• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Rehabbing

clawnz

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
11/19/09
Messages
1,174
Location
Auckland NZ
Real Name
Clive
If you are considering clipping or you believe those WHO promote clipping
Read this and watch the difference between Jack and Alex.
Jack was not breathing any harder after this fly around.
Alex was breathing very hard after just that one flight.

I know at least some of you also know the work I have put in with Alex, my shoulder buddy Alexadrine.
This is a follow up from my post re Jack and his fly around at our inaugural Flight club meeting.
Quickly. Alex was clipped for 5yrs, and the damage that did was very real.
Lost confidence, and lost muscle. Impacted on him badly.
I got him when he was 6, and though he was fully feathered by then, flying was not something he was keen on.
I used to make him take at least one flight every day.
Three years on and this is the vid of him at our flight club meet.
He was puffing hard after this flight, But he has come a HUGE distance. His confidence is way up. His flight, not so.
It has been a long road, trying to rebuild atrophied muscles.
Don't let anybody tell you clipping 'Does not have any impact" on them.
It does.
I was so proud of him. And we can see just how that day, has helped him and he flies around so much more already.
So looking forward to the next meeting. To do it all over again.
I can only say there needs to be more of these events people can attend.
A very satisfying day with huge results for my two. And I know the other two birds also had a good day.
One of those was Croky, (Eclectus) who was clipped, but still tried his hand at flying. (18 clipped flights). The guy I want to try and Imp.


 
Last edited:

Begone

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Joined
11/29/12
Messages
15,651
It has been a long road, trying to rebuild atrophied muscles.
Thank you for that! ♥

I think he will be a better flyer in time. But he will never be as good as Jack (or my girls, that I call: Jets. :D )
Of course it has impact on them. Both physically and sadly also mentally.
 

Dartman

Biking along the boulevard
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/20/12
Messages
9,254
Location
Portland Oregon
Real Name
Terry
Nerd was never clipped but had several missing or deformed flights on his left wing so he never flew well and knew it. He was also very skinny and that never changed. He did make it 31 years with me though and walked and made short hops where he wanted. Lurch was clipped and his flights finally grew in and he started flying a bit. He slowly gained stamina and strength and LOVED flying about the house once he was comfortable maneuvering around and had the strength to do it with out being winded for a hour afterwards. Dobby has always been a flyer and is a acrobatics jet like Eloys girls. He LOVES to fly and show off and buzz us. I wish Nerd could have flown well enough to do as he pleased like a bird should and am happy that Lurch and now Dobby got /get to fly as they should.
 

svetlak

Strolling the yard
Avenue Veteran
Joined
5/23/15
Messages
108
Location
Brussels
Real Name
Svetla
Very, very nice!

My small birds have never been clipped and are master flyers, and LOVE flying.

I am adamantly against clipping for the reasons mentioned in the original post. However, I always fear that whenever I say that (and I am always polite) someone will jump at my throat, saying that clipping is done for safety (is it really? - no) and that it is "a personal choice". I am glad that under this particular thread, I can freely express my full support for encouraging companion birds to fly - as much and as often as possible and they are willing to.

My blue-fronted Amazon, whom I adopted in 2016 at the age of around 40, does not fly, unfortunately. I wish he did. He is not clipped but used to be (I can tell from the way some of his flights have grown back slightly deformed). However, one of his feet stays frozen in a semi-open position, and that destablizes him a bit. As he cannot open and close his toes, he cannot grip, cannot walk on flat surfaces, and hence does not feel secure to fly (if he can fly at all i.e.). He won't even come onto my hand as he loses his balance easily.

I am working on encouraging him, with positive reinforcement, to place at least one foot on my hand (which I am careful to position in a way which would be comfortable for both his feet), but so far he will not even lift a foot to reach my hand. It is a shame because that limits him tremendously. He only feels comfortable on top of his cage (has good stability there) and will not even wander on the adjacent branches I put around to expand his range a bit.

I would love it if he would (re)learn the joy of flight, for his sake.

There is a chance that I might be the new home to an African grey at some point in the near future. I saw an ad on-line and, seeing the bird in horrible, horrible conditions, I contacted the ad poster to ask if he has the necessary documentation to sell the bird legally. He is working on that right now. If the bird ends up with me - I only reacted to the ad to get the bird out of there - I will post a special thread to introduce him. I hope the bird can fly, but even if he doesn't, his feet look functional and I will teach him to fly if I have to.

I was not planning on adding to my flock, but I was open to helping a bird in need, so here I am, unexpectedly looking at the very real possibility that I might be adding another large parrot to my little flock (currently 5 budgies and one BFA). Flight will be a big part of any new bird that finds a home with me (as long as no physical disability really prevents that). This is guaranteed.
 

Begone

Joyriding the Neighborhood
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Joined
11/29/12
Messages
15,651
I hope the bird can fly, but even if he doesn't, his feet look functional and I will teach him to fly if I have to.
I hope you will be his new home: :)
And if you teach him to fly that can help your BFA to trying too.
I would love it if he would (re)learn the joy of flight, for his sake.
Yes, that is what it's all about. For their sake they need to fly.
 

Sylvester

Hit the Road
Joined
7/12/17
Messages
1,939
Yes, I believe in a light clipping for a bird as a last attempt to curb aggressive behavior.

Clipping is not permanent. It is not like declawing a cat which is essentially maiming a cat. A light clip still allows the bird to fly and to glide smoothly into a landing.
 

Lady Jane

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
8/25/12
Messages
26,570
Location
Maryland
Real Name
Dianne
Thanks for the videos. Glad the birds are rehabbing with you as their guide. Nice big room too. I am a no cut girl.
 

hrafn

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/17/16
Messages
3,875
Location
Canada
Man, I wish there were flight clubs here! Three of my four babes can't fly and it's depressing to watch them try and fail. We'll always keep working on It, but my house is teeny tiny and doesn't give the bigger fids a whole lot of air space.
 

Rain Bow

Rollerblading along the road
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
5/3/17
Messages
4,727
Man, I wish there were flight clubs here! Three of my four babes can't fly and it's depressing to watch them try and fail. We'll always keep working on It, but my house is teeny tiny and doesn't give the bigger fids a whole lot of air space.
Yes, me too! Here where I am. As best as I can tell & the little I know about Buddy is that he was clipped young. Stopped flying after that until I taught him after he moved in here. I think he has major pain in his right wing. He flys well now but if someone/something even brushes that wing he makes the same light pain noise he makes when he feels his toes have an issue. Horrible noise!

the vet clipped them before I got enough info to make a decision last year. The following week he flew into a wall & bruised his beak.

its the middle of the beak below the cherry piece up top, & above the cherry juice all over the bottom.

i believe the MAJOR clipping she did was the cause of this. It was so major that his year appt is in 2 weeks & he still has 2 clipped feathers left. We all have to make what we think the best decisions are for these guys. In this case, I wish I knew what I know now& told her just a little bit/nevermind!

IMG_20180726_190321.jpg

:gbh: Rain
 
Top