[Angellic Skye]

My bird Harold was found outside wild by my mom's boyfriend. He flew straight into the screen of his window and fell, he put him in a shoebox and quickly went to the pet store to buy him a spacious cage.
He was alone for a while, as my mom's boyfriend had to work. Who knew who he went through, other birds, cats, people trying to catch him, and he's obviously been in another cage, as he knows exactly how to escape.
The thing is, he's absolutely terrified of us after he moved to my house. He is scared of everyone, and anything bigger than him that moves. If we don't play attention to him, he throws a tantrum, but sometimes I sit next to him and talk softly.
His wings are NOT clipped, and I know what you'll say, CLIP HIS WINGS!
Honestly, I don't want his wings to be clipped! It makes them extremely ugly and it's obviously a painful process... well, it looks like it.
He's escaped his cage twice, and my mom doesn't let him fly freely because of poo. I tell her I'll clean it, but she refuses, as they might get in spots hard to get in.
My mom says if he'll perch on a finger, she'll let him play outside.
I know this is going to be hard to tame him, as currently it's hard to even get CLOSE to him, he backs off, but I'm looking for advice on how to touch him and lift him. It seems almost hopeless, but I still have a feeling we can tame him.
He seems lonely and sad. I really want to be friends with him!
Another thing is, we assume he's a boy but he may be a girl. He rips up paper, which is a sign of being female...

 

[Kendalle]

what kind of bird is he? is he a wild bird if so put him back outside.

Contact your local wildlife rehab place if he is hurt, if he isn't put him back in his environment.

 

[Mygala]

Cockatiel?

Ripping paper isn't a sign of one sex or the other. My male loves to tear up papers whenever he can get hold of them. Especially if you are trying to read them at the time!

Clipping wings is no more painful than trimming your fingernails or getting a haircut. Mature feathers have no blood supply or nerves.

It sounds like a bird that panics as much as yours does is much more likely to hurt himself when trying to fly away. For his safety, you should clip him. Your feelings about whether he looks better or not with clipped wings is just selfishness on your part.

Post a pic.

Bob

 

[Purple-Hops]

I agree, get some research done on the bird. Bring him to a vet and have them show you the proper way to clip wings. That will help you get used to the idea. Humans took birds in and tamed them to live in our societies.. We must be vigilant enough then to responsibly care for their needs in our society. If that means limiting his flying but upping socialisation then so be it.
Oh yea! If the bird is "tame" enough to fly free outside he will likely fly away. You cannot train him like a falcon to come back (to the best of my knowledge) and that's why so many pets get lost outside!

Is it a common species of bird?? Pics would help!

 

[Often]

I must say this really is sounding like an animal that should be released back to the wild as soon as it is healthy enough to do so.
Good luck getting everything sorted out!

 

[Angellic Skye]

He wasn't hurt. He's a lovie... I think he's a Lilian's.
I don't want to send him back. It's very dangerous out there, as there are cats around my area, but if he was hurt, he probably healed already as he's been with us for quite a while.
I don't have any pictures of him, and I don't know how to upload one. If you go to google and search Lilian's lovebird, it should be the fifth one. I'm not allowed to post links.

Is there a way to clip their wings without changing the shape of the wings too much?

 

[Kendalle]

Well if he is a love bird it is not a wild bird, unless you live where they are native. And no there isn't really a way to trim their wings to look like they aren't trimmed but it is safer and easier to tame if the wings are clipped as they have to rely on you to get from room to room

 

[Angellic Skye]

Alright, if it's the only way to get him to feel more comfortable with me, I'll ask my mom if we can take a trip over to the vet and get his wings clipped. It'll be hard, though, as he runs all over the place.