Guilt over Wing Clipping

[Roanoke]

Hey all. I've been debating clipping Teeko's wings the past few months due to his aggression towards my family,
and following the advice of a trusted forum member, got the guts up to do it today. As soon as I snipped the first feather, I got a terrible sinking feeling
in my gut that this would be something I reget deeply. But I was determined, and kept going. I think I got off 4 or so, rounding the wing from a natural triangular shape to an oval-y thing.
He was screeching so loudly- I think he knew what was going on and obviously, wasn't too keen on it. Naturally, I started sobbing and apologizing, mascara running down my face.
I feel so bad. Yes, it's for his own good (Now he can't aerially attack my parents & brother) but I just feel like I killed him or something.
He seems to have already forgotten about the whole experience, and has probably gained weight already with all the apology treats I gave him

I was just wondering if it's normal to feel so bad about wing trims?
I know most of our forum members' birds are flighted, but some of you do clip.
To those who do- how do you feel about it?

One more question. I was shaking and so stressed out that I couldn't bring myself to clip the other wing, so they're not symmetrical.
What should I do about this? We did a test flight, and he's pretty much debilitated already, but should I clip the other wing so they're the same?

I'm off to get some ice cream and wipe my nose now. Maybe wrap up in a blanket and watch a movie. I just can't stop crying.

 

[Kyoto]

I would just to help his balance a bit.

I've been debating clipping Kyo in order to allow her more time downstairs with us as she attacks my husband and we have been working really hard with her flighted but it may be our best bet as she is just determined to attack him. She used to be good downstairs, now she is used to it and is aggressive again.

I will only do it the once, to intensify her training and get her to further accept my husband. If it's the case for you too, try not to feel bad and think about how much it will actually benefit him in the long term for a short term sacrifice.

I however will not be the one to do the evil. I will be paying the vet to do that.

 

[DexMom]

I am no expert, but I would either bite the bullet and even out the clip by trimming the other wing to match, or bring him to the vet or parrot store to have it done. Leaving him uneven I don't think he'll even be able to glide gracefully to the floor if he launches off something in an attempt to fly. I picture a downward spiral with the uneven wings.

I had to clip Dexter for his own safety. He was repeatedly flying HARD into the windows in my sunroom and family room. They are floor to ceiling windows, with a 15 ft ceiling in one room, so there is no way for me to cover them. I tried taking him around and showing him the boundaries by tapping and tapping his beak on the windows many, many times. But he was relentless and I was really afraid he was going to hurt himself.

Even though I know in my heart that clipping him was the right thing to do, I still felt badly after having it done. So, I think your feelings are normal. Be kind to yourself. Maybe have a cupcake with your ice cream.

 

[Anansi]

Hey, Roanoke. I can't speak as to the guilt you're feeling, as I don't clip, but I'll definitely say that you (or a qualified someone) should clip his other wing.

You see, clipping only one wing is an old tactic that is sometimes used to not only limit flight, but to psychologically traumatize a bird to the point where they develop a negative association with the idea of flight.

DexMom is absolutely correct. A downward spiral is exactly what would result. And that involuntary and unexpected turning is what would cause the bird to ultimately fear flying.

Now, I know of course that was not your intent. But if you don't even out the trim by clipping the other side, this is likely what will happen.

 

[Jayyj]

I have a bird who arrived with a one sided clip. She would take off whenever something scared her - which was pretty regularly early on - get a few feet into the air then lose balance and come spiraling back to the floor with a sickening thump. She's been fully flighted now for getting on for three years but is still a very reluctant flyer. An even clip is definitely the way to go.

 

[Mimsy01]

I'd concur with an even clip.

I understand the guilt you feel though. We clipped Foo when we first got her because of aggression towards my husband. She has since been free flight. When I look back on it though, it was the right thing in our house. She would of been caged often if she had not be clipped. So she got to be out all day with the clip. Since then we still have some issues with her not taking no for an answer when wanting to come to us, but those are things we can work out without clipping. The aggression was not fair to my husband and none of us felt right having to c age her a lot.

 

[Irishj9]

I'm against wing clipping, but I'm Catholic, I love a convert.

if you balance the clip, and train the bird out of its agressiveness, ( Find and eliminate the CAUSE) I suspect there wont be any lasting damage. Feathers grow back.

 

[Aquila]

There's also different clips that can be done, sometimes only the first two or three feathers to limit distance/altitude, is what I recommend. My cockatiel came to me like that and believe me it didn't really hamper her flying! She easily got up on the curtain rods, but she was already a strong flyer.

I've never done a full clip on any of my birds, and all are currently flighted (with the exception of Gonzo my grey who trims his own wings) but I have clipped in the past to train. It's easy to do yourself, and please don't let it bother you. You're putting the training wheels back on the bike for a bit, and feathers do grow back.

 

[JerseyWendy]

.....I was just wondering if it's normal to feel so bad about wing trims?
I know most of our forum members' birds are flighted, but some of you do clip.
To those who do- how do you feel about it?

.......

I felt the same after I snipped off just a few off my Sam's wings. You see, he had/has the uncanny habit of dive-bombing my face when he's in a foul mood, OR when I make eye contact at the wrong time of the day. :54: I felt horrible for days!! But I only clipped VERY minute amounts, He was still able to fly, but I snipped enough for him not to gain any height. I've done it twice. They are currently all grown out, and I will NOT do it again.

I'd rather walk around like this when he's in one of his moods:


Yup, that 'usually' helps. :21:

 

[Anansi]

I'd rather walk around like this when he's in one of his moods:


Yup, that 'usually' helps. :21:

Our very own Red Riding Hood! Hahaha! I love it!

 

[Birdman666]

I honestly stand by my advice.

You can't have him out of balance like that, he'll hurt himself. Clip them both evenly. Finish the job. He can't control his flight path or pitch with one wing that provides lift, and one wing that does not! HE'LL CRASH IF HE TRIES TO FLY!!!

Wing feathers grow back. There's nothing to feel guilty about. You can't have a bird attacking and biting people. Once the behavior is under control, you can leave him flighted again.

The next molt those feathers grow in good as new, and he's fully flighted again. SO WHAT IS THERE TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT?!

They should be clipped so that he is semi flighted. Just the three to four outside primary feathers, about half way down. He can still glide to the floor.

My birds scream bloody murder every single time they get groomed. By the sound of Sally's screaming, when she's getting her nails done, you'd think they were cutting her toes off... IT'S TORTURE. No! Letting her toenails grow out to the point where her feet were mangled would be torture. This is called grooming, and it's part of responsible bird keeping!

DO NOT FEEL GUILTY!

Hey, I FREE FLIGHTED Sally, but when she decided to engage in arial combat with my LCA, she lost her full flight privileges. I can't have them flying laps around the house, bumping into things, and attacking each other over territory... someone could get hurt. Again, it's a safety issue. THEY'RE SPOILED ROTTEN OTHERWISE. Why would I feel guilty?!

 

[Flboy]

My JoJo was an attack bird also, if she didn't know you well, you got attacked! We came very close to clipping her, but instead came up with an idea of modifying her behavior. For several months, you walk into my house, JoJo was back in her cage, and stayed. But everyone and anyone, house rule, walk over, say hi, and a treat! I did this for almost 7 months. She has been on good behavior for two months now, but if someone comes over and is afraid of birds, JoJo in cage, treat! Since she isn't the slightest territorial over her cage, she nicely accepts treats without any posturing from anyone!

I have to admit, because I didn't want to clip her, I started the cage/treat routine as a perminant solution! Then, last month because I had all day guests, I took a chance and let JoJo out. Surprise! That is when I came to the realization, I was doing a simple behavior mod and retraining, avoiding the undesirable behavior, reinforcing the desired behavior!
One difficult point, some of her attacks were on folks I really didn't want in my house either! But!

 

[Flboy]

Another behavior mod that worked well. One of JoJo's least favorite (very smart bird) was my daughter's boyfriend(ex), and he was staying with us! Rule was, you walk by, say hi and treat, then just keep going. If JoJo was out, I would cup her with my hand, same treat rule. We then started having him approach her while she was on her stand and have a treat ready at all times, with me not around! I knew I was the trigger, she is only protecting me! He has not been bitten in 2 months! Still visits!?! JoJo flys to him but does the happy dance waiting for her treat!

But as said, you have to finish the clip! Feathers regrow, work on the good habits.

 

[Aquila]

Sydney is an attack bird if I pick up Gonzo, or if he feels I'm threatened in any way (being hugged especially) and will attack either the other person or me!

I've debated head protection like Wendy, but I would need a bike helmet or a hardhat

 

[BridgetsFlame]

I clip depending on the bird and the situation. I clip my mothers cockatiel fully after every moult. Echo was in an accident about seven years ago and it cause lasting brain damage. All of his behaviour is a bit skewed but the biggest impact was on his flight. He can launch, and he can fly straight, but he can't turn and he can't land. He just hits whatever is in front of him at full speed. With his flight feathers completely clipped he doesn't attempt to fly. He's used to me clipping his wings and never puts up a fuss about it.

My sun conure gets clipped to varying degrees depending on the situation. When we moved across country he was completely clipped in order to ensure we didn't lose him during the travel if he got out of his cage. I used to remove a couple of flight feathers to stop him dive bombing Echo when we were living at home, but he's got all his feathers now we are in our own house and he's also now free flight trained.

Don't feel guilty about clipping your bird, though I agree with the others that he needs an even clip.