Flight feathers nor regrowing after a clip at the vets

[DMS1]

I have two birds and I had them both clipped at an avian vet about 3 months ago. The older bird's feathers have now virtually all grown back and she is flying again. The younger bird (pictured ) has no sign of feathers growing and in fact seems to have removed the ones that the vet left. He is less than a year old. When the clip was done the vet left the main flight feathers and just took a few secondary ones so that the wing would keep its shape. The bird or his mate took the rest off I think . The vet has now suggested putting him on tranquillisers to calm him down in case he is doing it himself or anaesthetising him and taking the fulll feathers and stalks out of the affected wing tip so that they all regrow properly. Not sure what to do. Do I need to be worried? I have to say I feel really guilty about it all and wish I had never had them clipped in the first place.

 

[owlsthetic]

I do think wing clips are almost always extremely traumatic and distressing to birds, especially if they were flighted before. So they might be chewing the feathers from the stress of losing flight or I have heard that birds will often chew at bad wing clips since it's either irritating to them (ie. coming into contact with their side, poking into them when they move, etc) so they will chew at the clipped feathers in attempt to remove/reduce the discomfort. Which might also lead to them developing feather destruction behaviors down the line if it becomes a habit

I'm not sure about your vet's advice to take out the wing stalks as I personally would be concerned that it might traumatize him further and if they'll need to sedate to do it as anesthesia is still risky, especially for smaller birds (although I have never experienced this issue before myself so this is just my gut feeling on the matter). If he's less than a year old then I think that he should be at least starting or going through a molt very soon if not already and the feathers will fall out by themselves in time. A good diet (veggies and pellets, etc) can help him to grow back healthy, stronger feathers and lots of foraging activities and preening/chewing toys can help to keep him busy and distract him from the chewing as well

 

[aooratrix]

Those both sound drastic to me. Is your vet a certified avian vet or do they just treat birds and call themselves an avian vet? When some people clip a bird's wings, they leave quills that stick out past the secondaries, which can poke the bird's sides causing irritation. I'd get a second opinion.

 

[Icey]

I agree with @owlsthetic and @aooratrix .
If this is the same vet that did the clip who now wants to put your bird under anaesthesia to remove more feathers, I would be concerned too.
Give him things to keep him busy and keep an eye on him to see if he's pulling them out or his mate. If it's the mate you may want to separate them temporarily.
Since he's so young, his first molt will help with the feather issue.
You don't want to cause him any more stress by sedating him, unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

[DMS1]

@owlsthetic @aooratrix @Icey Really helpful, thank you! Maybe they should give me the sedative for being such a nervous keeper ! I want to do the right thing so do feel pressure to make it right. The pair are interesting. The girl is a real bully and pushes him around quite a bit. They do fight a little bit, but most of the time are just cuddled up together. I had considered separating them and getting him a mate more of his own size (and species)

 

[Icey]

@owlsthetic @aooratrix @Icey Really helpful, thank you! Maybe they should give me the sedative for being such a nervous keeper ! I want to do the right thing so do feel pressure to make it right. The pair are interesting. The girl is a real bully and pushes him around quite a bit. They do fight a little bit, but most of the time are just cuddled up together. I had considered separating them and getting him a mate more of his own size (and species)

Awww they are both so adorable
Did you have time to find out which one is pulling the feathers out?
Maybe separating them, and a new mate for him will help. At the same time you don't want either of them getting stressed as the new one should be quarantined and have an avian vet check up before introducing her to them.
It's alot to think about, but I know you want to do what's best for your babies