PetSmart/Petco Clipping Wings?

Hey I have a green cheek conure and I think it is time for her to get her wings reclipped. There is little to none bird shops down in Arizona that I know of. And if there is then they're based in Phoenix. I live pretty far away from Phoenix, San Tan Valley(small town), so it will be kind of a far drive for a bird. So I was wondering if it was safe to let Pet Smart or PetCo clip my bird's wings or not?

I asked when I bought Ollie from Petco and they said they don't do it. :-(

I wouldn't; the wing jobs I've seen coming out of those places have literally made me cry. I suggest you research the proper method of clipping and do it yourself. I do the wings and nails of all my birds and honestly I don't trust anyone else to do it.


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I used to get my birds' wings clipped at the vet; he'd offer to have one of the staff do it for free with a checkup (though toenails cost extra), so I used to time visits to be just after the new wing feathers came back in. Then I realized how easy it was to do it myself and never went back to having someone else doing it. Some birds will hold a grudge for a couple days though, I think more because of the toweling than the clipping.

It's funny you mention the grudge; I make sure my birds have their heads covered during the process of nail trimming (wings only take a few seconds at this point and I don't need a towel for it) and when they come out of the towel we snuggle and talk about what a mean towel that was and they are extra clingy for a little while while they rearrange their feathers and tell me all about their opinions on towels! But that said, they also don't fear the towel. None of my birds are fully towel trained to where they like the towel, but it doesn't scare them.


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Petco, most pet stores, train their employees very poorly sometimes. If you go in you might get someone who knows what they are doing or you might not. You might get someone who is afraid of birds even. A bad clip can be dangerous for a bird. You may just need to trim the first few feathers at the outside point of the wings, only the ends of the primaries and not any of the secondary feathers, it depends on how well your bird can fly. You can do it much more safely for the bird than they can, and it isn't hard. It doesn't hurt them. Nails maybe I'd get them done at a vets and then use a grooming perch or two, read up on them here because using them incorrectly can be hard on the feat, but with proper perches the nails will stay at an appropriate length, the way they do in the wild. I've read about birds dying during beak trims, maybe the tech held the Dremel incorrectly and sprayed dust into the birds lungs? Never allow your bird to be taken to another room away from you - you must stay with them and trust your instincts if something doesn't feel right. An inexperienced tech can crush a bird or frighten them badly or otherwise injure them. A bird screaming because he's mad or alarmed is one thing, but a bird screaming in pain and terror means do something.

A note on beak trims; an overgrown beak is a sign of a health problem. Sometimes an old injury, fatty liver disease, etc. very rarely does a beak need trimming unless there is an underlying issue. The only person I would EVER allow to trim my bird's beak would be a qualified Avian vet right in front of me and only if they could explain to me exactly why it needed to be done. My poor GCC Cache had MAJOR pain issues for most of her heartbreakingly short life due to her first owners being told (by petco!) that she needed her beak and wings trimmed every six weeks.


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My local ALLPETS will clip wings and trim nails. The last time I took Amy in,the "assistant" was very nervous handling Amy and Amy felt it and she got nervous and squirmy and tried to nip her. I had to hold Amy.

When I take the kids for their wellness checks,their CAV clips/trims for free as a "curtousy" and her doc is great with them. I'd rather drive the extra miles for peace of mind.


Jim

Right up-front, I am heavily biased against using anyone other than a Trained Avian Expert to complete any trimming, regardless of whether it is Wings, nails and especially the Beak!

I am fully able to complete any of the above and have been trained by my CAV to do so. I choice not to since our Amazons are commonly still working at or have just developed a bond! I want the trained professional (CAV, AQV, or CAVT) to be the 'bad guy' and thus I remain the saving Human to comfort my Amazon from those mean others.

The reason for my deep distrust is that our current Amazon was serious deep Wing Clipped by a 'new' Pet Smart employee. Not going into a long story here. The Amazon's Primary and Secondary Wing Feathers were all cut 'very short' some as deep as 3/4" (19 mm) that cut in to his body. The resulting cut took a long time Fully Flighted Amazon to the status of a Dropped Stone! The crash resulted in splitting his rump wide open. Short story, he was 'left' at the Vets office, because no one wanted to deal with the Post Surgery demands!

The Story continues, but the point is: Why place your Parrot in the hands of an idiot!!!

Totally forgot I posted about this but just a little update! I looked into bird shops in AZ and there's a few around in Scottsdale, AJ, Mesa, etc. But turns out one of my mom's friends used to own birds when she was younger so she had learned how to properly trim a bird's wings. So we had her come over and do it so that we could learn as well. So Azula's wings are perfectly trimmed and she's back to her own self now. I've called Pet Co and Pet Smart but they've said they don't do wing clippings so no worries there! I know now that I'm not going to look to trust them with something this important. Thanks for all the help and suggestions though!
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