Foot band out of place

[Kriztoefur]

Today I noticed that Yoda's band on his foot was not in the same place it normally is.

Usually it's loosely on his "ankle". Today I noticed it has climbed past his "knee" if we can call it that.

I recently clipped his wings (a little too far, feel awful) and there was a couple somewhat controlled crash landings.

I don't have a vet anywhere close to here, he doesn't seem to be irritated, it still turns and moves freely. Not sure what if anything to do about it.

Advice?

 

[Kriztoefur]

Actually, nevermind... the ring just slid back over... couple nibbles on me, such small feet.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

There is no 'database' for parrots at this time - so the foot bands aren't much use outside of identifying them by the breeder/seller.

Once you get the bird home, the band is useless. Only time it would really be of use is if your bird flies away and you have to prove the bird found is yours.

The band can actually do more harm than good. My vet suggested removing Skittles band. She said too many times she's seen birds lose feet because of them.

 

[GreyNickels]

What Skitty's Daddy said. My vet recommends removal too. She said they see 5-6 band injuries each year. They can microchip larger birds. Not sure about conures.

 

[SilverSage]

Conures are too small for most vets to be comfortable microchips get right now. If the band is loose, removing it may be a wise choice.

 

[Aquila]

Also I don't recommend trying to remove the band yourself.

Let the vet do it, and they should issue you a certificate or other proof that it was removed just in case you should need it. I would recommend getting a second proof of identity to your parrot though. Since microchipping isn't really recommended for birds that small, there are plastic bands or other open bands that you can consider as a replacement, but the most effective way currently is DNA.

AvianBioTech that most people recommend for parrot sexing also has a DNA bank that you can submit a sample to in case of theft or loss. I plan to get all my birds DNA banked just in case since I'll be getting them sexed anyway.

 

[SilverSage]

I had no idea that was an option! I discourage the U.S. Of open bands, as they are more dangerous than closed bands as they are just as likely to get caught just by being there, but they have the added danger of having edges that can drift open as well as get clamped on tighter, restrict blood flow, and/or actually cut the bird. And I agree with Aquila, please don't remove it yourself.

 

[Gillis]

So I band birds professionally for a living. Wild birds, mind you. And yes bands can sometimes cause harm to the bird but this is extremely rare, and these birds are surviving in the wild and being recaptured years later in perfect health. That being said, the bands I put on are of the appropriate size for the leg. Your band is not. A band should NEVER be capable of slipping off the foot or up the leg. I would highly recommend having it removed as it is probably causing irritation to your bird and could become a hazard if not removed.

On another note, my new GCC conure Peanut came to me two weeks ago with an OPEN band. Why is the band open? I mean, literally there is a gap in the band when it should have been closed properly and obviously was not. As a bird bander, I find this rather offensive that someone can get away with putting on a band that is so poorly closed as this one. With how much training, licensing, etc I need to go through to band birds, I am rather appalled that this can happen to our feathered friends. I will definitely be adjusting the band and removing it if I am still not satisfied. Thankfully we do have the privilege of being able to watch and keep an eye on our banded parrots. Wild birds don't have this luxury!

 

[dhraiden]

Had an issue about two weeks back with our Moch's (loose, slides up and down like described in OP) band getting caught on one end of the sliding gate in her smaller cage (that you lift up to remove the food and water trays).

Mochi's band:

Fortunately, we were right there and noticed when she seemed "stuck" on the side of her cage and began flapping her wings furiously. She was able to unhook the caught limb without any apparent injury, but I figure we would've used two sets of hands to hold her still and jimmy it off if the bird hadn't been able to safely free itself.

Used GF's jewelry pliers to 'bend' the offending part further inward, and do the same for all the other closures/loops around the cage. It's a plastic-on-metal lighter type of cage - inexpensive and easy to travel with. Steel welded-metal cages don't have this particular issue, but if they did, you probably couldn't fold in the loop with a pair of pliers. No cage is perfect, anyway -welded metal ones (we have also have the Prevue Hendryx Wrought Iron Select) can sometimes have rough, un-grinded-down burrs.

I actually went and bought a pair of specialized band-clippers from here:

Lady Gouldian Finch .com - Leg Bands

Alternate Site with same/similar clippers

3rd Site w/ the same ones

that works for birds up to cockatiel sized (GCC being smaller or approximately same, so suitable). I haven't used them - they're a sort of 'break glass' kind of item because Mochi hasn't since or before had any incidents, and even with two sets of hands it can be hard to safely stabilize a squirming bird for band removal. But definitely don't want a broken/sprained leg, so that's what they're there for, and we may try to use them sometime in the future. They have curved edges and are designed to cut the band cleanly off with two strokes on opposing sides of the band, without bringing the blades' tips into contact with the bird's body. They work on aluminum bands (so Mochi's plastic band should give no resistance).

I did find this video online of someone using very similar clippers to remove a band from a Barred Parakeet:

https://youtu.be/pm-QhxwuuwY?t=55s

Interestingly, her clippers have nice rubberized grips and more greatly curved edges, which would have been nice to find online somewhere, but she provided no link (beyond 'Google bird band cutters') Actually, Googling 'bird leg band cutters' does show it.

EDIT: Read through the YT Comments, she got her clipper tool through the AACC (Avicultural Advancement Council of Canada) bird club in her area. No direct link or mention on their site, but they do have a banding order form, so you could contact them if you really wanted those exact ones.

EDIT: I found the exact ones used in the video, with the red grips:
Band Cutter #2 | NFSS | National Finch & Softbill Society

 

[Kriztoefur]

Oh man, I would be totally worried with that on Yoda. Feet being touched on all. But it would be a great investment (since my nearest vet is X... amount away.) Look into it, thanks..