Guess who's getting her wings clipped!

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

Sunnybird!

Yup.... wings have been growing out pretty steadily and I was honestly hoping that we could let her be fully flighted.... my Maka and Hale-Bopp were fully flighted and handled it very well.

But... just like the last time she almost had a full set of flight feathers, she started flipping out.

Once she figures out she can zoom around & stay out of reach, Sunny just flys back and forth until she's panting and chirps her head off... and always stays out of reach. She gets this wild look in her eyes and we have to corner her, trick her, and finally grab her & put her back in her cage to get her to calm down.

And once she's back in her cage she settles down and gets all normal and floofy & looks at us like "Can I come out? Please? I promise to be good."

But it's the same thing... sooo.... hubby and I agreed she's going in for a clip. Time for an attitude adjustment. Poor baby!

[Chickobee]

Boy do I know that drill.

I was following Linda's instructions to let fledgelings learn to fly really well before doing a wing clip. :wink: I had little kamakazee birds flying in my living room :omg: and then decided all flights would be restricted to a bedroom with a closed door.

Let me tell you! Baby birds can fly fast!!! I ended up being the one panting and making weard squaking noises! :thud: I finally had to resort to using the bird net to get them all corraled the last time they were allowed free flight.

At that point I decided they had all met the test of being proficient fliers!

Then the :evil: scissors came out!

I trimmed four flights on all of them and now a couple have had one more feather cut. It's still quite a circus to catch them when they don't want to be caught but at least they are down low now. I use Buddy as "bait" and they all go to him. Then they are pretty easy to catch.

Yeah for wing clips!!! :happy:

[michael]

Poor Sunny......:(.......Maybe someday she'll calm herself just enough to keep those wings.

When Beebs first came to us, he made it a direct point to show off his evasive flight skills. What he didn't count on, was that we were already prepared to bring his speedy little can in to a safe landing. Thanks to one Goofy Lovebird, along with bird proofing at its finast, and the knowledge that there's no place here a lovebird could go where a human couldn't, door after door we steadily closed in on him. Funny how both of them always managed to end up in the smallest room of the house, huffing and puffing, until eventually they realized it was time to step up. .... Today, its a fun chase where I take the lead and they must catch up............:)

[LovelySydney]

Parrotlet Oliver is QUITE the little bullet now. I was going to clip but he hasnt changed his attitude towards me. He will still step up and come to me. Plus, he doesnt fly anywhere but his play stand, couch and back to the cage so until it becomes a problem, I think Im going to let him hang out with his wings for a little while.

[FuzzyAga]

Ah! I was curious about how one let the fledglings learn to fly before clipping their wings. I surmised that it would be a whirlwind of little flying bodies, and you've just described a vivid picture of just that! You're so brave.

Having the one and only chick of Juanita's learning to fly was a trip because both parents would accompany his flights and all three would yell and scream while they were flying. Imagine the noise level and the confusion if there were more chicks!

I'm glad I let the chick get really good at flying: hard U-turns, hovering, roller-coaster-up-and-downs, air speed changes.

I saw the clip job on one of the babies in the pictures you posted. Very instructive. :)

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

Yeah... sunny has great control of her flight. zooming, turning, drops & up.... but she just doesn't stop! and it doesn't look like she's enjoying herself.

So... we got her clipped, we brought her to my parents' house for a visit with grandma & grandpa & to say hello to Hina... and what a change! I think her clip tuckered her out... it looks like they did her nails too even though we didn't ask for that. She wanted skritches and kept herself floofy. She's a lot calmer now without her flights. Hubby and I feel bad to take away her wings, but it's nice to have a calm lovie again.

[Pips mom]

I'm willing to bet if we took a poll here that clipped lovies way outnumber unclipped ones! What a difference I see in Pip as soon as his flights start growing in, and with Pip, it's pretty easy to lure him places or even get him to come to me.....it's getting him back in his cage that gets tough.....smart little stinkers know what you're up to and even with a clip, boy are they fast! Once Pip realizes that I want him back in his cage, I don't stand a chance against a determined, speedy little lovie! My other birds are not clipped and have full flight. I have clipped them in the past, but they do good now with their flights, and aren't mischeivous birds like lovies.

[wasabi]

i also have the same problem with my fischer. when we got him/her last december (we don't know the gender but i'll use him for now), his wings were clipped and we let them grow out and he's become a flying terror...getting into everything and anything and he'll fly til he's out of breath and panting AND he has a major attitude it seems, chirping and getting aggressive....just being a typical punk a$$ troublemaker of a bird and i say with that the utmost love. so for his own safety, i clipped about 4 flight feathers on each wing...he can do short flights, but he doesn't have height to fly up to the blinds and chew the ceiling, or go over to the door frame for an accidental exit.

anyway, he's acting kind of mopey and unsure now. i'm starting to feel some guilt, but i just would not be able to forgive myself if he got into some fatal accident cause he was zooming all over the house. he definitely is a ton more calm now though.

also since we're taking him away for the weekend to visit family, i would feel better knowing that if he accidentally got out he wouldn't be able to get far.

so is it normal for birds to get a little mopey after they lose their ability for full flight?

[HaleBoppPeachyluv]

I think it's normal... at least it is for sunny. She totally moped the first time we got her clipped.... poofy and fluffy and napped a lot. Like her feelings were hurt.

This last time, I think taking her to visit with my folks & Hina right after the clip helped her get thru her mope faster. Another birdie to chirp to, and interesting people to check out. But she still napped a lot that first day... i think she's over it now. Definitely a lot mellower little fid... more cuddly and willing to stay for a skritch.