Older amazon needs a clip

[slowstitcher]

Long background story to a quick question about wing clipping - all things parrot related being what they are I'm looking for your experiences on what is a slightly unsafe situation.

I have a rescue amazon, Zeke, who has been living with me for about 6 months. He was wild caught and his age is unknown but he is at least in his mid twenties. Zeke is generally a very laid back, easygoing kind of bird. But he is not hand tame and to my knowledge from the info I got from the rescue was that no one has ever worked with him. Probably not the best choice for my first bird but I'm a softie!! When I first brought him home I tried to start him on a T Stand. Results were neutral - nothing changed, but nothing got worse. I decided to back off awhile while he settled in, so I put the t stand away and here it is half a year later!

Since then he comes out of his cage every day and takes a little exploratory stroll around the room. We carry his cage into the bathtub for a shower a couple times a week - during the summer we showered him outside. He loves to come and perch on a chair rung under me....I think we are at a point where he trusts me - but maybe it's gone too far and I need to take control back of the space. I work from home in the same room as my birds so they see me A LOT! Maybe too much!! His body language is very mellow with me but I don't push him. To my husband on the other hand he will sometimes lunge out or bite out at him from behind his cage bars. I no longer leave him outside the cage when my husband is home.

Two days ago Zeke FLEW to find me around the corner in the bathroom!! I knew it was coming since we haven't clipped him. But still I was a little stunned. So reality set in quick that he needs a wing clip and I need to get back to seeing if he's willing to be more hand tame.

I'm concerned that if we clip him his trust will drop back down and I'll be back to where we started. He is TERRIFIED of blankets and gloves, that was obvious at the get go, and if he knows I am behind it I'm sure he'll resent me. For the sake of safety I know he needs to be clipped because I refuse to keep him in his cage all the time. Does anyone have any words of advice or experiences with wild caught parrots? Strategies on how I should approach the clipping?

 

[wenz2712]

Your best bet is to take him to the Vet to have him clipped. This will stop him resenting you for it!

I take Codie to have his done and he is tame.

You will find it will be easier trying to tame him with his wings being clipped

 

[MonicaMc]

Amazons are known for obesity problems, especially those that have not been handled in a long time.

You have an older amazon that has decided that he trusts you and enjoys your company enough to fly to you.



May I ask, why do you want to clip him?


Is he flying at your husband to attack him? Is he being difficult to get back inside the cage? Or for what reason?

 

[SandyBee]

Also I might add, A good clip does not mean he will not fly. He just wont fly as far or get lift.

Bosley came to me clipped and he can still fly 20 feet in the house so I have found out LOL. Bosley is assumed wild caught.

I am considering not clipping him again as long as he doesn't become more aggresive and continues to behave. Only time will tell on that one.

 

[slowstitcher]

Thank you for your responses. Why do I tear up when I think about this? He's not hard to get back in the cage - and no, he's never hurt anyone as far as I know. I guess I just don't want that to happen. He is a very interesting bird, he has a lot of love in his eyes and he is so quiet, and I wanted to make his world better by bringing him home. So I guess we'll have to keep going slow with everything if that was the whole point.

 

[SandyBee]

Oh I forgot to add, Bosley lunges at my husband too. Not as much anymore, my hubby is great talks to him all the time, gives him treats. So Bosley still postures but you can tell its not with as much gusto as it used to be. I can have him out with my hubby right there it's not a problem. I can actually leave bosley out when I am not home with my hubby supervising.

The only thing my hubby can't do is touch him and if he gets too close to his T-stand bosley will run out of his cage LOL onto it.

Amazons are very much defenders and posers, as long as he is not attacking and only posturing it should be ok

 

[JerseyWendy]

Dear slowstitcher: You tear up because you care and LOVE your Zeke And now you must be undecided on what to do with the wings.

There is a HUGE controversy about clipping vs. not clipping. Please, do not let it get to you. Do what feels right for YOU - and you alone. Of course you have only Zeke's best interest at heart, but please don't start second guessing yourself, as it is quite obvious that you've come a long way with him.

If, at this point in your life, you are still uncertain about him flying free through your house/apartment, then have him trimmed gently by a professional - to ease your own mind.

I wish you continued success with your baby.

 

[MeganMango]

Clipped wings do grow out after a molt, its not a forever thing. I dont blame you for wanting more control while you work toward further hand taming. We had to do this with our Mango.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I agree with JersyWendy, it's your choice. If You make a choice you aren't sure about about and it ends badly you'll regret it for the rest of your life. I leave my galah fully flighted, she doesn't fly that much but is a very accomplished flier indoors when she gets startled. I'm teaching her to recall and making sure she is prepared for the out door elements if she ever flies outside without her restraints. My rule for Rosie is that only I can take her out of her cage and handle her unless my bedroom door is closed and she isn't removed from the room. If I have her downstairs and she flies out a door it will be my own fault and no one else.

 

[henpecked]

Well, i wouldn't worry about the Wild caught part of him. Wild caught babies are better pets that the handraised ones,IMO. The best parrots i've ever known where wild caught babies. The clipping issue??? When you talk about taking him outside for a bath??? How important is that to you two. My pets are clipped because that was the only way i could include them in my everyday daily activities. Are they happier being out and about with me or happier being flighted and in a cage at home? Of course that was then (40 yrs ago) and this is now. Would i still have my 40 yr old pet? Have i done her some wrong? It's so easy for us to tell others how to raise their kids.

 

[slowstitcher]

Thanks so much. I'd love for him to just be able to step onto my arm or hand. So if he's walking around on the floor and something is about to happen or for whatever reason things can be more manageable. I'm apprehensive about taking him to the nearest avian vet. We live in North Dakota and there is not a lot of expertise here - the vet in Fargo is over an hour away and doesn't have any specific training in avians. When I called asking about the wing clipping they made it sound as if I needed to be able to handle him while at the vet and they clipped him. I'm seeing trauma either way as moving him from the cage into some kind of travel carrier would be difficult. When I picked him up from the rescue the people there just went in and grabbed him with a towel because there was no other way.

How much time do you, any who have started with an older, less tame parrot spend every day working on it?

Many thanks.

 

[henpecked]

How much time? it's more about the quality than the quantity. A few seconds a day of meaningful time is better than you "flooding" him with attention. Your goal is for him to want to be with you. Your best bet is to have good interaction and leave him wanting more. If you push your yourself or make your self too available then he'll be in charge of your relationship. Your always there !! You need to be in charge and call the shots. Give him some space, if it looks like he's not interested ,then don't offer. If he is interested then only give him small doses. When you get him to "step up" place him back down on his cage ,right away. Don't let "step up" mean ,"i;m taking you here" or "i'm going to pet you now" Have him step up and back down. Step up only means step up. Picking him up from strange places is your chance to be a hero and "save" him. If he's on the floor and is willing to step up,,, take him right to his safe spot (cage/stand), don't "punish" him by turning it into a petting session. I would think you might get someone else to clip him the first time. But you should really learn to do it your self. It's your responsibility and you know your bird best. What clip a bird needs is different to every Tech/vet/groomer doing it. Having a clipped bird is no less responsibility than having a flighted one. Be involved.

 

[slowstitcher]

We carry his cage outside in the summer with him inside...then mist him, letting the water first hit the underside of the porch roof. He loved it!! It sounded like real rain - he would open his wings and let the water hit him. In contrast he doesn't like the tub baths so much. I'm as involved as can be through the cage for now. Well, from thinking about this today and through your responses I decided the course of action for now will be to leave his wings alone and ask him to do a little more by way of stepping up from his cage door. I think he's ready for that it's just me who's nervous. The worst thing that could happen is that he would bite me. I don't want it to be a struggle with him to get him in the carrier - he's a peaceful, mellow, predictable dude - wish I could give him a kiss!! Thank you again, all.

 

[MonicaMc]

There are harnesses for parrots.... so there's no reason to leave a flighted parrot home, stuck in his/her cage! I detest it when people say that the difference between a flighted and clipped parrot is the amount of time it gets to spend outside of the cage! Flighted parrots can be trained! And clipping a parrot should never be any safety measure to keeping them from flying off outside!


Clipping vs flight really is your choice.... but I haven't seen a valid reason yet to get this amazons wings clipped.

This website has some pros and cons to both
Should you clip your parrot



I'm glad that you have decided for now to leave his wings be! As far as a carrier, it may be an easy matter to train him to go in one using targetting and allowing him to get used to a carrier by leaving the door open and putting food in and near it. There are different kinds of carriers you can use as well.... from hard plastic to wire to acrylic to even a small cage with a large door.... there are even carriers designed specifically for parrot travel! There are choices!

 

[khaiqha]

Have you done target training with him?

 

[Remy]

Aww, he sounds like a great bird! I thought about doing something similar, but then I got a phone call to see if I could take Darcy.

Some birds mellow out when their wings are clipped, because they are more dependent on you for transportation and stuff. It's all about personal preference, and what is right for your situation. If you can keep your husband safe, and he isn't attacking anybody, and he's staying out of trouble, and you can make sure he won't fly out a door or window, I might let him fly. But, clipping can also help with taming, which you are trying to do.

If you do decide to clip, they will grow out after a few months. It's temporary. Just make sure that somebody else does his grooming, so he doesn't get mad at you for it. Birds can hold grudges.

Personally, I clip, so I can take Darcy outside. Especially since he was an escaped bird already!

 

[henpecked]

There are harnesses for parrots.... so there's no reason to leave a flighted parrot home, stuck in his/her cage! I detest it when people say that the difference between a flighted and clipped parrot is the amount of time it gets to spend outside of the cage! Flighted parrots can be trained! And clipping a parrot should never be any safety measure to keeping them from flying off outside!


Clipping vs flight really is your choice.... but I haven't seen a valid reason yet to get this amazons wings clipped.

This website has some pros and cons to both
Should you clip your parrot



I'm glad that you have decided for now to leave his wings be! As far as a carrier, it may be an easy matter to train him to go in one using targetting and allowing him to get used to a carrier by leaving the door open and putting food in and near it. There are different kinds of carriers you can use as well.... from hard plastic to wire to acrylic to even a small cage with a large door.... there are even carriers designed specifically for parrot travel! There are choices!

The OP can't handle her bird. Harness is not a option yet, she first has to get to that point. She stated she has trouble putting the bird in it's cage, muchless a carrier. When i offer advice ,it comes from experience, not something i read on the internet. This is the amazon section. I have a house full of amazons ,always have. I have flighted amazons, they can not be trusted to be out of their cage when others are, they have to be supervised much closer than than the clipped birds who are out 24/7. My clipped hen is going to run errands with me this morning, what's your flighted bird doing today? Yes clipped parrots can fly off, that why i suggested the OP learn how to clip her own bird, so she can do it when it's needed(and know what to look for). I too detest much of what i see on here ,but try and keep it in check. Clipping is a personal choice, but it's what works for me and my longtime fids in our situation. The OP's situation or yours may be different than mine. My advice was if you want to clip, learn to do it yourself.

 

[MonicaMc]

henpecked, the OP said that the zon is not hard to get back into the cage and the bird does not fly at her husband aggressively. This amazon is now flying around the house to find *HER* meaning that he enjoys spending time with her. Therefore, I saw no reason to clip.


As far as my flighted parrot? He often goes to the local bird club meetings with me (the last one, people thought he was a white eyed or cherry headed conure... he's a mitred... sadly, it's not the first time he's gone, either!), and there's going to be one this weekend! Yes, he's going! I've taken him with me on bike rides as well as walks to the marina.

However, not all birds accept a harness willingly and need to be trained to accept it. With Charlie, I was pretty lucky. He didn't like wearing it, and doesn't like wearing it while inside, but once outside, he ignores it!

 

[SandyBee]

Hi Slowsticher,

I am much in the same boat as you.
I have an older rescue, probably wild caught and am trying to gain trust and bond.

Henpecked is so right, clipping is a personal decision and can be the right way to go.
If the vet is far try finding pet services in your area, pet shops, rescue's etc that can lead you to somebody closer who may be able to help you for grooming needs.

I am also reluctant to break trust to bring my bird in for grooming, but Bosley had hurt his eye and I had to towel him to get him in a carrier to go to vet. It didn't hurt the relationship at all. Knowing how to towel your bird is a skill you need to learn about, check youtube videos on how to do it. Hopefully you never need to, but in an emergency you do need to know how.

Try and find a favorite treat that your bird will do anything for it may help to get him to step up, get in carrier and generally go where you need him to go.
Keep building the bond and trust, things will get better, it sounds as your birdie really loves you.

 

[henpecked]

Congrats. I'm glad it works for you both.