Arrrrrrr, I Want to Clip Truely's Wings Soooooo Bad! Talk Me Out of It!

[suncoast]

She has started flying and dive bombing us and biting anyplace she can reach, usually she goes for the soft part of the inside of my arm and she get's Craig in the head.

I KNOW she needs her wings, I KNOW it's healthy for her to fly, but DOG GONE IT I've about reached the end of my patience and I don't know how to keep her from biting.

Ginger

 

[JLcribber]

You know she can fly well. Take some lift out of those wings so she can still fly and get to where she needs to go but not good enough to be a dive bomber. The extra effort it will take to fly is good for her anyway. Like running in loose sand.

 

[Greycloud]

I'm sorry Ginger. I wish I had advice for you. I have never experienced this problem. I wonder why she is biting? Is something over stimulating her?

 

[Billie Faye]

She is ruling the house! What about a "soft" clip? Just to take her back a step?????

 

[suncoast]

I want to make sure I know what that is. Which feathers specifically should be clipped? The first 3 the middle 4? How much should be clipped? 1/4? 1/3? 1/2?

Ginger

 

[Kolkri]

I would clip them. Then let them grow out see if that calms her down.

 

[luvsgreys]

I want to make sure I know what that is. Which feathers specifically should be clipped? The first 3 the middle 4? How much should be clipped? 1/4? 1/3? 1/2?

Ginger

Good question Ginger, which are the best to clip when you are only trying to slow them down and not take the flight away? I would imagine the ones in the middle so they would have support on both sides when they grew back in? Either way, I would clip them slowly so you can get an idea of how many is right for her. I wish you the best Ginger!

 

[Mystics Mom]

just did one on Shay couple days ago..he can still fly very well but no loop to loops and crashing into windows..i just took the first 5 and cut not quite an inch and a half off..he can still fly and get everywhere

 

[suncoast]

Thanks Tanya, I will not do it. I will take her to the vets, but I want to tell him VERY SPECIFICALLY which ones and how much to clip.

Ginger

 

[Mystics Mom]

sometimes only the first 3

 

[JLcribber]

Another term to Google is the “progressive wing trim”. This is a process, not just chopping off the primaries. It is best coordinated with your vet and requires test flights. The process involves trimming the #10 primary, the outer one, on each side. There is then a wait of several days to observe the bird and not remove any flight ability abruptly. The #9 primary is then trimmed with a wait and so on down the line until the bird can sustain horizontal flight without lift. This trim is then constantly maintained and tested with flights which are essential for monitoring and exercise.

I would clip two right away and then wait a day and see how she flies.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Is she hormonal? Did you change something that made her so aggressive? It is so hard to tell what is going on in their brains sometimes.

I have to admit, before getting Pedro, I did not have a bird who would attack people out of thin air. Now he attacks ANY human he gets a chance to jump on in the birdroom; not just me. Needless to say, he is spending a large amount of time in his cage and only gets out for about an hour a day. That is about how long it takes until he finds an opportunity to attack me. Yesterday he hit the back of my head so hard, he knocked me into another cage, breaking my nose and my glasses. Then he ran for his cage laughing and chortling. Once I got up on my feet and staunched the bloody nose, he turned and flew back at me. I fended him off with my forearm and he fell to the floor. Once on the floor he ran to bite my leg and I had to flip him off my foot onto his back. I had no option but to get him into the net and put him into his cage, because he was going to attack again.

It looks like my only defense is going to be clipping him so he can't fly at me across the room. I hate doing this because I think it is a terrible thing to do to take flight completely from a bird. But I don't have a choice. Otherwise he is going to be in his cage constantly or I will have to rehome him. The bird rescues and sanctuaries in my area have rejected him, but a friend on another forum feels she can handle him. Where he goes, so must Precie; they have been together 27 years.

I hope your partial clip of Truely helps. I just wonder what is causing her to attack. Pedro was a wild caught bird and not socialized well, but your Truely was a hand fed, wasn't she?

 

[JLcribber]

Truely has been a stinky pants a number of times in the past. She's becoming a confident adult trying to rule her world.

 

[Marlene]

Good luck Ginger. I had to trim Piper's wings a bit a while back. She was flying so high and going after other birds and it was becoming dangerous.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I would hold off on clipping. What are you guys doing at the time these start? Maybe hire a behaviorist to help pin point it? We as members can only help so much without being there. Maybe a video?

 

[LovieLuvr]

Good luck! I agree with the "soft clip." Like you have said, if you go to the vet be sure to be very specific about which feathers you want clipped Lilo was fully flighted when she was given to me, so I wanted the vet to only clip certain feathers so she could still fly...the technician took Lilo into the back and gave her back to me with almost all her primaries gone, but 2 outer primaries. The same technician did the same to Stitch, so I do not let her clip Stitch. He's almost fully flighted again, but I don't think he realizes that he is able to fly

 

[Danita]

On Newman, twice now, I had to do it as he was attacking my husband, I usually clip in a roundish way 10, 9, 8, and 7 to match 6
I don't take an inch off, maybe 1/2"-3/4"

He has been good and fully flighted for a year now without that light clip.

 

[rikkitikki]

Bean has the first three of his flights trimmed and he still buzzes me every night with no problem as I'm cutting up his veggies for dinner

 

[sodakat]

This is spring in Australia and IME it is common for my Eclectus to be kind of nuts right about now so I would not be surprised if Toos are affected also. I have two caged today that are usually out all the time. Just want to remind you that this too shall pass.

 

[Billie Faye]

I would clip Primary's 1-4 about 1 inch to begin with....on BOTH sides...NEVER clip just one side ALWAYS do to the other wing EXACTLY the same....taking off these will help in not giving her left...if this doesn't cut her back then take off another 1/2 - 1 inch on the same feathers.......then work towards the front 1 feather at a time on both side...till you get the 'non' lift needed...I don't like taking the wing tip feather because they are the ones that endure the most abuse when trying to fly/balance (hit things)...and they will start polking in the sides of the birds...JMHO!