CAG depressed after wing clip?

[Fuse929]

Good morning! I'm new to the forum (and to owning a bird) so please excuse me if my question is common knowledge. I bought a 6-mo old CAG about a week ago, and was told by the seller that his wings needed to be clipped before I brought him home. Since bringing him home he has been incredibly well-behaved, responsive and seemingly very happy......the seller clearly did a good job raising him. I should note that even after the initial clipping at the pet store he was very good at flying, and could confidently get from one room to another (usually trying to follow me around the house) as well as climb in altitude (going from a table to the top of his cage, as an example).

Last night I took him to an avian vet for his initial checkup, and after a brief discussion about overall health and behavior the vet noted that his wings weren't clipped nearly enough for a bird of his size. Again I'm new to all of this and as such err on the side of the avian medical professional, so he did a few more clips and I brought the bird home with a clean bill of health.

Upon bringing him home I wanted to spend some time with him to make sure he was calmed after the vet. I got him out of the cage and he tried to flap but couldn't get any lift, and he seemed very confused by this. He tried again, and upon realizing that he couldn't fly anymore let out the saddest wimper noise I've ever heard.........usually he is very quite and only makes happy cooing noises when we are playing, so this was definitely new and took me by surprise. For the remainder of last night he was very low-key, not eating his favorite fruits and not taking treats, though he has still been friendly and wanting to step up and be out of his cage (though he is having trouble with his balance when perched on my finger......but I'm pretty sure that is because they trimmed his nails too). This AM he still seemed a bit bummed out, though I did hear him eating his breakfast, hanging upside down in his cage and playing with his toys. Usually when I get him out in the morning he is very engaged in whatever I'm doing or showing him, but today he was very distracted flapping his wings and trying to get a feel for the changes........distracted to the point where even getting him to step up to a couple tries because he was so focused on his wings.

Is it common for CAG's to be a bit depressed and distracted after a clip? Will he remain upset for a long time, or are they quick to adapt to their new condition and revert back to their happy, normal behavior after a day or two? Will he hold me accountable for his loss of flight, or is this pretty common and I am just overthinking things? With all due respect I'm honestly not looking for bleeding heart responses or clip vs no-clip opinions, just some real-world advice from people who have experienced what I noted above and can offer some advice/insight so I can move forward in the healthiest way possible for my little buddy (picture attached!).

Thanks everyone, and have a great weekend

 

[wrench13]

Sounds very typical. My YSA is going thru the same thing, kinda recalibrating everything after a major wing clip. Just make sure to interact with him more then normal for a few days ( or weeks) and he should be OK. Dont forget how smart greys are. Like a 3 year old. Imagine a 3 year old boy coming home with his toes all taped together. Keep us posted, please.

 

[Tsali]

Congratulations on your new addition. Greys are absolutely incredible. It is very sad, indeed that he can no longer fly. I know the question to clip or not to clip is a personal/individual, butI can understand why a bird would be sad. Grey's are extremely intelligent and sensitive beings and in time with lots of attention he will probably adapt. I have no experience with wing clipping, we decided long before Tsali came home that he would be fully flighted. I don't regret our decision and it is a joy hearing his wings whirring as he flys on a mission to find me.

If you are second-guessing your decision to clip, remember feathers do grow back in time and the decision is yours -- evaluate your environment and if it would be safe for your baby to fly, I would vote no more clipping.

 

[KevH]

Can you blame him for being depressed poor thing is disabled and can't can't do what birds are meant to do also I'd change your vet for advising extra clip

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hello and welcome. What is your bird's name?

I am sure if you really think about this you can put it in a way that enables you to sympathise with your bird, about the loss of something you could do and enjoyed and now cannot.

Take a look at his environment to risk assess that everything is still OK now his flying ability has been curtailed and to make sure he stays safe. He will probably need some time and some extra time with you to help get over this hiccup. Engage him in things he perhaps has not done before tricks and training for treats - give him something else to focus on.

Clip again? Be interested to know how you feel when the time comes again.

 

[GaleriaGila]

A very personal decision indeed. Just some general thoughts... if you're in a busy household full of little kids and animals... clipping might be the lesser evil in comparison to having him flap his way out an open door. If you have a more controlled, safe environment, flying is wonderful! As my house calmed down in early years, I got confident enough to let my bird fly, and it has been a wonderful thing. He has been flying for 25 or so years now. I've never even had a close call. Good luck in your decision.

 

[DRB]

My limited experience with my young CAG and the advice from my vet are, that CAG have great memories and are forgiving. She's remember, both being able to fly like before and the clipping. She'll also get over it, and calibrate again.

IMO when owning a parrot particular in a limited space like a home where hazards lurk everywhere the decision whether to clip or not is/should be based on the overall risk/reward for the bird. If you have a large home, open floor plan and are always around when the parrot is out of the cage, maybe not clip. If you have a tighter home design, aren't always on top of her when out of the cage or even gone for long stretches each day, then maybe clip. For the safety of the bird getting to crazy in the home (they might get out of the cage someday when you're not home) or to prevent loss of the bird outdoors if something went wrong.

 

[GaleriaGila]

We are totally in sync, DRB. Great minds...
I think we must have been typing at the same time!

 

[KevH]

Sorry but there's no reward for clipping her wings the muscles in the wings will go weak AV health issues common sense with hazards and children and as for saying she will get over it poor girl hasn't got a choice will be depressed for a long time

 

[DRB]

To each their own with wing clipping. But most people I asked advice from have never stated long term depression at most of those have seen little short term depression.

The way I look at it is, if my CAG got lose, she would die either in the very short term or over a couple months due to lack of ability to survive outside of her natural habitat and flock settings. She'd eitehr be prey or not be able to properly support herself. If she were to live a less than fully natural life or die in my possession b/c of being clipped it would be better than the more gruesome alternative and/or living in fear every second of her life in the wild on her own.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

I ALWAYS had Smokey,a TAG,clipped. Timnehs are smaller than Congos',and when I first brought her home,went to have a wellness check up..had her nails done,AND her arms clipped,by an AVIAN doc..I took her outside one summer day with Amy..

She got the "show clip".leaving the three most outer feathers on each arm alone. I went to pick her up, <she was walking in the grass,chewing on twigs and such> she refused to step up,and when I persisted in picking her up...FLAPFLAPFLAP! she got airborne,about two feet high,and was able to FLY from my back yard,ACROSS the street,into a small bush at the end of my neighbors driveway..with a nother neighbors CAT stalking right behind her !
I was able to scare the cat off and pick up Smokey and bring her back into the house.
She went back to the doc the very NEXT DAY for a "full clip" and stayed that way for the rest of her life! Even fully clipped,in the house,when she went FLAPFLAPFLAP,she didn't get airborne,but was still able to frag her butt across the living room carpet.

Her being clipped,did not affect her personality one bit!

Your CAG is young..his first clip after being born? Never experienced not being able to "fly" 'til now..Prolly thinking " HEY??!! What the heck??? one moment I could zoom here and there,now I can't! What gives????" lol

She'll get over it!


Jim

 

[Fuse929]

Thank you everyone for your very helpful and thoughtful responses. I'm very happy to report that Peanut is 100% back to his old self.........practicing his noises, playing with all his toys, eating normally and happily interacting with both my wife and I. It seemed a turning point was when we were playing with him on the floor last night and he was able to flap himself up on top of one of our recliners........I think that gave him a bit of his confidence back. I hear him downstairs whistling for me as I type this message, so suffice to say it looks like he recovered fast!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Above all else, they need love, huh?

 

[Taprock]

Our CAG was flighted for 18 years and then his owner got sick. He was moved to a family members house, they clipped him, rather poorly and confined to his cage. When he came to us he had not had any out of cage time since his clip. He was very hesitant and clumsy. He could only glide down from 2-3 feet. Now 9 months later, he still cannot fly as he hasn't molted but he has learned to to hop and glide across the room fast enough that you can't catch him. He is much less clumsy and has learned how to make the most of what he has. He was much more withdrawn when we got him but to say I can't say it was just his wings as he had such dramatic changes in a short time. If it was me in your situation, I would fuss over him, play lots of flapping balance games and help him learn what he can do.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Thanks for that, Taprock. It's wonderful that you were able to step in.

And... Aesop was right.