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Tips on Towelling and Clipping

BlueDoraBarry

Walking the driveway
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Barry
I have an IRN blah blah blah, I've clipped her wings before but now they're back and it is getting a lot harder to tame her. She's also been running into mirrors and walls and getting tired pretty quickly. All in all, I think its safer for her if I clip her wings. But, how?

I'm scared to towel her too loose because then she'll bite me and fly around and if she doesn't get hurt she'll lose all trust between me and her, and if I do it too tight she'll go up, up, to the rainbow bridge. So how do I towel her properly, should I use a light towel, a thick towel, a bright colored one (if it matters), a dark colored one, when? should she be tired, hungry, full, just woken up, relaxed, should I give her something to sedate her? Last time I clipped her, I had an experienced family member to encourage me and help me out. This time he doesn't want to, so I've asked my younger brother to help out. But every time we turn off the lights and I'm about to pick her up, I freeze. HELP
 

Feather

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The problem isn't that she's flying - it's that she hasn't learned how. Clipping is not going to help you tame her. It will only force her to be more reliant on you and that has nothing to do with building a trusting relationship at all. She's a bird. She's supposed to fly. Modify her environment so she doesn't get hurt while she learns the parameters of the room and how to use her wings properly. You can hang curtains or sheets a few inches in front of the walls and over the mirrors so she doesn't hit them - you'll be able to take these down again once she learns the borders and gets better at maneuvering.

No one inexperienced should clip a parrot. If you are dead set on disabling her, then have your vet do it. There are too many ways you could hurt her by not knowing how to properly towel and restrain and if she's so unapproachable that you have to turn out the lights to grab her then you could very well kill her by the fright alone.
 

JLcribber

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The problem isn't that she's flying - it's that she hasn't learned how. Clipping is not going to help you tame her. It will only force her to be more reliant on you and that has nothing to do with building a trusting relationship at all. She's a bird. She's supposed to fly. Modify her environment so she doesn't get hurt while she learns the parameters of the room and how to use her wings properly. You can hang curtains or sheets a few inches in front of the walls and over the mirrors so she doesn't hit them - you'll be able to take these down again once she learns the borders and gets better at maneuvering.

No one inexperienced should clip a parrot. If you are dead set on disabling her, then have your vet do it. There are too many ways you could hurt her by not knowing how to properly towel and restrain and if she's so unapproachable that you have to turn out the lights to grab her then you could very well kill her by the fright alone.

Great advice. :)
 

Lady Jane

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You are really not qualified to clip a birds toenails. Best person to show you how is a vet tech or vet, not an inexperienced member of your family.
 

BlueDoraBarry

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I was thinking that I could clip her for the time being until I'm able to start flight training. But by the looks of it, it seems like its possible to tame a flighted parrot. Shes not super scared of me, nor does she fly at every chance. I'll accept a challenge.:idea::thankyou:
 

JLcribber

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I was thinking that I could clip her for the time being until I'm able to start flight training. But by the looks of it, it seems like its possible to tame a flighted parrot. Shes not super scared of me, nor does she fly at every chance. I'll accept a challenge.:idea::thankyou:
You've got this whole concept backwards. We do not tame parrots. What we do is "earn" their trust and respect by the way we handle them. This takes time. There is no shortcut.

You can't possibly flight train a parrot that has no idea how to fly. Again totally backwards.
 

Monica

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I was thinking that I could clip her for the time being until I'm able to start flight training. But by the looks of it, it seems like its possible to tame a flighted parrot. Shes not super scared of me, nor does she fly at every chance. I'll accept a challenge.:idea::thankyou:

If necessary, start training her within her cage. Start working on simple things like target training and station training.

An Experiment with Budgies | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
"Self-Tamed" Cockatiels | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum


You can find a lot of great advice from bird trainers and behaviorists.

Free Training Resources | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
 

Les charlson

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I imagine she is just not fit enough yet if she tires easily. Is she at home in the room she is in? If she is used to her room she should have an idea of where the walls are etc. Have you covered your windows/mirrors? She sounds to me as if she is panicking when flying, trying to get away from something and at the same time trying to work out how to fly. She seems to have only one speed right now.
Can you move her to a safe room to exercise until she is more experienced? Somewhere with no mirrors/covered windows. I imagine clipping her wings may make her more unfriendly toward you and much more insecure about being able to escape what she sees as a scary situation. If she is biting she is trying to tell you she is not comfortable with the situation. Biting is a last resort.
I would definitely cover any windows and give her more time to practice her new flight capabilities. Perhaps go back to square one and bring her cage closer to where you are watching tv etc without letting her out until she starts to relax and let her practise in a bedroom until she works out how to fly properly.Perhaps then you could leave her door open and let her decide when she wants to come out rather than when you want her to. Hope it works out. :)
(She's also been running into mirrors and walls and getting tired pretty quickly.)
 

BlueDoraBarry

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Update: I decided to not clip her wings and let her be, and let her get used to the house by herself, and she occasionally takes a lap around the living room just for fun, she never goes anywhere else unless she's panicking, (which only happens when babies are around:lol:). Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it!
 
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