Band Question

[stephend]

When I got Bob just over a week ago he was banded, and he has started chewing on his band. Should I remove it or leave it be?

 

[Bright Star]

I had that problem with my budgie and took him to the vet to see if there was some cut, bruise, etc. that might be caused by the band and causing him to chew at it. There was nothing. She and I talked about removing the band altogether, as it should ONLY be done by an avian veterinarian. She advised against it, primarily because he's a budgie and his leg is so small there's always the risk of breaking his leg during removal of the leg band. He would also have to be anesthetized to ensure absolute stillness while removing the band...all of which brings a risk.

In short, our vet advised against it unless there's a serious problem with the band, as the risks of injury during removal are pretty high. I believe Bob is a cockatiel, so there may be less risk, but as a smaller bird there is likely some risk still. I'd talk to an avian vet about it and see what they recommend. It really is something that only they should do. All the literature I've read says bird owners should NEVER try to remove a bird's band themselves.

I will say, that Keats has since started leaving his band alone. He's molting now, and in puberty, so his toys are much more interesting to him.

 

[Garnet]

At some point in time all of mine have picked at their bands. I think sometimes they think it is a toy instead of annoying. I agree, never try to remove a band yourself, always let a vet do it properly. The risk of doing it yourself are too high. I've seen birds lose a let because the owner tried to cut the band off. Be safe and leave it alone.

 

[stephend]

Thank you for the response. I will leave it on Bob for now. If it seems to start causing serious distress I will take him to the vet.

I had not thought about how to remove it, but now that it has been pointed out his legs are very thin and I am always a little worried when I see him standing on just one as it does not seem possible for that to support his weight.