can i cut band off foot

[yoshidaboss]

i have a 2yr old sun conure who has a band on her foot. i just bought a baby and he does not have a band on his foot and will not leave hers alone. she has gotten swollen toes and am worried he is going to actually hurt her foot.

 

[gemini84]

i had that problem with my alex, he actually squashed it on his leg. i took him to my vet but because there was no room to pull it off he was anethasized and had to use the dremel to cut it off.

if your baby wont leave it alone i advose getting it off

 

[JamesC]

A band could be somewhat useful for identification but they don't have to be there. An avian vet I used to go to took Tootsie's ring off the moment he saw her for the first time. He was firmly against them. Neither of my two rescues had bands when I adopted them so I never gave it thought again.

If it is an open band, you will need to use a couple of vise grip pliers to open it up. I'm not sure about a solid band but you would be using some kind of sharp hand tool around your bird's foot. I would be strongly inclined to let an avian vet do it because their feet could be so fragile and you have to make sure the bird is held properly so she does not get injured.

 

[Aquila]

Just remember, once it comes off, it's never going back on!

I would recommend a vet removing it so you don't hurt her, and also to get a formal document saying it was removed so you still have her ID.

 

[MikeyTN]

You can still ID them by doing microchip. I am HIGHLY against leg bands!!!! It has cost one of my previous birds to lose her foot, she hurt her foot somehow and it swelled up and the leg band prevents blood flow and it caused the foot to die. We had to have it amputated. She was a fighter as she flies around just fine with one foot.

 

[antoinette]

Rather let an experienced vet remove the band.
If something goes horribly wrong, you will never ever forgive yourself.

 

[robopetz]

I read somewhere that microchipping a bird the size of a sun conure was a no no???

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Definitely let your vet do it! It's not worth the risk to cut it off yourself. My vet had to use GIANT bolt cutters, and 2 helpers, to cut off Rosie's thick open bands. One person held her, the second person steadied her leg, and the vet carefully cut them off. Open bands are much thicker then breeder brands though, but breeder bands still take a skilled hand to remove.

You can see hers in this photo

 

[lene1949]

A vet will use a ring cutter to cut off the band... It's the same tool used to cut off rings from a human... There should be no reason to anesthetize, if the bird can be restrained...

Here in Australia, rings are used by breeders to identify their birds... Maybe clubs have other rings to identify birds sold... as in leading back to the breeder...

I don't use rings, but I'm only a hobby breeder with 3 breeding birds...

 

[gemini84]

my vet tried to cut it off but he had squashed it onto his leg and couldnt get a safe grip. had no choice but tp use the dremel and only safe way to do it was with him asleep.

he was fine within 5 min

 

[ruffledfeathers]

It would depend on your state DEP and what the regulations are. In NJ you either have to be banded or microchipped. I had Georgie microchipped and she never had a band on her. Gil came with a band and i was going to remove it and microchip, but it has caused him no problems whatsoever, so i have not.
I also recommend having a vet do it. Sometimes it is really tricky. That being said, my vet generally recommends/prefers having them off the birds, for no potential to hurt themselves later.

 

[MonicaMc]

Generally speaking, it's not recommended to microchip birds under 100 grams - i.e. cockatiel and smaller. Sun conures and quakers, although they may weigh under 100 grams, are typically bulky enough to withstand micro-chipping just fine. Cockatiels and other slim lined parakeet species just don't have that bulk. That's the main difference... although I have heard of a cockatiel being micro-chipped before, and have only heard of a few problems with microchips, which don't seem to be a common occurrence.

 

[Birdlover11]

I agree with everybody, I think it would be safer for a vet to take it off.

 

[JamesC]

It would depend on your state DEP and what the regulations are. In NJ you either have to be banded or microchipped..

I never realized that NJ had that regulation. I lived in NJ for about 5 years and the vet that removed Tootsie's band is in Cherry Hill. Was that a recent regulation? I left about 6 years ago.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

IDK how recent?? I got Georgie in 2001 and to license her, I had to fill out paperwork with microchip id or band number. Once on file, i guess how would they really 'know' if i removed it but......

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hunter's band was removed by my Avian vet this year. She is 13 years old, and the leg HAD calused a bit. He removed the band, wrote a letter for me in case an inspector ever does show up at my house, and he attached the cut band to the letter. He signed and sealed it.

In New Jersey pet birds have to be registered with Fish & Wildlife and the license must be renewed yearly.

 

[BeakersBro]

Take it to the vet and get your bird micro-chipped instead. That's what we did with Beaker because he HATED his band. He picked at it so much, the feathers on the band foot were all messed up.

Edit: if your bird is big enough for a microchip

 

[happycat]

Definitely let your vet do it! It's not worth the risk to cut it off yourself. My vet had to use GIANT bolt cutters, and 2 helpers, to cut off Rosie's thick open bands. One person held her, the second person steadied her leg, and the vet carefully cut them off. Open bands are much thicker then breeder brands though, but breeder bands still take a skilled hand to remove.

You can see hers in this photo

Oh wow, my birds leg band isnt at all like that. I can understand why people would be against that. Its so tight if it got swollen it wouldnt be good. My bird's is only small enough to not be able to pass his foot comfortably, and is hard plastic. Its loose around his legs, he hardly notices them.

 

[thermodynamic]

i have a 2yr old sun conure who has a band on her foot. i just bought a baby and he does not have a band on his foot and will not leave hers alone. she has gotten swollen toes and am worried he is going to actually hurt her foot.

Seconding others: Go to the vet, since one little mistake might hurt the bird - and the wrong move would dismantle trust build up between the bird and you. And the time it takes to rebuild trust, if that even happens, is a very long time.

My Tybbi started fiddling with his band. It was a large band, but somehow he got it off of his leg entirely, without hurting his talon. I'm still scratching my head on that, as it's a solid ring (appx 1/2" diameter, which is massive for a parrot ID bracelet). Tybbi never had swollen toes in the process, but I can also say my vet does not care for bands to be on birds unless absolutely necessary. He did cut off Scooter's band after I brought him in to mend a broken leg (this was 5 years ago, and the band was C-shaped rather than a solid ring).

I too side with the consensus and say "go to the vet". It's safer for your relationship to the bird, and the bird's health (since one little freak-out might cause injury).

 

[yoshidaboss]

this is my wifes question thread,

she has it stuck in her head that our baby bird will hurt our older birds foot, because of the ring. i think otherwise, but im no expert, just a gut extinct


the baby bird is highly active and if theres nothing near by for him to pick at..... he'll go for yoshi's band,

on another note, yoshi is finally defending her territory around our babybird.

parker just has no cage ettiquette, especially when it comes to taking turns, or sharing, its all about him,
its like hes oblivious to others around him when he sees food or drink, hes bird on a mission

thank you to everyone who replied