a lone feather or two at the end of the wing with a gap, because then those feathers can be easily broken.

Wing feathers regrow, so if you trim them now you can always let her grow them out as harness training progresses.

Click to expand...

Amy never fledged...has no clue on even HOW to fly She was only 4 months old when she picked me to go home with..and now at 28 years young,still can't fly.
I allow her to have long sleeves in the cold months,since we don't go out and about in winter.
My buddy DJ (Pookie's Dad) is competent in trimming sleeves and doing nails,he has done Beebers for me...so this weekend I think he'll stop by.
I am still considering a harness though.




Jim

Harness is a great idea. There are stories of birds that never flew in their lives suddenly taking off when frightened by something. The power is there, the ability is there, sometimes instinct kicks in.