Leg Bands

how many people have had their birds get their legs scraped by these bands. I noticed this on Maxx this morning. also thinking this band has slipped and could be the cause of some of his falling. I have these on 3 birds is there any reason I should not just do away with the bands?

That's a great question!

Legal Side: At present, the USA Law views Parrots as property and to assure your ownership of said Property. You need to have some method of defining your Parrot as yours! Since, Parrots Molt and therefore a photo day will be a bit different than say four months ago and worst four years ago. Photos just will not work. That said, Photo's of specific physical (not feathers) markings and/or those items listed below will help!

At present, there are three forms of identification that 'can' be used to define this Parrot as yours.
1. Tattoo Marking(s)
2. ID Chip (Micro Chip)
3. Leg Band(s)

The one item from above that that is most easy to remove /change is the Leg Band. In addition, you will need to have the ID Numbers as part of your Vets records and/or your purchase documents of your Parrot for it to support the Parrot is yours in the eyes of the Law.

It is just as important that your Vet Records and/or purchase receipt presents number and location of the Tattoo Marking(s) and Micro Chip Number.

Most people who are taking Parrots know the weakness of the Leg Band and it is the first thing they remove!!!

To your question: Leg Bands are seen as highly dangerous to your Parrot since Parrots have a high likelihood of getting the Leg Band caught and either damaging their leg or the Parrot is left hanging on a cage or like item and they die from inversion or the effort in attempting to release them self.

NOTE: Do Not Remove the Leg Band unless you have yet another method of Identification of your Parrot!

he is going in tomorrow for a trim and band removal and will be getting chipped in a couple of weeks.

Yes, the above post about the legal side is quite good.


Second, any toy that a PROPERLY FITTING leg band could get stuck on is a dangerous toy to start with.

Third, if your bird is falling regularly he needs to go to the vet; that is a sign that something is majorly wrong.

Your VET can remove the leg band; DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DO IT YOURSELF!

I personally have shared my life with over a hundred birds both permenant, foster, and as a breeder. I would not remove the band unless it was hurting an injury caused some other way since in the 15 years I have been working with birds a properly fitted closed band has never caused a problem, and I HAVE had birds stolen from my home. That said, any band that is too small, too large, or has a split in it (very common in pet store birds esp from shady breeders) those should be removed immediately.

In the end of the band is causing you concern, go ahead and take him to the vet to have it removed. He needs to go anyway if he is falling (I cannot stress this enough!), and if he has an injury to that leg the band could actually be causing him pain. Best to consult your vet when you have him in for the falling issue.


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hell these bands can't be cut off with a pair of dykes
need small bolt cutter. I'm not going to speak on the everytime I turn around
someone saying get your bird to a vet. the falling is nothing more then being a clumsy
young bird, I could see this band being a part of it since it is located where he walks on it with every step.

As a breeder I can tell you, a bird falling all the time "because it is young" is NOT normal.

Also, birds can be seriously injured during the removal of a leg band if it isn't done correctly. Your attitude is quite concerning to me.


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first off who the hell are you to judge
anything I do.

Your attitude is quite concerning to me.

I'm sorry that you are unhappy with the advice you received when you asked for input. On this forum we are here to support those who are looking to do the best possible thing for their birds. Being young does not cause falling, leg bands do not cause falling. Injury, neural problems, stroke, extreme weakness due to injury; these things cause falling.

Removing the leg band is an option, but not one that will stop your bird from falling. Removing the leg band yourself puts your bird at risk. It seems from your responses that you have never done it before. As a professional in this field, I have. With the proper tools (hint: a bolt cutter is not the proper tool) and with the right help to insure that the bird remained immobile and I cut through the band, not the leg. I'm sorry if you think the welfare of your bird isn't worth the small cost of asking someone with experience to remove the band correctly.

I think you will find here that none of us gives the advice we thing the person asking is looking to hear; we try to give the best advice we can based on our personal experience and study. We also try to refrain from cursing at one another.


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Going back and re-reading the thread I see that you have actually said that the bird is seeing a professional to have the band removed. I'm not sure why you felt it necessary to respond so aggressively, when you are already doing what I suggested by not doing this yourself...


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SilverSage said:

Going back and re-reading the thread I see that you have actually said that the bird is seeing a professional to have the band removed. I'm not sure why you felt it necessary to respond so aggressively, when you are already doing what I suggested by not doing this yourself...


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Click to expand...

just a little insight I am very close to the people who own the Aviary I deal with sometimes I speak with them daily just being friendly. if I think I need a vet I will see them first, then their vet if needed. my bird shows no sign of being sick so why would I see a vet, maybe I got to many toys in his cage and helping this falling thing could be by some of the pics I have seen here of cages I don't see many stocked like I have done his, who knows but I don't fear he is sick.

which has brought me to what I'm about to post, when I first came on this forum I read maybe 5 hours of posts in a couple of days and it sure seemed like the term you need a vet, or get your bird to a vet was used a lot. well to be honest to a guy that has just spent 10k in the last year buying and taking up the hobby of being a keeper of birds I have always loved. well it made me start to question my decision to even get into this. so I stayed away for a few weeks as info is good but not all info is good some is just a bit much.

this run to the vet is not always a good thing common sense should tell a person if something is up with their bird if they are paying attention at all. you know when you scream fire some get freaked out, just think of the Vet word being fire here.

Lincoln doesn't have a leg band and as far as I'm aware he doesn't have a chip either, how much might it cost to get him chipped?

I will leave the topic of the vet, since clearly we will not agree.

Owlet, that depends on many things such as the size of your bird (anything smaller than a Grey and most vets still won't chip them at all), whether the vet does the procedure often, whether they use anesthesia, etc. the best plan to start is likely your local vet. It is a much more involved process than chipping a dog or cat since with birds the chip is placed in the muscle rather than just under the skin.


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Eclectus are roughly the size of a grey so I think know it'd be okay, I'll email my avian vet, thanks!

Owlet said:

Lincoln doesn't have a leg band and as far as I'm aware he doesn't have a chip either, how much might it cost to get him chipped?

Click to expand...

I think around 25.00 my people are not set up yet but will be soon. it would not surprise me if I get Maxx done free since he is a raised baby by my aviary which they give free grooming on. but if it cost me a little that's ok to I don't mind at all.
don't know about the Vet thing they will be doing the chips at the aviary I use. I will report on the procedure when I have Maxx done.

It will also depend on area; it costs about $40 to chip a dog in my area, birds closer to $200. On lady was doing it for around $80 but since she killed the bird she was chipping right in front of my eyes, I would be willing to pay more to have it done by someone with a good reputation and lots of experience with the procedure.


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She WAS a vet, by the way. We still don't know what went wrong.


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chip idea out the window, no dope for my birds and no leg bands either.
hell I don't let em smoke my weed so no dope.

and now I will thank you for your horror story post. sorry this happened to ya

I tend to prefer a lighter hand when it comes to moderating, so I haven't stepped in... yet. But I am going to ask that a more laid back tone be adopted, here. The back and forth is getting a bit more animated than is really necessary.

Dave, Dani (SpiritSage) has given you her opinion on what should be done for your bird based on your description of his apparently frequent falls. Personally, I think it sound advice. Some birds are indeed clumsier than others, and it is possible that either too aggressive a nail clip or too long a set of nails could be responsible, but the fact is that it could also be a sign of illness of some sort. Even a neurological disorder. This is why she is as concerned as she is. She's just looking out for Maxx.

That said, I also realize that we are not onsite physically examining your bird. And that, of course, is the limitation of the internet as a diagnostic medium. Given that limitation, when someone tells you a set of symptoms that could be a sign of something serious, the best suggestion is to recommend a vet. If, however, you have experts on hand capable of diagnosing your ekkie in person, I'd say they have us at a marked disadvantage.

All we can do is give you advice based on our experiences. But it is for you to decide if said advice is right for you and for Maxx.

As for the possible dangers of microchipping, perhaps it is a rare event. But I'd rather know if it is a possibility, however remote, than be potentially - and tragically - surprised later on. You know what I mean?

Long story short, it's all love here, people. Let's keep it positive.

Probably sounds stupid but don't they inject the chip into dogs? Why can't they do that with a bird? I understand it's under the muscle but would it be all that hard to get a needle down there? Or do they have to surgically insert the chip?

Also what's the tattoo thing that was mentioned? What's the process for that? I'm not huge on the idea of tattooing my self let alone my bird but it might be my only option if I want to take Lincoln outside anytime soon

bird chips after talking with the aviary folks goes in the abdomen area into a muscle in there. they have to be (mildly sedated. and that alone is a reason not to chip the bird) as far as I'm concerned.