trying not to be mad

[bookworm0550]

well, pan got a wing clip from my sister who is a vet tech. i'm annoyed now cuz pan's wing clip was too short and now he can't gain enough height to get anywhere. i'm so mad and sad. i feel like a bad bird mom. i don't know what to do now. he's so helpless. how long will it take for his feathers to grow back? my bf said it's gonna take years!!! is that true?

[Bubblelady]

First, the point of a wing clip is so that the bird can fly enough to glide to the floor without hurting itself but not gain any height. So if you told your sister you wanted a wing clip you shouldn't be mad at her. She just did what you asked. Second, it will not take years to grow out! Your bf loves to tease you, doesn't he :) Pan's flight feathers will re-grow the next time he molts, if not before. I've had to repeat wing clips several times a year some years. But Pan's flight feathers will regrow twice a year at least. I've lost 4 birds to accidents that would not have happened had they not been fully flighted. So now, all my babies are clipped, no matter how cute they are flighted & no matter how had some people try to guilt trip me about clipping them!

[bookworm0550]

i guess what i'm trying to say is that i think my sis went beyond the first 5 flight feathers. he doesn't glide, he plops to the floor. i've seen him land on his face a few times. the other two are clipped as well and they don't hit the floor like that.

[Pips mom]

The same thing happened to me with Pip the first time I had him clipped....the trick is to find just how many feathers to clip for a perfect result. Yeah, poor Pan will be a little unhappy for a couple of days, but lovies are strong little stinkers and he won't let it keep it down for long! After Pip's severe clip, it took only one month before he was growing a new flight feather and most times one more flight feather is all it takes because lovies are so light.....so hang tight! Right now it seems like forever, but you'll see, those feathers grow pretty fast!
However many flights were clipped this time, make sure when you get him clipped again, go about two feathers less and see how it is.....clip less feathers to begin, that way if it isn't enough, you can clip another feather....if it's too many, then there's no going back! It's ok....sometimes you gotta learn the hard way and Pan will get through it ok.....just pad things with blankets where he tries to fly so he doesn't crash into them...that is what I did with Pip! and in a few weeks, hopefully he will start to grow a new flight feather in and all will be better!!

[Janie]

Check out the Lovebird Resource Library for information on wings clips, etc. You can find good information on how many feathers should be clipped to achieve a lovebird who can "glide" rather than "drop" to the floor. It's always best to clip too few than too many...... you can always add one more if needed but can't correct the mistake of cutting too many.

Since Pan is dropping to the floor I'd be extra careful that he is kept safe and not put into a position of dropping to the floor till he gets enough feather growth to be safe.

I've had my three clipped and fully flighted. It definitely depends on the issue of safety and since my three are in a "safe" bird room they are totally flighted now but I would not hesitate to clip them again if was for their protection.

[bookworm0550]

yeah, my bf was like, "pan's wings aren't gonna grow back for another 3 to 5 years" I told him i didn't believe him, but he thinks he's right. yeah, i've been watching pan like a hawk.

[linda040899]

When I clip flight feathers, I start with the first 3 or 4 primaries and see how well the bird can fly before I go any further. Some birds are stronger fliers than others. 4 may be ideal for one bird but not enough for another. I intentionally take less to see if I need to take more. The feathers will most likely grow back within the next 6 months, depending on when they molted last. Not all feathers are replaced at the same time so you will see some come back sooner than others.

3-5 years????? Tell your bf that my rubber leg is stretching far enough now that I'm walking lopsided as I go about my daily activities! :whistle:

[Tango's_Mom]

he'll get used to it in a couple days, if he's never been clipped it may not necessarily mean it's a bad clip, just that he has yet to figure it out. He's young is he not? think of him like a a toddler, sometimes they need time to figure the whole movement thing out.
And clipping more than 5 is not a crime, Tango needs the first 7 gone usually or he's flying around like crazy within a week. That being said the one time he got a really bad wing clip (like almost every primary gone) he was clumsy for a couple days and then he figured out that he couldn't go any further than he could hop in one go and he got around just fine, within a few weeks he grew a couple back and was completely fine. Just make sure he stays off the floor so that he doesn't get stepped on (which is a good practice regardless) and if you have any other pets, especially dogs or cats, keep them away from Pan because he won't be able to get away. (Although i personally never allow dogs or cats in the same room when tango is out, and only ones i trust, and don't show an interest in him are allowed in when I'm there and he's in his cage).

[bookworm0550]

lol, i know, i was like " it doesn't take 3-5 years, whatever" but he dared me to come on here and ask. Tango sounds like Evolet. i swear, you'd think she wasn't clipped sometimes

[brittbritt]

I adopted Jackson back in November and the previous owner clipped him so I would be able to put him back in his cage easier while getting to know him.

I have been letting them grow out since and about a week ago I noticed him being able to fly from one room to the next. He's not sure of himself and only flies in straight lines, but it's a start. I'm excited for him.

[Tango's_Mom]

I think part of what makes keeping Tango under control is that he spends at least half the time able to have some amount of actual flight otherwise I'd be getting him clipped every 2 weeks because it seems that as soon as he gets even 1 clipped feather back he's off and flying, sometimes he'll have his flight back before i even see the feathers because he doesn't seem to need the first few that you can actually see when his wings are folded at all. I usually let him grow out until he starts to get cheeky and stops wanting to step up and be caught and etc. and then his attitude adjusts itself for a few months, come to think of it, it's time for another clip.

[MykL]

Pan will bounce back really quick! Just you watch! -- And "Tango's Mom" is right about how it how is squashes any cheekyness for a while...

[bookworm0550]

i'll get over it. i just feel like it's my fault that i let my sis go a bit overboard. when she was doing it, i kept thinking, "um...that's a bit too much, but oh well, she knows what she's doing." and then he kept landing everywhere he went w/ a thud even when he's trying to get from the floor to the couch (which is not very high off the ground). of course i can't stay mad at my sis for long and it's not like i'm totally pissed off or anything. "it's feathers, it'll grow back," I tell myself, "you work in a hair salon, just think of this as Pan getting a bad haircut." I just feel guilty that i didn't say anything that was on my mind. Of course I told her how Pan's crash landing and she understands my concern. She won't go so far in next time :) Lesson learned for us both. It's nice having a vet tech in my family. I get 20% off at where she works (of course, it's the animal emergency hospital and I hope I never have to go there and use that 20%).

[StormyMom]

I think it depends on the bird too. When i first got Jaden it took his wings a year to grow back (he had a VERY bad short clip). I would think between 6 months to a year. 3-5 years is insane LOL. Where does he get his info haha