Wing clip...

[suncon97]

It's not time for my parrot to have her wings clipped but I was just looking around at places for future reference. There is an avian vet about an hour away that does wing clips. A local animal hospital that does them for $60. And there is also a local Petland that does them for free on Tuesdays when you buy a certain shirt and wear it in the store(apparently somebody qualified is in on Tuesdays)Which options would you guys say? Could my parrot be exposed to something at Petland? I will also have to check my avian vets price. Any advice would be great.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Riio]

Holy Moly Spicy Guacamole! $60 for a wing clip....eeekk! I know our fids mean the world to us, but that seems a little high for just a wing clip! Let us know what you find! Good Luck!

 

[IolaniAviary]

What type of bird are you looking to get clipped? I also second that $60.00 is insane, and anytime there are multiple birds somewhere you run a risk. If it's a smaller species I suggest doing it yourself. I would be more then happy to direct you too some images and videos. I clip all of my birds except for Maggie and I'm comfortable enough with clipping small birds that I teach the buyers of my chicks.

 

[suncon97]

It's my african grey.

 

[suebee]

go down a see if any1 has taken the store up on there offer, speak to the person thats going to do the clipping, and most importantly how they are going to clip?? as i have read different types of clipping from just one wing, flight feathers or a full wing trim, this way you know what to expect before you decide takin pearl

also are there any pet groomers near you that can do the clipping?

when i asked my nearest avian vet to trim nuts nails the cost was £200 plus as they wanted to gas my nut 1st, reguardless, so now i just do that myself, a toe nail every other day at times lol

 

[suncon97]

Okay I'll check around some more places. I checked only businesses I've heard of maybe there is some local places. We've all been talking and we've thought about not getting her wings clipped. I have a book on training and there is no possible escape routes because the doors are always closed even with her wings clipped right now. What do you guys think? Or is that a whole different business that I don't want to get myself into?

 

[JensFlock]

I would check around at some pet stores and see if there is anyone who knows how to do it. In other words, somebody who has their own birds and REALLY knows how to clip.
I have people ask me all the time at work. If they bring the bird in, I'll take it over to my training area and do it. I also show them the correct way so they can do it themselves.
My guys would stress, freak out and bite everybody in sight if I were to take them somewhere to have it done. I just do it at home and they lift up their wings, and snip snip, we're done without them even caring.
Good luck and I hope you find someone who can do that for you.

 

[merlinsmom13]

Unclipped is really a different ball game. lol They can fly into windows, walls. They can fly to a forbidden spot, when you turn your back. (woodwork you would rather not be chewed) Merlin follows me from room to room. I think he is happier & healthier unclipped. But you just have to weigh what is right for you.

 

[suebee]

nuts a nimble flyer, has pearl ever flown before, if not she could hurt herself when she suddenly finds she can fly, but has no idea how to land, she could end up crashing into something an really hurting herself

but weather you clip your bird or not is really up to you

 

[suebee]

Unclipped is really a different ball game. lol They can fly into windows, walls. They can fly to a forbidden spot, when you turn your back. (woodwork you would rather not be chewed) Merlin follows me from room to room. I think he is happier & healthier unclipped. But you just have to weigh what is right for you.

lol on that note nuts chewed wall paper, plaster off walls, tops of door frames and a few lamp shades, her fav perch spot is the curtain rail in front room when she is out and well i have to wash curtains a few times a wk! :11:

 

[merlinsmom13]

Yes, Merlin remodeled my woodwork on our entry door. (I'll use your GRRR, Suebee).

Didn't mention other pets, they can never be unsupervised w/a unclipped bird. Merlin likes to 'ride' his dog & we all know that is extremely dangerous.

 

[suncon97]

Oh okay we'll have to think about that. I'm pretty sure Pearl has flown before because she has a tad flight right now and has successful landings when she decides to jump from the cage. I guess I'll just stay with whats working right now. As for clipping at home I don't think I could do it. What if I clipped a blood feather 0_o I'll have to see who's doing wing clippings some time. The employees said it's somebody that's qualified from an animal shelter. Somebody brought their grey in for a clipping last week but I didn't pay attention to who was clipping. My biggest concern is Pearl picking up something from the other birds because they have a lot of conures,cockatiels,budgies,greys,macaws,various cockatoos,etc. I'll have to check with Pet Supplies Plus they might have somebody that can do clippings there.

 

[IolaniAviary]

Oh then yes I'd agree that you should find someone, perhaps a vet? I know that some petstores do it for next to nothing, but many of them board many many birds at once. I am a big fan of either birds trained to stay on one spot (and or) wing clipping. All of my birds are trained to stay on their cages or wherever else I have asked them to step off. Perhaps you could work on training your African Grey to do such? It's certainly a cheaper alternative.

 

[suncon97]

I guess it's possible. She doesn't leave the top very often unless she wants to explore or something scares her. I'll check around. I'm just gonna see who's doing the clipping before I make any moves.

 

[IolaniAviary]

That's the best plan! Hope you find a place that works for you

 

[suncon97]

Thanks I hope so too! I have one question though. Is the chance of Pearl catching something from the vet the same as the pet store or is there a greater chance at one or the other?

Thanks

 

[MikeyTN]

I don't clip and I do just fine! The only time I ever clip is during training!!! Especially when they're young. I prefer not to clip cause some birds can develop feather chewing problem just from being clipped. I've seen it happen in too many birds I've owned in the past and my macaw is the same. I had to have my vet pull out his wing feathers cause he chews them to a stub and they don't fall out during molt. Now they've grown out. If I don't have to clip, I wont!!!

 

[kerry]

My Avian vet charges 34.00 for a wing clip & 34.00 for a toenail clip. She is great.
I really like her a lot. I only have my vet do it if I have a new parrot that I am taking in for a check up anyway, otherwise I have my ex-husband hold the bird for me & I do the wing clips myself. He & I have done it many, many times together over a 10 year period on 5 different large parrots & 1 cockatiel.

 

[MikeyTN]

No one dares to hold my macaw other wise I could do his nails myself. So now I take him to the vet and they only charge me $8.50 for nail trim. $34 is high! My other vet do it for $25. $8.50 is cheap so we bring all the birds in.

 

[kerry]

MikeyTN, Well I don't live in Tennessee.