For those who clip wing feathers

[Alan J.]

Today was absolutely the best clip session ever!

Alex was 11 months old when he and I got together and he had already been clipped, well hacked in honesty (I recall Mary Lynn commenting that it was a really bad hack job after I posted photos of him).

As his flight feathers grew out, I took him to my local vet and was horrified by the equally terrible hack job he did, so from then on I trim Alex's feathers myself.

The little guy has never been keen and needs to be toweled (well, I actually drape the towel over him and he rolls onto his back - I need both hands for the clipping, so he is not restrained so to speak and does not like his head covered, so the towel is pretty much bunched over his tummy, so I can have his wings free and he can have his head free.

It works for us, but he complains throughout and tell me in no uncertain terms "No, Noooo" throughout as well.

Alex needed a clip again this afternoon and he just lay there, managed to get the palm of my left hand in his beak and held it so gently. No moaning or "No's".

After, we went out, which we normally do to get his mind off what just happened and he was chatty and in the best of moods.

He is a seriously good little guy.

Here is a seven year old photo of baby Alex the day he arrived with the terrible, terrible feather hack job.

 

[Eggburt Dobson]

Alex is beautiful! I used to trim my budgies wings when I had them after one managed to fly to the high part of my ceiling and land on the lamp up there and was too scared to come down. It's not an easy process, so I'm glad you found a way that works for you and Alex

 

[JLcribber]

So now I'm curious how you clip him Alan. Does Alex have any lift/flight or is he completely grounded?

 

[Fuzzy]

Alex has never been allowed to fly?

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

Why do you clip him? (Not trying to start an argument just curious)

 

[Shezbug]

Oh I didn’t realise that Alex was clipped.
Has he ever been able to fly Alan?

He is such a beautiful boy, I wish you were able to post about him more often....I have a massive soft spot for Alex

 

[Begone]

It works for us, but he complains throughout and tell me in no uncertain terms "No, Noooo" throughout as well.

Of course he does. I don't think any birds would want their wing feathers clipped.

 

[GoDucks]

He looks like a very healthy and happy little guy, I hope you post more pictures of him.

 

[JLcribber]

Alex has never been allowed to fly?

Why do you clip him? (Not trying to start an argument just curious)

Oh I didn’t realise that Alex was clipped.
Has he ever been able to fly Alan?

He is such a beautiful boy, I wish you were able to post about him more often....I have a massive soft spot for Alex

Alan's situation is very unique and not like a typical pet owner. I think Alex has a great life clipped or not and everyone knows I hate clipping.

 

[Rain Bow]

Alan's situation is very unique and not like a typical pet owner. I think Alex has a great life clipped or not and everyone knows I hate clipping.

He REALLY does!!!!

 

[Shezbug]

Alan's situation is very unique and not like a typical pet owner. I think Alex has a great life clipped or not and everyone knows I hate clipping.

They certainly do have a very unique situation and relationship....I love hearing all about them and I love seeing their pictures even more I think Alex is very lucky to get to do so many things like visit cafes and going for bike and car rides to pass the time and experience different things. I really just want to see and hear more about them both as Alan’s posts always bring a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart.

 

[Alan J.]

Hi John, Roz, Shezbug and Raphi - Alex can fly. I should have been much more specific. I try to control excessive altitude with the trim.

After my local vet botched Alex's feather clip, I let his feathers grow out and we began free flight training. The problem was that I was (and still am) inexperienced in such training and I was working alone with Alex (could not source anyone with any experience).

Despite my inexperience, Alex caught on pretty well and we would do flights along the base of a hill / come cliff (on the land side of the hill, which was between us and the sea). His longest flight was about 5 kilometers (round trip) I estimate. He flew off inland and just got smaller and smaller until I was no longer sure if I could make him out or not. At that point, he turned and returned. It was a terrible feeling waiting for him to turn (which he had always done shortly after taking off) as I watched him disappear into the distance and that ended our free flight sessions.

The only real thing on my bucket list, is to have an experienced trainer work with Alex and myself and then to move to a little house out in the woods (hawk free), where we can just do our thing safely (we can all dream surely).

It has taken a few years to (almost) perfect the trim, so that Alex has limited flight, but no significant lift.

Living in Mossel bay, which is a relatively small sea side town, helps when we go out. As with small villages, most folk know each other and pretty much all the locals know Alex (often by name). According to the internet, Mossel Bay has the second most moderate climate internationally (Hawaiian islands being first apparently), but I am very "wind" conscious and the places we visit and routes we take and the time of day we travel, have over time, all been carefully worked out.

I also seem to be becoming more cautious with each passing month (years ago I took "chances" which I no longer do). I recently purchased a convertible for the sole purpose of being able to drop the top so Alex could ride with the "wind in his hair" so to speak, but have actually very rarely dropped the top. He enjoys riding in the car tremendously, but we keep the windows and top up 99% of the time.

I had imported an aviator harness from the States for Alex, but it is one of the very few things he absolutely 'hates". I had a local person redesign the harness twice to try and make it more Alex friendly, but without success.

Here is a recent (a few months old) photo of Alex checking out a model shark a crew from the BBC are preparing to put into the sea behind the small public Aquarium I own (cameras are placed in the holes - eyes, gills before launching). The crew also filmed my two sharks in the Aquarium, and Alex got in on much of the excitement of the day. I might have posted this before, but wanted a more recent one to show how much he has grown since the one I posted of him at 11 months old.

 

[JLcribber]

Thats exactly how I thought you'd clip him. You don't need a trainer. You're done fine.

 

[Alan J.]

Thank you John. Much appreciated.

 

[Alan J.]

Thanks Rain, Marisa and Jamie.

 

[Hankmacaw]

@Alan J.
I was told by my vet that Jasper had to have more exercise, because her atherosclerosis was get more widespread and was causing muscle loss in her chest. He said I really needed to fly her as much as she and her heart could handle. Jasper, when she flies, takes off and flies until she's tired or gets scared because she can't see me and lands (on the ground where a dog can get her) and waits for me to hunt her down and give her a ride home - she's a spoiled PITA.

I thought and thought and finally put together this rig and it is working well. Jasper also hated the Aviator harness so I tried the one below and it has worked great - she still doesn't like it but it's much more comfortable, not so confining and has never made any indication of coming off. You can train him to fly in circles by pulling lightly on the line andbending his path.The 8" elastic leash gives her a much softer stop than the Aviator 6" leash.

The Harness: Amazon.com : Avianweb EZ Bird Harness & Leash Specifically Sized for Blue & Gold Macaws (and Birds of The Same Size) - Comes with a 8 Ft Leash (Default) : Pet Supplies

The spool; this is a spool made for cave diving and works great. Now that Jasper is much stronger she has the strength to pull the line off the spool and can fly further (within my limits). It has a thumb brake so I can stop her whenever I need to. I like this one.
Amazon.com : DiveSmart Scuba Diving Reel with Thumb Stopper and High Visibility White Line (150ft', 270ft') - for Cave and Wreck Exploration, Recreational Diving and Spear Fishing (270ft) : Sports & Outdoors

Be sure you use an aliminum caribiner to hook the line to the leash. It's much lighter.

 

[Begone]

Great post Mary Lynn. @Hankmacaw

It was a terrible feeling waiting for him to turn (which he had always done shortly after taking off)

That's why it is so important to have them professional trained.
That would for sure gave me an heart attack. I'm so happy that he did came back.

The only real thing on my bucket list, is to have an experienced trainer work with Alex and myself and then to move to a little house out in the woods (hawk free), where we can just do our thing safely (we can all dream surely).

Much better to have a harness on him.
He will get used to it, perhaps never like it, but will accept it. So don't give up.
To also let him fly, will make him more happier and healthy. And to see them in flight is awesome.

 

[Fergus Mom]

He sounds like such a special guy, your Alex!

 

[Sarah13]

That's terrific that you are into free flight!
Same here! It does take an obscene amount of time and training.
I hope you can continue again though.

I have a fairly large network of free fliers if you're interested. I'd have to hunt around for your area in South Africa specifically but I'm more than willing and happy to try/get you connected with people even more experienced as it's the greatest thing you can provide a bird if you have the means.

 

[Alan J.]

Thank you Mary Lynn, very much appreciated.

That sounds great Sarah, if you can source one of your contacts in South Africa and pass on their contact details, I will be very appreciative.

Thank you Elly.