I am really upset right now ...

[TexDot33]

As I mentioned earlier I took Hamlet to the groomers this afternoon (and I didn't get a picture of the amazon that I was going to try to) and my regular people weren't there, but there was someone who I knew (but had never clipped Ham before) and I let him do it ... I said that "Hamlet needed a clip" so my instructions were vague ... he clipped her wings and her nails ...
I keep both Hamlet and Mac "long clipped" (outer 2 or 3 primaries are left long to allow flight, but neither speed nor height) ... Hamlet now has no flight capabilities ... *grrrrrrr* ... and we have been working on 'recall training' ... how can I recall train a flightless bird?

I know my instructions were vague, but the other two know how I like the clips, and if they are unsure, they ask ... arrrrrgh!

Here's a wet Hammie picture ... I took it this morning after we got out of the shower.

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[zarafia]

Thats awful. There are so many types of clip if they didn't know they should have ask. Sun conures make wonderful flying pet birds. I used to have a young male for a pet( won him in a raffle at the Washington State Fair and he was bred by a lady I knew who lives a half hour from me in Florida). I weaned him and never clipped his wings. He was almost like a big green and orange bug the way he would stick on any part of you. They have no respect for personal space and will hang from your hair swinging like a monkey. I encourage you to try flying him again.

 

[TexDot33]

Oh, most certainly we will fly her again ... I am so upset that she can't right now ... I want to leave her flighted ... it is so upsetting to see her sink to the floor like a stone.

Hammie is a Velcro birdie ... she will not swing from my hair (that's Mac's trick, does it from Christy's hair all the time ...) and she definitely does not understand the concept of personal space ... :lol:

 

[zarafia]

By the way, Hammie is gorgeous, her color is fantastic. Does she get yellow on any of her primaries?

 

[TexDot33]

No, no yellow in the primaries, they actually come in an iridescent blue color ... they are really neat looking ...

 

[Tracy842]

Ohhh poor Hamlet. She never has much luck with her wing clippings.
I guess you can ignore my other post about wanting to see the picture of the Amazon, you just need to get 2 pictures when you go next time!!!

 

[flyingfluff]

Aww, poor thing. At least they didn't totally butcher her wings and her feathers will grow back.

May I suggest you learning to clip her nails/wings so in the future you don't have to deal with a middleman. And you can clip/trim her exactly to your liking. Just an idea.

 

[TexDot33]

May I suggest you learning to clip her nails/wings so in the future you don't have to deal with a middleman ...

I know how to, but there is a method to my madness ... you take her and get her clipped and then the person who clips her is the bad guy and you aren't you get the cuddle time after, and you are the protector ... This incident is only going to be a one time thing, it's not going to happen again. I have also been given some other advice that I am still pondering - Thanks Zarafia!

 

[zarafia]

I totally agree with you about having someone else "assault" your birds for that sort of thing. I have seen some of the nastiest macaws and amazons come out of a wing clipping as sweet as can be. At the store I worked at we offered free bird grooming ( we could all do it well and it brought customers in) and we worked with the birds all day, so we looked really good at handling them. People would sometimes bring in birds that hadn't been out of their cages in years. They would often have just gotten the bird and often told they werent tame. They would watch with amazement as the formerly wild/mean bird stepped off the floor onto a bare hand after being let up from the towel.
I hope Hamlet is dealing with the insult inflicted on her and getting lots of sympathy. If someone had clipped my full flighted sun "Conure" (yes that was his name) I would have cried, it would have been like a little kid without the use of his legs. So I feel for you guys. Thankfully conure feathers grow back faster and easier than hawks do.