Any UK members?

Hi,

I have noticed that a lot of the members on here and other parrot forums seem to be from the US and Australia. Are there any UK people with parrotlets?! Are they not very popular here in the UK?

Jo
x

Ireland here, closer to you then Oz or US

Yay I'm very new to birds, and was surprised when I went into a big pet shop the other day and couldn't find any products for pet birds. Is bird keeping a bigger thing abroad than here?

Not heard of Scarletts Parrots, so thank you Got a delivery from Northern Parrots today.
I'm struggling to find a vet who will clip wings. I've rang 4 today, and only 1 of those clips wings. They said they'll have to use anesthetic, which makes me nervous. Everyone from other countries says pet shops and vets will do them for you.... it seems easier to own a bird in the US lol

If you get in touch with your local Birdline- Parrot Rescue, they will clip his wings for you.. They just ask for a small donation

Just put into google.. Birdline for your area They are very good

Hello! I'm from the UK, both from Manchester/Lancs region and now in Cheshire.

Unfortunately the two avian vets I trust are both a bit out of your reach.

Do NOT allow a vet to use anesthetic to clip a birds wings. Have you told them what type of bird you have? Some none-bird vets will have this image of a big scary macaw biting at them when trying to clip, so if you make it clear you only have a small parrotlet that can easily be towelled, then their opinion might change.

Do you ever travel near Bury/Tottington/Bolton area.... or Knutsford? There are two avian vets there that I trust with Merlin, especially Knutsford. If there was something wrong with Merlin I'd just hand him over and let him do what he needs to do, no questioning. I know it's a bit far from you

There arn't many avian vets in the UK and so you'll struggle to find a specialist. But if you ring up and grill the receptionist about a vets qualifications and experience with birds then you might find someone who is experienced enough to deal with your bird in emergencies.

BIt of a ramble, sorry.
There may even be some local pet stores, or a breeder who will clip your bird for a small fee which I think is probably going to be easiest for you to find

http://www.theparrotsocietyuk.org/veterinary-advice/avian-vets/avian-vets-in-durham

These are 'apparently' Avian Vets (non certified by the looks of things, but doesnt mean they dont have experience!) in your area. Get in touch with them perhaps

Abbey Veterinary Centre
Dunleigh House
Newcastle Rd
Crossgate Moor
Durham
Co Durham
DH1 4HZ
Tel:-0191 3845115

Gilmoor Veterinary Group
39 Sunderland Rd
Gilesgate
Durham
Co Durham
DH1 2LG
0191 3864477

Looking into the Birdline Parrot Rescue now, thanks wenz

Those are the 2 of the vets I rang Mayden. One doesn't do them, and the other is the one who said to use anesthetic. They asked what kind of bird he was and his age so it sounded like they knew what they were talking about. Maybe it was a case of Chinese whispers though, so I will double check when (if) they ring back.

Thanks for all your replies

Right okay. Well, I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them if they wanted to anesthetise for a wing clip...

& if the other doesn't do clipping, which is "basic" bird veterinary care, then I'd shudder to think of their ability to do surgery. Ho hum, keep us updated on any vets you get in touch with/what they say back, because we can pass on info then to others in your area if they need a vet

Oh, and I forgot to mention - I 'second' the vote for Scarletts parrot essentials.

They're a family run business, who run like no other. The only other I could compare it to would be mysafebirdstore, which is an American business.

Scarlett and her team are so helpful and really do just want what is best for you and your birds. Would 100% recommend them

It's crazy, I thought it's a basic thing to do, every vet would be able to do it. Three of the four I rang don't it. One has 4 branches, and the receptionist was very helpful, and rang all four branches to check if any of the vets clip wings and she said none of them do.

Am I doing something wrong? Am I asking for the wrong thing!?

Hi, I'm in the UK too. I've ordered from Scarlett's a couple of times and when I emailed for extra information the answer was fast and very friendly.

I'm friends with a vet and she told me that in all her years of training only two days were spent on birds. Not surprising then, that most vets don't have a clue about our pet birds. When I was doing wild bird rescue and rehab the vet used to ring me for advice about pet birds. In the end we worked as a team with the sicker wild birds. She knew about or could research drugs and do stitches while I did everything else. I would say to anyone taking their bird to a non-specialist vet, research beforehand and ask lots of questions. A bird's respiratory system isn't like a mammal's, and anaesthetic therefore carries a greater risk than with mammals. So, personally, I would steer clear of a vet wanting to anaesthetise for such a minor job.

If you're set on having your bird's wings clipped, it's very easy to do yourself. I don't clip my indoor birds, only my ducks who roam around my garden, but even with a small bird it's easier as a two man job. One to hold the bird gently but firmly (if the bird is nervous a cloth loosely laid over the head helps, so they can't see what's going on) and the other person to snip the feathers with a sharp pair of scissors. Look up which feathers to trim before you start (there are bound to be pictures and diagrams if you google), and make sure all the feathers are fully mature - no sheaths around them or blood in them. It's a lot less stressful than a visit to the vet and you can do it at your own pace and to suit your bird's temperament. I hope that helps, and I'm sure there are others on this forum who can give good advice about doing it yourself.

Could it be that some of the vets don't do wing clipping not because they're not skilled enough, but because they actually don't believe in mutilating a bird's wings simply because a flighted bird is viewed as a problem by the owner?

riaria said:

Could it be that some of the vets don't do wing clipping not because they're not skilled enough, but because they actually don't believe in mutilating a bird's wings simply because a flighted bird is viewed as a problem by the owner?

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No.. this is not the case at all! The simple fact is, we do not have very many Avian Vets here in the UK!

The Avian Vets that we do have, certainly do not see wing clipping as mutilation!! Those of us that choose to have our Birds Wings clipped mainly do it for the safety of our Birds and not because we see it as a problem!

riaria said:

Could it be that some of the vets don't do wing clipping not because they're not skilled enough, but because they actually don't believe in mutilating a bird's wings simply because a flighted bird is viewed as a problem by the owner?

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In the UK it's much more likely that they are unskilled. As someone mentioned above, vets have 2 days, or around that much, training on avian care when training; so most are completely inexperienced and resort to anesthetising the bird so that they can handle them easier and, from experience, take their time, learning and researching which feathers can be clipped etc.

Unfortunately, I'm not happy with my guys being used as training dummys.

The only things I'm aware of that vets won't do are things like tail docking (unless they're only x amount of days old and can be proved as working dogs etc), declawing, etc.

There are both pros and cons to wing clipping so I find it hard to believe vets in the UK would refuse on that grounds. It's completely different to declawing where vets can refuse for the whole 'mutilating' grounds.

I at first thought they wouldn't do it due to a combination of them thinking it is cruel, and not being experienced with birds (especially tiny ones like parrotlets). It turns out it probably is the lack of experience. I only want Bobby's clipped so I can tame him without him flying and hurting himself. Before I knew anything about birds I thought clipping wings was an awful thing to do, but now I have one, and have looked into it I can see the benefits if you do it for the right reasons.

Just had to come back and say I FOUND ONE!!!!! They're only 15 minutes down the road, and it will cost about £20. I'm so pleased! We're going at 9.30am on Thursday. I'm worried about Bobby though, he's gonna be so scared

JoSweetDreams said:

Just had to come back and say I FOUND ONE!!!!! They're only 15 minutes down the road, and it will cost about £20. I'm so pleased! We're going at 9.30am on Thursday. I'm worried about Bobby though, he's gonna be so scared

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Did you find a avian vet, or a vet, or a breeder to do it? But yey! I think £20 is about average for a wing trim and it's awesome they're only 15 mins away.

Try not to be anxious as Bobby will realise something is causing his flock stress, and so become stressed himself! Just keep him in the dark and comfortable on the trip, the vet will look after him, and then take him home and let him rest again; chances are he'll want to preen himself a lot and sort out this "horrible mess you've made of my feathers!!" so give him some space (and maybe some millet )

Please keep us updated

JoSweetDreams said:

I at first thought they wouldn't do it due to a combination of them thinking it is cruel, and not being experienced with birds (especially tiny ones like parrotlets). It turns out it probably is the lack of experience. I only want Bobby's clipped so I can tame him without him flying and hurting himself. Before I knew anything about birds I thought clipping wings was an awful thing to do, but now I have one, and have looked into it I can see the benefits if you do it for the right reasons.

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I'm 'mostly' against wing clipping, as a matter of preference. Doesn't by any stretch mean that I think people who get their bird clipped are cruel and it certainly doesn't mean I wouldn't get any of my birds clipped at some point. I just think that unless it's a necessity, it shouldn't be done.

Some owners are just lazy and think it's a good way of keeping a bird with them without training and bonding etc. Means they can be more relaxed about having windows open. Thats the type of clippers I don't like.

Clipping doesn't have to be traumatic for a bird either, especially if you're clipping yourself. You can do it feather at a time over a couple of days or whatever to reduce the whole, grappling and fighting with your bird.

Merlin probably would have been clipped to help curb his aggression and terretorial attacks on people, but because of his bad leg he'd be pretty much stuck to hobbling around which is unfair. Ho hum.

All personal preference anyway, both have pros and cons to both bird and owner.