Advice for young LS2

[Rabster]

Thanks forst of all for the advice on the cage in my first post, we set it up some time ago and its fantastic, very roomy and the bird loves it.

Our kids called the LS2 bananas and the bird is very settled, about 4-5 months old in age, he flies sorties round the living room, lands happily on outstreched arms and heads, likes to be petted but also clambers around his cage for some time away from the corwd.

Had a little issue recently with a harder than normal nip with the beak but the bird was put straight in the cage and after a few times of this it has now stopped.

Everything else is great and already bananas is part of the family.


Apart from:
We are very carefull when it comes to ensuring doors are closed but my wife called me the other day to tell me that the bird was out and my wife had popped into the kitchen for a minute and my sone who was outside came running in the back door leaving it open, left the inside door open - as the kitchen door was open the bird flew into the kitchen but luckily did not suss that the other 2 doors were open - my wife just manage to stop a disaster.

She has paniced and now thinks we should have its wings clipped, something I am not happy with for a few reasons.

Bananas is a bird and should fly, the bird knows it can fly so what is the impact going to be when one day it cant etc, etc....

I called the local avain vet who does clipping, beak and nail trims but I never made the appointment - I will be home on Thursday and want to discuss it more.

My uncle had a UT, AG and a few others for years and he is advising us to get bananas clipped.

My wifes uncle who we got bananas from says we should not do it.


What do you guys think?


Kind Regards
Robert

 

[MikeyTN]

To me it is a choice you must made amongst your family! I will do both depending on the situation. But personally I prefer not to clip my adults. At anytime your wife is cooking, the bird should always be put up for their own safety! Hot pot of grease or boiling water can do some major damage! Should really look into a screen door if you don't already have one put up and should really teach everyone in the household to really watch for the door. That's if you guys decide not to clip.

 

[Rabster]

Thanks for the reply, we have been looking a different door screens from Amazon and will get 1 each for the front and back doors.

We have stressed the importance of keeping the doors shut and locked but the youngest boy is only 4...

Was wondering really if it would harm the bird physically getting its wings clipped as it will not be getting the same level of exercise or mentaly, could it lead to bad behavour?

 

[Pajarita]

Yes, it can. Clipping has been associated with depression, feather destructive behaviors and, if the bird is now able to fly and continues to try to do it after he's clipped, he could hurt and even kill himself. I lost a quaker that way when I was a young girl -he fell like a rock to the ground and broke his neck.

Also, flying is the only way they can keep their respiratory system healthy because there is a pair of air sacs that can only be 'bellowed' by the muscles that lift the wings up and down in flight so no flight = no bellowing = partly atrophied air sacs.

 

[Mare Miller]

Clipping is such an unnatural state for a bird. I would think it could cause emotional issues, far and beyond the ones they already have to hurdle just by being a pet in a cage. Screen doors is good advice!

 

[MikeyTN]

Here's how I feel about clipping, the birds does better when they were clipped from their handler to begin with. Cause once that was done, rest of the training follows. That's if the breeder even do it. But for you guys to clip her now, anything can happen. She is still young and can tolerate it probably or she may take it hard. In years of owning and breeding I find with the adults they tend to develop issues in destroying their feathers from clipping when they weren't doing it before. That was from my own personal observation. Lastly, the choice is still yours to decide!

 

[Rabster]

Just an update.....

Visited the vet and did not go for the wing clip, sorted out the doors etc. instead.....

The vet was really impressed - seems we have a very healthy and happy bird, he was surprised that the bird lets me cup my hands round it - said his 2's would have removed a finger or two!

One thing he was concerned about was we have our 2 on a harrisions seed mix, along with fresh fruit and things like seetcorn on the husk and things.

He has convinced us to buy harrisions pellets - its pretty expensive but we have a small bag of harrisions organic adult lifetime coarse on its way, not being daft but for a small 2 like a lesser how big a measure of pellets should you be using?

We feed bananans twice a day (morning and late afternoon).


Really need to work out how to post some pics soon...


Alls well - one thing bananas is doing at the moment is crying non stop for about an hour or so at a time - gos on and on, have it down to the bird being only 6 months old or so?


Apart from that - brilliant (bloody sore chomp right enough)!!!

 

[KBEquine]

Hello:

I have some experience with both SC2s AND Harrison's pellets!

Mine (SC2) is probably female, probably 3 to 4 years old & a rehome with a questionable past . . . and she screams.

But first, the pellets.

A week or so ago, I went to a Barbara Heidenreich (great animal trainer) workshop in Pineville, NC. She showed a picture of how much she feeds her amazon (about the same size as a LSC2) & I was shocked at how little food it was (not saying she was feeding too little - really saying that I am feeding way too much!).

The workshop was at a parrot store/rescue & there was a sign for volunteers who were feeding. The sign said they should feed no more than 2 tablespoons of Harrison's, do NOT top them off if they get low, and if they finish the Harrison's, they can have up to 2 T. of seeds. But after that, they are back to the Harrison's pellets. So in reality, while the pellets are expensive, if you are feeding the big pellets, you might be feeding a dozen of them at a time, followed by some seed, followed by a dozen more pellets.

I can't remember if it was Barbara or one of the volunteers at the rescue who suggested if you feed 12 pellets and if 2 are left, the next feeding, you feed 10 . . . and you can feed vegetables pretty liberally, but be stingy on the fruit. Barbara might give a little piece of apple in a meal. I'm not sure how much fruit the rescue might have fed.

I think you need to sort of work slowly to get there, if you (like me) are over-feeding on the seeds now.

I can tell you that I learned more - both from Barbara and from the rescue's volunteers - that weekend than I thought possible.

I can also tell you that when I went to a somewhat loose version of their feed protocol, it was amazing how the parrots went for veggies they'd previously ignored & for nuts they normally just throw on the floor. [And how easy it was to train them on the seeds that went from staple-in-the-bowl to training treat . . . ]

As for the screaming. I really like this forum, but for cockatoos, I also like the cockatoos yahoo group. I have gotten great advice, both on the list & also from generous members contacting me off-list. Honestly, I don't know if your 'Too's screaming/crying is age-related or something else. But there are several people on that list who have lots of experience.

If it isn't age-related, I have been told (and it has been my experience) that ignoring the screaming doesn't work - you need to substitute a different behavior & reward it - it could be paying attention when your 'Too says something, or whistles or rings a bell (whatever noise you like better than the screams). There are other ways to deal with the screams, too.

Anyhow, just a couple ideas for your consideration.