Easily Startled Baby Macaw

[AlbertChirpenstein]

Hey guys!

I am just looking for some guideance/advice form the more experienced bird owners.

I am a new bird mumma and I have a 15 week old Hahns Macaw. He's coming along great with his balance, coordination and talking however he is so easily startled to the point that when this happens he heads for the ground.

He has a clipped wing so I am worried every time he glides off my shoulder that he is going to hurt himself. He always seems quite shocked when this happens and when I pick him back up he runs and snuggles under my neck while getting his breath back.

I am very gentle and use slow movements and soft speach before I move around with him to help him but I was wondering is this something with time he will grow out of? Is it because he is a baby? Or is this something he might always do??

Thanks in advance!

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Ok, quick question to clarify things for others - when you say "a clipped wing" is that just one wing (illegal in some places and definitely a serious health hazard for him) or both wings?

 

[Owlet]

Yes, how is your baby clipped? If a clipping is done right the bird should still be able to glide to the ground unharmed. They should never just FALL.

 

[AlbertChirpenstein]

From what I can see it’s just the one wing. I didn’t clip it though it’s how he came to me. I’m letting it grow out as I don’t like the idea of it! I am taking him for a vet check this weekend since I just got him and will be asking them to look at his wings too! If the wing hasn’t been clipped correctly then I can understand the issues a bit more... he sometimes glides but it’s a quick trip to the ground. That’s what worries me!
As for being startled can I expect this to get better as he gets older and more confident?

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Yep, so one-wing clips can cause permanently physical damage - it's an old school way that people have finally learned better not to do. Have your vet address it ASAP. We've had many birds on the forum who came from breeders with one-wing clips and broke their sternum and split their skin. There are such things as feather donations where some vets can use molted feathers from other birds to balance out the clip. Alternatively, you might have to have the other wing clipped. (I'll try to find links to some of those threads) [EDIT: the threads by ScottB and his Fergus are what immediately popped to mind]

It also can cause emotional/mental damage where the bird is so insecure about himself and doesn't learn to fly, causing his muscles to not develop as strong as they should which means his heart and lungs also suffer. Plus you'll have a scared, frightened bird who can't help himself - and that can turn quickly into screaming and other issues.

You may find that fixing the lopsided wing problem might just fix your concern about his confidence!

And most importantly, give him time. You're new to him and he's just a baby. His previous comforts of familiar people and places has changed to yours, which is new and oftentimes scary. He'll come around

 

[Flynhigh]

Unfortunately, one wing clip is bad . With as much info that is out there it is really a shame there are still breeders and owners doing this to the birds . Clipping psychologically has a very negative effect on our birds , especially prior to fledging . If the bird was fledged then not so much as its more like riding a bike once you know how you always will, just maybe not as skilled or confident . As always its up to the human to make the decision to clip or not but if you want a well rounded balanced FID he/she needs to fly , its a big responsibility to have a flighted bird in the home but with training, the bird will learn where it is allowed to perch and not to , just like our kids need boundries so do our birds. You have a very young bird and my recommendation would be to allow the flight feathers to grow back and then start flight training. My Grey was clipped from the breeder and I carefully trained him to fly indoors with great confidence , he flys through doorways and all over the house and he has become a very skilled indoor flyer despite his early shortcomings due to the breeder. Harness training is also something to establish early as it is much easier with a young bird. Do the best you can to protect your baby while the feathers come back to avoid injurys and once they do use his/her cues to develop a plan for flight training. Don't get discouraged as it takes what seems like forever to get the flights to grow back especially if you have a roughneck that breaks feathers as fast as they grow in but when they do its a wonderful feeling to see them do what there made to do, even with a roof over there heads.
As for startling its probably more of him/her getting used to the surroundings , noticing more outside the windows and quick movements from his/her humans and that will definitely subside with age and confidence. Also you mentioned the wing that's clipped and if its" clipped incorrectly " that method should be illegal in my opinion , imagine having a leg with no foot and trying to run. It brings off balance to a bad place. I know you had nothing to do with the clip but there is tons of info out there to help become educated and help our companions live a happy life inside our homes and hopefully never become a forgotten member of our familys because we didn't understand. Good luck and welcome aboard.

 

[AlbertChirpenstein]

Thanks everyone! Given this is new to me it could be that the wing clip was done right - but I can’t be sure because I’m still learning. I don’t think I could ever clip a wing!
He’s a really clever bird. He has warmed to me very fast and he talks to me and loves when I sing to him. I will be giving him my all. He’s like my baby!
He’s already potty trained and harness trained too!
Hopefully the vet will help me build my own confidence in making sure he is being handled correctly. I want him to fly that’s what they should be able to do so I’ll be looking into the flight training!!
He’s a happy bird and he is definitely comfortable at home - it’s the quick fast movement usually from something outside causes him to freak out but it’s less and less because I say ‘it’s okay’ and once he hears me it reassures him. I swear he understand every word I say even if he can only mumble back!

 

[EllenD]

Ih all seriousness, you MUST get your baby to a Certified Avian Vet or even an Exotics Vet who knows how to clip wings and get his other wing clipped to match ASAP!!! I know you want to wait for the clipped wing to just grow-out, but at your bird's age this uneven clipping can cause all kinds of permanent issues such as damage to his spine, atrophy of the muscles on one side of his spine, and most importantly at his age is that his muscle-memory is being learned and developed right now, and only clipping one wing at his age often results in the bird permanently being off-balance for the rest of his life, because he'll constantly be compensating autonomically for the other side...I've seen it many times...

And you answered your own question as to why he's so clumsy, off-balance, and why he's seemingly so nervous/anxious...The reason that he seems so frightened/startled all the time is because he's having trouble balancing himself due to the uneven wing clip, and he has already learned that when he falls he has no way of controlling his fall and he just drops to the ground like a rock, or he may even spin or fall to one side...That's the reason he's so "startled" by everything, because it's impossible for him to feel balanced so he's been constantly struggling 24/7 to be able to simply stand/perch/walk without falling over, and when he does fall he knows he can't right himself.

This is a serious problem that needs to be corrected immediately on his other wing. It's absolutely not worth waiting for his other wing to "grow-out" because at only 15-weeks it may take up to a year for that one wing to fully grow-out. So you absolutely want to go and get the other wing clipped to match the same length as the already clipped one, and that way it will be done in plenty of time for them both to molt and grow-back in during his first big molt. If you wait for the clipped wing to grow, he will be constantly struggling and OVERCOMPENSATING for it, and this could very well train his Trap muscles in his back (around his spine) and the muscles in his wings to basically "learn the wrong way" how to move...

Once you get the other wing clipped to match, he'll have full-balance again, but it may still take a week or two for him to get over being startled and anxious all the time, because he will have to learn that he will now be able to not only glide to the floor without falling, but he'll be able to do it with full control. The longer you wait to get the other wing clipped to match, the more difficult the situation will become, and the more issues he's going to have with flying, walking, perching, etc. in the future. So please, don't wait for that clipped wing to grow back, because he needs to have the other wing clipped to match immediately. It won't set you back any further as far as his wings growing back in, you will be waiting just as long for that single wing to grow back in as you will for both of them to grow back in as long as you get the other wing clipped to match the already clipped one.

***This is a HUGE deal, I know you didn't realize that is was, but you did know enough that something was very wrong with the way he's been acting startled and out of balance..Single wing-clipping is something that used to be done by breeders back in the 70's-80's and before, and because it was found to cause the exact issues your bird is already struggling with, along with often causing permanent issues with birds not being able to balance, perch, or fly as adults due to muscle atrophy and "muscle-learning" issues when they are young, it was stopped as a regular practice long ago...But there are still some very stubborn, uneducated breeders who either learn from someone who has always clipped one wing, or they just refuse to change, even though there is ample medical research evidence that shows the permanent damage clipping only one wing does to a bird...So it's not at all your fault, but you do need to get that other wing clipped ASAP...At only 15 weeks his body and brain are not only growing and developing rapidly, but they are also learning how to function, and right now his brain is fighting his muscles, with his brain wanting to work properly and his muscles having no choice but to compensate for the uneven wing clip, and this will cause permanent problems if it's not corrected immediately...

 

[AlbertChirpenstein]

So I’ve been to the vet this morning and they gave my baby a full check over! It appears it was a breeder that has clipped his one wing! The vet trimmed the other wing and he seemed to look and feel much better! He’s flapping his wings and moving around SO much better! I’m keeping up the harness training so my baby can have his wings grow back properly and be functioning as they should. Thanks every one for the advice! I’ll keep researching and making sure that I learn everything I can!