Groomers clipped my bird when I told them not to

BeoBean

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May 13, 2020
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I had hoped my first post here would be a happier one, but I just really need to vent right now. So I have this sweet little crimson bellied conure named Beo. Heā€™s my first bird and I love him to bits. When I got him back in December his wings were already clipped. I didnā€™t mind this since it meant he couldnā€™t fly around and hurt himself when we first got him home and it made it easier for him to bond with me. He loves me now and is the sweetest little thing and is really easy to train so when his molt happened and he got some primaries back, I made the decision to not have his wings clipped again. I started training him and having him practice flying to my hand every day. He loved it so much and I was so proud of him. You could just see the joy on his stupid little face. He started trying to fly the whole way to my room to see me, too, instead of walking like he used to. I feel terrible now that this has been taken away from him.

When I handed Beo over to the guy at the front desk I made sure to request that his feathers not be clipped, but I guess this info wasnā€™t relayed since he ended up clipped anyway. I didnā€™t even notice anything wrong with his wings until I got home and thought to check if they did clip him. When I noticed it broke my heart and Iā€™m still upset about it. I feel really bad for Beo since he obviously loved flying so much.

I think itā€™s safe to say Iā€™m never shopping at this place again, which sucks since itā€™s the only bird store in my area with regular hours thatā€™s not Petco or Petsmart. I bought Beo at this store and also just bought my Turquoise from there only a week and a half ago.

I know itā€™s not that big of a deal and the feathers will grow back eventually but I just feel bad for Beo now that he canā€™t fly anymore, especially when heā€™s come to love it so much...
 

MonicaMc

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Although not likely to be cheap.... you could look into imping? That is, if you could find a vet willing to imp your bird.... it's the process of creating "artificial wings" with the use of actual feathers! Feathers from another bird donated in order to increase the length of his own flights... thus "reversing" the damage of clipping.


I don't recommend clipping, not even for new bird or aggressive birds. Fantastic though that you have been training him! Sounds like you've been doing it right! (so many train wrong!) Hopefully the feathers grow back quickly! But of course, if he just got them in, it may take a while. :(
 

Flboy

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This is a big deal! It was a major error, but if they really are that good otherwise, you may want to forgive them! Search yourself, were you very clear? Or, more like, "Gee, I would you rather not clip, if thatā€™s OK?"
I ask, because I have family(wife) that doesnā€™t realize she expresses herself that way! Since I am a tech geek, I am annoyingly explicit! To the point of making you repeat my instructions! I also repeat back what I believe you asked for!
 

LaManuka

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As Monica has suggested, if you have a skilled certified avian vet available, implanting donor flight feathers is certainly an option. I had it done on a quaker and flight was instantly restored, and although it wasnā€™t a cheap procedure it certainly wasnā€™t as hideously expensive as I thought it would be, but it was worth the cost anyway to make him whole again :)
 
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SailBoat

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Truly worth double checking how you asked the question.

If you enjoy the shop, it is very worth while having a discussion with the owner regarding this error. Our Avian Vet clinic uses a chart regarding work to be preformed even when it is stated as part of the scheduled appointment. Saves on embarrassing errors.

I find when faced with such events that how one handles it gains you respect and the owner a reason to upgrade their services. If they never hear of problems, they loose customers and without customers, they close.
 

bill_e

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When I first got Nike I used to go to a local (2hr round trip) shop and if I spent at least $15 they would do all the trimming for free. I was relatively happy with the work but I would spend $20 or more on stuff every time I went. Then Nike had her first vet visit with me and I had the CAV do the trimming. It was normally $19 each for wing, nails or beak but cheaper in conjunction with the wellness check. Anyhow long story short I now bring her to the CAV (2 hr round trip) for the trimmings. It's a little more expensive but they do it in front of me in the exam room and I usually get a quick visual checkup along with it which to me is worth the extra few bucks.
 
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BeoBean

BeoBean

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Beo (Crimson-bellied Conure), Luca (Turquoise Green-Cheek Conure)
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When I handed Beo over to the guy at the front desk I was about to mention I didnt want him clipped but then the guy working there actually beat me to it and made sure to ask if there was anything I didnt want done. At this time I made sure to explicitly state that I did NOT want him clipped since I didnt want any mistakes and this is something I felt strongly about. Normally I do tend to talk in a way like "Gee, I would you rather not clip, if thatā€™s OK?" like Flboy mentioned but this I know I made sure to state explicitly. While he was being groomed by the owner I ended up wandering around the store since the grooming's done in a back room I dont think people are usually allowed into. I probably couldve stayed at the door to watch but the back was really busy that day and I didnt want to get in the way or end up weirdly standing around. Also there were new toys in so I wanted to get something for Beo for when he was done. From now on though, anytime I have a bird groomed I'm going to make sure it's done in front of me.

I was originally considering confronting the owner after this happened but I have really bad anxiety and the owner is kind of intimidating so... probably not going to happen... There were also a few things about the store that had me a little uneasy about it anyway but I could over look them. Now that Beo's been wrongly clipped I probably wont be going back. The store has so much business I doubt they'll miss me.

Also thanks for the suggestions of imping! I didnt know this was a thing! Right now Beo's really against having his wings touched and I dont want him to have to go under to get the imping done so I might hold off on it for now, but if he starts falling a lot or getting hurt I will definitely look more into getting it done.
 

noodles123

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You could try putting some comforters or something around the area in which you think he might fall (in the event that he does)....It could provide additional padding while his wings grow out.


This whole thing makes me mad for you.

I have had dumb stuff like that happen to me too (not with wings), but with other major issues in pets, and it makes my blood boil a bit....Smart to look for a new place. I would definitely send a letter to them expressing your frustration in a tactful way- they need to know that they lost a customer- it could have been an even bigger oversight in a bird taking meds/with other issues, and it highlights serious flaws in their communication system that could potentially be deadly in certain instances---you know?
 

charmedbyekkie

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Since Beo has been clipped before, I'd see how he's handling the new clip before sourcing an avian vet to imp. If he were a bird that has never been clipped before, then I would definitely imp. But since he has experience with clipping, then see how his mood is..

Is he still managing ok, despite not wanting his wings touched?
 
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BeoBean

BeoBean

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Beo (Crimson-bellied Conure), Luca (Turquoise Green-Cheek Conure)
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He's doing better now. He seemed a little depressed for about a day so I did my best to cheer him up. His confidence is still a bit shot though... Now he's afraid to even hop short distances that he should be able to make easily without flight. He tried to jump off his cage to fly to me at one point and ended up just sinking like a weight, no glide or anything, but luckily wasn't hurt. He's also doing better with having his wings touched.

There's another issue I noticed, though. I think they also clipped his nails too short. A little after I got him home he started tucking a foot up under his feathers like he didn't want to stand on it. He's never really done that before. Luckily he's stopped doing this after about a day or so, so I think hes doing okay. He's also hesitant to step up and has trouble climbing up to my shoulder. He doesn't seem sturdy any time I let him stand on me. Maybe I just got use to having a bird with longer claws?
 

bigfellasdad

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thats bad :( but i have a question, what does a parrot go to the groomers for, i've never heard of this before....confused!?!?!
 

bill_e

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thats bad :( but i have a question, what does a parrot go to the groomers for, i've never heard of this before....confused!?!?!
Wings, nails and beak.

Lots of bird stores will perform the trimming for free, with the purchase of something, or for a fee.
 

bigfellasdad

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Thanks Bill. its not something i've seen here in the UK but its a great service to have (as long as they do as they are requested!!!). I know as a child with budgies I took joey, my first budgie, to the vet to get his nails trimmed but the vet showed me how to do it and after that ive never needed anybody else, its a nervous thing to do though. Enzo looks after her own bits, so no maintenance required at all now, which is a relief. I dont think clipping is something that really happens here in the UK, or at least ive never heard of anybody clipping a bird.
 

noodles123

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Noodles goes to the vet for the same general purpose (grooming)- she has scissor beak, so she gets her beak filed on the bottom (because he left mandible grows longer than it should even though she does file it herself some)...and her nails start to slit my wrists after a few months (despite textured surfaces etc), so I also take her to get them filed, as they have to be filed with a dremmel (sp?) and I am one person (without a dremmel and with only 2 hands lol).

My mom was joking that I need falconer's gloves when her nails get so sharp. They aren't as long as they are SHARP. I look like I have been mutilating my wrists or like I have some sort of skin condition due to all of the red dots and scratches...she is many months past due...but they aren't causing her any issues (just my wrists lol)
 
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noodles123

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Jul 11, 2018
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Noodles goes to the vet for the same general purpose (grooming)
One for the vets for sure!!! A smaller bird is easy enough, but a cockatoo, no thank you!

LOL!!!
Yeah- she is like a large and x-long shoe-box in terms of size...maybe like a large raven (not to be confused with a crow, as she is much larger than them). It's a 2 -man job--although she is good...I imagine an unruly "U2" might require 3 people lol...

She thinks that she and the vet are having a very sexy love affair, so she kind of enjoys it (because she gets toweled LOL)...my gosh..!
 
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MonicaMc

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Thanks Bill. its not something i've seen here in the UK but its a great service to have (as long as they do as they are requested!!!). I know as a child with budgies I took joey, my first budgie, to the vet to get his nails trimmed but the vet showed me how to do it and after that ive never needed anybody else, its a nervous thing to do though. Enzo looks after her own bits, so no maintenance required at all now, which is a relief. I dont think clipping is something that really happens here in the UK, or at least ive never heard of anybody clipping a bird.



I think care of birds in the UK (and other European countries) is quite a bit different than within North America.... Heck, even care of birds in Australia and New Zealand is different! I honestly hate how birds are often cared for in the USA. :(



I was honestly never big on nail grooming my own birds as I felt the majority of them didn't require it.... then I had a little red throated conure... holy crap! Her nails were tiny little daggers! Even then, I hated trimming them but if I didn't, they'd leave scratch marks all over my skin! (never understood the term "daggers" or "talons" in regards to sharp nails until then!)


I used to clip flight feathers... I no longer do, nor do I recommend it in the majority of cases - even if the bird is aggressive or untamed.

I also don't recommend grooming beaks *unless* there's a specific reason for it. The beak being sharp? Not a valid reason IMO... and yet people will because they want the bites to hurt less. If a bird is biting you, you need to fix the issue! Not dull the pain...

And I do have a mitred conure who's missing half of his lower beak... so his beak does scissor and the top overgrows. I trim it myself.... not that I recommend others to do so!


@Beobeean Sounds like "normal" behavior (not that it's actually normal!) for a newly groomed bird... :( If the nails are really an issue, maybe learning to trim yourself and trimming less may be better?
 

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