wing clipping Q - Paw Talk

#1 10-17-2002, 05:11 PM

does anyone no how many of the wings are supposed to be cut on a lovebird? my mom and i recently rescued one , and need to clip her wings, theyve been cut, but are growing back now....

Chrisanne · #2 10-17-2002, 05:43 PM

i was taught that the first 7 feathers should be cut. I also know that my vet will leave the first feather and cut the next 5.

Becki · #3 10-17-2002, 08:38 PM

can you tell which ones were cut before? I've trimmed my mom's cockatiel's wings before and all I did was trim down the ones that were flat on the end from being cut before.

***Dena*** · #4 10-18-2002, 12:13 AM

I usually cut eight. My vet does a "backwards" cut and cuts the inside feathers but I am not quite sure about doing that myself. It also depends a lot on the bird. On my parrotlet I only cut half of the length of her feathers so she can still get some lift. My senegal I now cut maybe one to two feathers at a time and must be very careful of blood feathers. My parakeet I usually let grow fully out (his feathers grow like weeds) and I clip the first eight. If you aren't sure you may want to have your vet do it. The most impartant thing to remember is to watch for those blood feathers. My birds are used to me handling them and I can clip them by myself no problem. I have also had to pull blood feathers on my own and the whole thing can be so stressful to both you and the bird.

Crittercall · #5 10-18-2002, 01:31 AM

I personally take mine to the vet - because I don't want them to be mad at me!! My daughter takes her 'tiel to a pet store where they charge $5 - I think I pay $10 each for nails and wings. If you are the least bit unsure about doing it yourself, call around and price shop. Make sure to ask if the vets charge an office visit too for that, because that can pump up the price.

My first African Gray got out of her cage and flew straight into a mirror. I thought I'd lost her; she even seemed to be in agonal breathing so I stuck her cage on a heating pad, covered it up and put the whole thing in my toasty warm laundry room. She was fine the next day, but I took clipping her wings on myself and she looked like she was wearing a bolero jacket for MONTHS.

Be careful - and like Dena said, watch out for those blood feathers! They are both painful and dangerous.

Critter

#6 10-18-2002, 02:09 PM

yeah thanks for posting back, i clipped the ones that had already been clipped, but it can still fly, i just dont wanna cut them too short.. since im not used to the bird yet, or the whole wing clipping thing.

Crittercall · #7 10-18-2002, 05:22 PM

Lauren - as you can tell, anybody who thinks they know something just jumps right in!!(Meaning me when I say I think I know something - everybody else here is smart!) And you know the old saying about there are no dumb questions. . .and you'll never know if you don't ask.

I just decided that it was something that I didn't want to fool with on my own birds after that one fiasco. I clipped the wings on a friend's gray and it NEVER forgave me!

Critter