Wing Clipping Dilemma

[Kumashe]

Good News: Indy is not as afraid of humans anymore. He comes out on his own more than I have to get him out. He's still wary of bare hands but he accepts a sleeved arm/hand to step up onto. He'll even step up onto the arm of someone other than me. We are making a lot of progress in the taming department.

Bad News: His flight feathers are in... Not completely though. I've only seen a few. They aren't as long as the two flightfeathers that hadn't been clipped.

Whenever it seems that his flight feathers have grown in enough, I'll get them clipped. He's something of a reckless flyer, so he needs to get them clipped. However, I'm afraid that taking him to a local petstore because I think that all of the progress we've made so far will disappear. I don't think he will enjoy being restained, or having his newly grown flight feathers taken away from him. What to do...

[linda040899]

The main thing for Indy is his safety. While he may enjoy his new found freedom, if it can get him injured, his flights need to be clipped for his safety. Before clipping the new feathers, you have to make sure that the blood supply is gone. If you don't want your local pet shop to do it, perhaps your vet would be the next best choice. Make sure you explain to whoever does it just what you want. If not, you may end up with a clip that you really didn't want to have done.

[Kumashe]

How can you tell when the blood supply has gone?

[linda040899]

If you look at the underside of the wing, a feather that still has a blood supply will have a shaft that looks bluish in color. Once the feather is mature, the part above where the feather actually begins will have a whitish or clear look to it. Sometimes you can still see the keritan casing on an immature feather.

[Z28Taxman]

The main thing for Indy is his safety. While he may enjoy his new found freedom, if it can get him injured, his flights need to be clipped for his safety. Before clipping the new feathers, you have to make sure that the blood supply is gone. If you don't want your local pet shop to do it, perhaps your vet would be the next best choice. Make sure you explain to whoever does it just what you want. If not, you may end up with a clip that you really didn't want to have done.


I'll second the safety part. If Ditto was reckless with his flying and a danger to himself I'd have him clipped in a second. Fortunately he's really good about it and really only flies to get to me, his gymn and his cage. It is nice for him to be able to fly back to his cage for a snack. I only allow it because he only flies to those 3 places, otherwise he's a total velcro birdie. His favorite place to be is in my hand. Even if I put him on my shoulder, many times he'll go right back to my hand and either sit on my thumb or hunker down in my palm and take a nap with his face buried in my fingers.

[Elle]

Safety fisrt, of course. As far as being scared of regressing, Indy will be upset for a few days but will get over it. Clipping does give them an attitude ajustment as well. Blu becomes defiant when she can fly awy from us but a few hours after a wing clip, she is back to her old cuddly self.