Lovebird Wings Aren't Growing?

[zazuthelovebird]

Hey everyone,

Basically, to start things off, we got 3 new lovies from someone who was neglecting them. All 3 had clipped wings, although 2 black cheeked lovies had their wings growing back and they could somewhat fly. The other is a white-ish lovie (similar to a blue opaline) and her wing looks like it's just been hacked right through the middle. I've had her for 3 weeks now (trying to hand-tame cause she can't fly at all) and it doesn't look like it's growing back.

Every time she tries to fly she just drops, and it always sounds really heavy. I'm not really sure if I'm just overthinking or if there is actually a problem with her wing. I don't clip my other lovie, Zazu, so I'm not very experienced in this area.

Any advice? Cheers!

 

[SilverSage]

Can you share a picture of the clipped feathers? Has she been tested for PBFD?


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[zazuthelovebird]

Can you share a picture of the clipped feathers? Has she been tested for PBFD?


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Of course, she’s not very fond of hands yet so this is probably the best few I can get without stressing her out.
Also no, she hasn’t been tested for PBFD.

 

[Laurasea]

Oh my word!!! They could have cut her bones! And they only cut one side! Ugh....
You bird is beautiful! Can take many months for them to molt and regrow feathers...

 

[SilverSage]

Oh my word!! What a chop job! And only one wing??? She must be crashing into EVERYTHING!

Thanks for the pics, what a cutie! I had wondered if the flights had fallen out due to PBFD but nope, that’s clearly a butcher job. Horrible, but better than PBFD.

You may be able to encourage a molt. What part of the world are you in (and therefore what is the weather like) and what is her diet?


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[zazuthelovebird]

Oh my word!!! They could have cut her bones! And they only cut one side! Ugh....
You bird is beautiful! Can take many months for them to molt and regrow feathers...

That's what I thought when I got her! They really did hack her wing
So it should grow back in a few months? I was going to take her to an avian vet to have her checked up on, do you think it's necessary?
Thank you!

 

[zazuthelovebird]

Oh my word!! What a chop job! And only one wing??? She must be crashing into EVERYTHING!

Thanks for the pics, what a cutie! I had wondered if the flights had fallen out due to PBFD but nope, that’s clearly a butcher job. Horrible, but better than PBFD.

You may be able to encourage a molt. What part of the world are you in (and therefore what is the weather like) and what is her diet?


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She absolutely is, it sounds like she's being catapulted. I'm in Australia, the weather here currently is terrible (one way to put it; most of our country is on fire. VERY hot and dry). She eats a mixed range of veggies, fruit, and seed.

 

[SilverSage]

Ok so it sounds like her diet is good, but to encourage a molt I would suggest going to all fresh; veggies, sprouts, leafy greens and a FEW fruits. All fresh, not frozen, canned, etc. Then emphasize sunlight. Unfiltered if possible, so NOT through glass. Sounds like early morning is going to be your best bet due to the heat. Get her an hour of direct sunlight a day (be sure she can access shade if needed). Ideally, bathe/shower her in the sun daily; a complete soaking!


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[zazuthelovebird]

Thank you! Not a problem! I truly appreciate all the help

 

[SilverSage]

Good luck


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[ParrotGenie]

Can you share a picture of the clipped feathers? Has she been tested for PBFD?


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Of course, she’s not very fond of hands yet so this is probably the best few I can get without stressing her out.
Also no, she hasn’t been tested for PBFD.

Wow that a very bad clip?

 

[Kiwibird]

That poor thing! Not sure when/if I’ve ever seen a clip that drastic before. They quite literally chopped off half her wing No wonder she’s so nervous around people.

I’ll be honest, I don’t think that’s going to all grow back in a few months. That’s going to take some time. I believe I’ve heard that smaller birds grow their feathers a bit faster than bigger birds, need less intact wings to sustain flight and have less feathers overall on the wing to regrow, so she may have a faster recovery to functional flight than my bird. I clip my amazon (NOT like that though!) and for him to completely regrow a “properly” light clipped wing to fully flighted would take well over a year (I’ve allowed them to grow back twice, sadly, he’s just not a safe flyer). For both wings to fully grow out takes upwards to 2 years since they molt old feathers/regrow new ones at slightly different rates on each wing and do not necessarily molt clipped feathers any more quickly than in tact feathers. I wouldn’t get your hopes up that she’ll be back to normal in a few months, but maybe after a year or so she would at least be able to do short flights or glide instead of just crashing. Hopefully by then, you’ll have been able to build some trust with her too

 

[noodles123]

One- winged clips are an old-school thing that a lot of people use and they are awful. If you clip, it should be both wings and such a clip that your bird can still glide safely to the ground. I would not take her back to whoever did that.
Hopefully with time it will improve (I mean, barring any nutritional issues, it will---just may take longer than anticipated. In the meantime, be careful (you might even consider putting some padding down where she is anticipated to land).

 

[asterrjones]

What a beautiful bird. I feel sad for her wing. I bet you can’t wait for it to grow back .


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