Worried about Ducky's reaction to wing clip

[cp.lovebird]

I have been thinking a lot about clipping Ducky's wings. He loves to fly around but he zooms around like crazy and I'm scared he's going to crash into something and injure himself. Plus, with the summer coming, the risk of him getting outside is much higher. My in-laws are coming on May 1st and they would never do anything intentionally but they are not bird people and accidents do happen. If Ducky got out, I would be devastated.

I had him clipped once after I first got him. He was so upset he pulled a bunch of feathers out around his vent to the point of bleeding! I was so scared I took him to the vet. The vet said that he was upset because of the clipping.

I am going to get a friend (who works in an avian vet's office) help me to clip him so I can learn how to do this myself. I'm going to print the instructions from the resource library here - thanks so much for the great info!

Any tips on how I can make this less traumatic for my little birdie?

[Jally]

I know what you're going thru. I plan on getting my 2 heck-raisers clipped soon but it will be hard because they love to fly. I normally clip Peanut in the summer time because it curbs those hormones a bit and plus we go camping a lot (or plan to) and after already having one of my guys escape :very_sad: :very_sad: :very_sad: I don't want to risk having a second or third...

[Pips mom]

I actually clip all of mine myself now....mostly for the reason that when you take them to be clipped, they always clip TOO much! I clip mine so that they can still fly pretty decently. Pip is clipped....if you look at him, you can't see any black fights...just a tiny bit maybe, but he can still fly pretty well, just not gain much height. He can even fly across a large room, but if you watch.....he won't gain height. Maybe if you were to clip him like this, then clip another flight, one at a time, it would be less stressful and less of a change and shock. It does affect them if they are clipped and go from one extreme to another! Even Pip who's so happy and well adjusted has gotten sad for a couple of days over past clips.....this is what forced me to do it on my own and not ever see him clipped so severely that he can't fly very well. Even if you'd want him clipped a little more than I clip mine, you could do it gradually so it isn't so much of a big change for him....I'm sure that would make a big difference. It's not hard to do yourself.......I even clip my birds nails now on my own....mostly Woody's get long and Ivy's......Ivy's a tough one though and will only allow me to do this when she's in the mood!

[love4birds]

Lovebirds are built to zip around like maniacs when they're flying. Flying helps them learn to "think on the wing", it actually allows them to use parts of their brain that aren't well developed in clipped birds. It is rare for a good, experienced flyer to crash into things. Heck, my lovies even know to hover in front of windows!:)

Getting outside is a tough one though, especially if not everyone in the house is committed to being vigilant about flighted bird safety.

I don't clip my birds, but I used to, and I found the transition less stressful on the bird if I clipped one feather on each side every few days until I had them the way I wanted. It's not such a drastic change for them that way:)

[maya_exquisite]

Mika's flight status has always depended on where we were living. When we lived in a one-bedroom apartment, he was fully flighted because I had turned the bedroom into a bird room. When I moved back to my parents house, he (and Kano) was lightly clipped where he could fly horizontally but not gain altitude because my parents have very high ceilings and my mom always ran the ceiling fan in the living room and family room. When I moved to another one-bedroom place, Mika (and Kano) was FULLY clipped because there were just "danger" areas of the place that I couldn't do anything about.

Now, in our townhouse, Mika is lightly clipped and he can fly from the living room to the bedroom and back. Him being lightly clipped works best for us because he can still fly wherever he wants, but we don't have to worry.

Mika and Kano never reacted negatively to being fully or lightly clipped... but if either had done what Ducky did, I would definitely never give a severe clip again. I'm able to just hold Mika and trim his wings... what makes it super easy for me is that I just clip him as his flights randomly grow out to make them even with the "original" light clip I had given him. I'm usually snipping one or two flights every several months and that's it. He's got one flight grown out long on his left side that I've got my eye on right now 'cause he looks uneven. Hehe.

I would do as Pips mom and love4birds suggested and do a gradual clip over time to get Ducky used to it. And if it looks like it may be another traumatic experience, perhaps give him his favorite treat right after you do the clipping? I know with Mika, food distracts him COMPLETELY. :rotfl

[cp.lovebird]

Thanks everyone for your feedback! :) I am making an appointment with a mobile avian grooming service to get Ducky's clip started. I really want someone very experienced show me how to do his nails and wings so I don't make any tragic mistakes. I think we will try the gradual clip - a couple feathers at a time so he's not too freaked out by the change. I'll let you know how it goes! I feel bad about doing this but the summer is so stressful when my in-laws are here. I can't bear the thought of him getting out. :( I'll probably let his wings grow out in the winter so he can zoom around again.

[cp.lovebird]

maya - I will definitely give him a nutriberry afterwards and lots of head scritches!