Wing clipping

[MantisFTW]

Hello, I just got done clipping Peeko's wings. It may or may not have been his first time, I don't know if his previous owners had it done before, but it sure was my first time clipping a birds wings.

I looked up a few videos on how to do it, and considering it was my first time, I'd say I did a pretty decent job. I cut the flight feathers, but since he wasn't very used to being handled yet I had to use a towel and hold him down.

My concern though is, was it a good idea to have done it so soon after getting him? I've only had him for a few days and he is a year and a half old, and he hasn't quite warmed up to me yet. I'm afraid that clipping his wings and having to hold him down shattered what little trust he was gaining for me. He kind of backs away a little in his cage now when I put my hand near.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Definitely should have got someone else to do it, but now that its done no use worrying about it. Just work on regaining his trust.

 

[MikeyTN]

What's done is done so now you just have to regain his trust. My birds forgive me pretty easy if I had to hold them down to do nail clipping but I've had them for awhile....

 

[MantisFTW]

Darn... well, the good news is, it doesn't seem like it bothered him TOO much. He was nicer to me today than he was yesterday. I guess it's a good thing I haven't really begun handling training yet. I don't really want to start until I can buy some gloves so I can work with him without getting bit.

 

[khaiqha]

It's too late now, but clipping a bird can increase a bird's biting. If their options are to bite or fly away from you, clipping only leaves the option of biting.

 

[MikeyTN]

Darn... well, the good news is, it doesn't seem like it bothered him TOO much. He was nicer to me today than he was yesterday. I guess it's a good thing I haven't really begun handling training yet. I don't really want to start until I can buy some gloves so I can work with him without getting bit.

Gloves can be a bad thing! Most birds are terrified of gloves but I've known some that did fine but most were afraid....why don't you try perch training? Use the perch for him to step onto and place him on a play stand, that way he gets to come out and no one gets hurt. Then you can try to get him to come to your hands from the perch. Bribe him with treats if you need to.

 

[julya]

My amazon is scared of gloves, but I used a towel wrapped arm or a perch to move him around the house when he first came to live with me. He doesn't bite hard anymore, now that I understand him better. I got my worst bite from him right after my sister walked into my house when I had Olllie on my arm. Now I make sure to put Ollie down before having people come in!

 

[MantisFTW]

Hmm, I suppose I should try perch training first, then. I have to be honest though, I freak out a little when he gets on my arm. I'm afraid of him leaning over and biting my arm and I'd be scared if, while perch training him, he walks over and gets on my arm. Bird bites just scare me, although now that I own a parrot I know I'm going to have to get used to it. >_<

 

[LakeDesire]

Unfortunately bites are part of owning a bird, but you get used to the bites after a while and they stop hurting, at least for me! Bites also get easier to avoid as you learn to read your bird's body language. Most birds will warn you before they bite, and don't bite as hard as they can the first time (there are exceptions if the bird has a history of abuse or has learned to mask her body language).

My conure Jade rarely breaks my skin, and that is only when I have to sacrifice my hands grab her quickly to prevent something worse from happening (like to prevent her from running across the couch to attack my mother-in-law's face!). She gives a little angry grunt before she bites, so I know when to dodge her (she is moody and will try to bite me in the middle of a head scratch she seemed to be enjoying!). My new amazon Henry just gives warning nips so far and hasn't bit hard--and she growls before she gets to the point of nipping.

It is really important to act confident and, if you do get bit, act like it is no big deal. If the bird sees you react and get scare, he'll learn he can boss you around by biting. If I'm holding a bird and get bit, I drop my hand and the bird will loosen her grip because she'll be focused on regaining her balance. If I am not holding the bird and get bit, I will just pull my hand out of range but otherwise not react. With Henry, I will just take it because she doesn't bite hard, and if I don't react and just hold my hand there, she'll stop nipping.

Others will push against the bird to show them they aren't scared of the bite (like I've heard you should push against a biting dog), but I don't quite have the willpower to do that when a sharp conure beak is clamped on my finger!

 

[MantisFTW]

Yikes, I don't think I could push further, those sharp beaks are meant for tearing into things!

But as for just trying to endure it, I can try. I don't know how much a bite from a YCA would hurt, and I'm afraid to find out. I definitely don't want to encourage the biting by giving him want he wants by reacting.. I have low tolerance for sharp pains such as bird bites and needles though. I'll try my best, but I'm definitely going to give perch training a try, and if that doesn't work out I'll try the gloves.

 

[Greenskeeper]

Been bitten a few times lately and your right, It does and can hurt. I'm pretty sure had I not played it cool, my new YNA could have removed my finger. But as stated above, ya get used to it.
I wear gloves now and use a perch. It's not that I'm afraid of getting bite, I'm just prepared better when it happens! My gloves are double layered cow hide. $14 dollars at Harbor freight. Of corse confidence is the biggest for me! If I show any weakness, they sense it!
Have fun!

 

[henpecked]

I don't like to get involved in things titled about clipping. However , i 've always felt that if your bird is clipped, you need to be the one doing it. Congrats. IMO gloves are a NO-NO. I don't do it and think it's a bad thing. Trust is the only issue. If you can't step up with out a bite, you haven't done your homework. Avoid the bites, and learn your bird. Be the flock leader. They'll all test to see if a leader is needed, but are happy to be just part of the flock if there's a good leader. Be in charge of "pets", you control the cuddle factor by stopping before they've had enough. Leave them wanting more of your attention instead of them biting to say "I've had enough". Congrats on learning to trim and being responsible.

 

[MantisFTW]

Stopping before they've had enough sounds like good advice to me. I'll definitely keep that in mind when I have him out. I just need to learn his body language and start figuring out when enough is enough, and learn to put him away before that. And thank you.

I really am trying to be a responsible owner, and I didn't think clipping his wings myself might not have been a good thing... I wouldn't have done it if I had no idea what I was doing, but I really wanted to learn how to do it myself and I was careful and knew where to cut. I was prepared to hold the scissors out of reach if he moved a certain way that could harm him, although I was holding him to where he shouldn't have been able to anyway.
My own personal reason for clipping his wings is because his cage is in the living room, right next to the outside door. I do not want to risk him flying out if he is ever out of his cage and a family member walks in and out of the door. I plan on having him out quite often when he is tame enough.

 

[WharfRat]

Hen... (tongue in cheek) come handle ours........I'll supply the bandaids.......I love the Zons and CAN handle them, but only to an extent, they are both bonded to the wife. Wish I could get on a vid of me doing their food and water but there's no way LOL!!

@ Mantis... be dang glad it ain't a Green Wing biting you!!

 

[henpecked]

Your right rat, i should have added to "pick your battles" and only ask for them to step up when your chances for success are good. Once they learn that step up only means step up and that you can be trusted then the issue should go away.

 

[LakeDesire]

I think Barbara Heidenreich has a DVD on reading your parrot's body language that might help. (I've been meaning to get it for my partner because he can't even read human body language, so reading a parrot's body language is even foreign to him.)

 

[MonicaMc]

Please don't think that clipping your amazon makes him any safer from taking off outside. A proper clip will still give room for a bird to fly, and once lost outside, their capabilities of escape from predators or other things are greatly decreased. If he's so severely clipped that he can't fly, this could potentially lead to a broke keel bone, legs or even beak. Clipped birds have less control of where they can fly, so may be more likely to fly into things than an experienced flighted parrot. A bird that doesn't know how to fly well is likely to fly into things as they learn how to navigate, bank, turn, etc. A bird learning to fly is like a child learning to walk - there's going to be bumps and bruises along the way!

Should you clip your parrot


I understand why you clipped, but it is a false sense of security since many clipped parrots still get lost. The above article I linked to gives some pros and cons of clipping vs flight.



Rather than 'taking the bite', I agree with those that said to avoid the bite. The only bite that can't be rewarded is the one that never occurs. I have Barbara Heidenreich's videos Understanding Parrot Body Language and Parrot Behavior and Training. I definitely recommend them both! I also own Karen Pryor's book Don't Shoot the Dog and Melinda Johnson's Clicker Training for Birds. All great resources!



Here's some blogs on biting
Good Bird Inc Parrot Training Talk: Respecting the Bite
A “Bird Attacking” Question « Lara Joseph
A Question About an Issue with Nipping « Lara Joseph
Question on behavior . . . Bird showing sudden signs of aggression after change in routine. « Lara Joseph
Living With Parrots Cage Free: Bite



I'm sure as you learn more about your amazon and how to read him, you'll be better able to understand him! And once you do, it will be easier to figure out what sets him off, what doesn't, and how to avoid getting bitten!

 

[wenz2712]

Unfortunately, its not always a case of trying to figure out why your Zon bites you... It is often a case that they are simply in a bad mood

Yes, it is easy to see the warning signs when they are about to bite, i.e.. fanned tail and pinned eyes, but very often this happens after the bite.

Zons can simply, just be quite unpredictable and it is something you have to learn to accept