Were her wings clipped too short?

[Sharon1994]

Recently, my mother in law got a cockatiel couple. Both birds were clipped when she bought them. The male immediately was able to fly for a bit however the female is not able to fly till this day (about 2 months after getting the birds). The former owner told us her wings will grow back. However I am wondering how long this will take and hope the wings were not cut too short. The attached picture is from the current situation.

Could anyone please share some knowledge about this with me?

Sharon

 

[wrench13]

WOW those are short. WHen clipping wings, the idea is to leave enough so the parrot can glide to the ground, not fall like a stone, which is dangerous. Unfortunately, feathers once clipped dont grow more, like a plant would. You have to wait until they are molted out and new feathers will take their place. Could take a few months for this to start happening.

 

[LaManuka]

Recently, my mother in law got a cockatiel couple. Both birds were clipped when she bought them. The male immediately was able to fly for a bit however the female is not able to fly till this day (about 2 months after getting the birds). The former owner told us her wings will grow back. However I am wondering how long this will take and hope the wings were not cut too short. The attached picture is from the current situation.

Could anyone please share some knowledge about this with me?

Sharon

How old is that bird? The feathers will grow back in the next moult, which should happen around the 8 or 9 months of mark. A skilled avian vet can perform a procedure called “imping” where donor feathers are implanted to replace the clipped ones, one of my flock had it done not long ago and flight is restored immediately. Just how well she flies will depend however on whether she learned to fly before those wings were clipped. Not every vet performs imping, it's not cheap but not really hideously expensive either, and well worth considering in my opinion. Perhaps you can find a vet who can perform it from the list in the link below ...

Avian Vet Resources

After a suggestion by a member, @Abu Colo, the Mod Team decided to create a list of veterinarians around the world who see birds. This was something we had discussed a few years ago, but the task seemed so large that we didn't get very far. However, the need is there and we decided that the time...

www.parrotforums.com

Wishing you all the best

 

[DonnaBudgie]

WOW those are short. WHen clipping wings, the idea is to leave enough so the parrot can glide to the ground, not fall like a stone, which is dangerous. Unfortunately, feathers once clipped dont grow more, like a plant would. You have to wait until they are molted out and new feathers will take their place. Could take a few months for this to start happening.

Sad that they got way carried away. I hope the molt is soon and she can fly again. Give her lots of love and attention while you both wait.