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Pictures Adopted my first bird who has a bad wing trim job

Do you get your bird’s flight feathers trimmed?


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Ezrabird

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Chanel Villiers
Hi bird fam!

I’m new to the parrot world but have done quite some research before adopting my new baby today. I do have a question though/was looking for feedback.

She’s a turquoise yellowside conure who I’ve named Ezra, just 6 months old and was needing to be rehomed. I’ve just brought her home today… So far, she’s an amazing little bird and seems to trust me already as she willingly stepped up onto my hand a couple times and was flock calling when I left the room at one point.

unfortunately, her previous family had her wings clipped (they say about 3 weeks ago) for “training purposes”. However, the wing trim was badly done (as you can see on the picture) and it seems as though the person just cut all feathers straight across rather than just the flight feathers.

I plan on having her fully flighted, and hate that this was done, and so ultimately I’m wondering if this clip job could cause any potential issues for that and if her feathers will even grow back in normally.

Anyone have similar experiences?
 

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flyzipper

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Steve
Welcome!

That's uhm... quite the clip job.

As long as they didn't do any damage to Ezra's underlying wing structure, she'll be fine (and it's tough to tell from the photos, but it doesn't look like she's injured).

If she was just clipped 3 weeks ago, she would have been old enough to fledge properly, so she'll regain flight gradually as she molts and regrows her flight feathers..

When they grow in, they will be a little precarious because during a normal molt, the new flight feathers come in between existing feathers which can support/guide them as they grow. Ezra will inevitably (initially) grow some in that are not flanked by others. There's nothing you can do about that, just something to be aware of. They should grow in fine, but if there's some oddness to the way they grow back, it may be due to this, and a second molt should rectify things.

Be careful about heights at this point, in case she falls like a stone.

Again, welcome -- she's lovely.
 

keirieski17

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Ella had a really similar clip to this when I got her. Four years later, she’s quite the little flier :D (or, well, was. She injured her wing somehow a little while ago and despite going the vet, it doesn’t seem to have healed quite right. She can move and flap it, but can’t quite get any lift)
 

Sparkles99

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Welcome! I'm not sure why they did this. They really do drop like stones, but you'll be thrilled, as will she, when they grow back!
 

JewellBird

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Miranda
My gcc Jade when I rescued her had a very severe and botched wing clip similar to the one your baby gcc Ezra has. My Jade struggled to fly, keep good balance and fell to the ground if she tried to fly for the first few months, but finally started losing the clipped feathers about 6 months later and now almost a year later she has grown her flight feathers back in and although it took her a while to "relearn" how to fly, she is flying great now and is constantly flying around now! While you're waiting for Ezra's flight feathers to come back in, just make sure to make everything as safe as possible for her, when Jade was trying to fly with her wing clip, I made sure to have soft towels and blankets around the outside of her cage in case she fell to the ground and made sure to have perches right outside the cage door, so she could easily get out of her cage without flying.
 

honkwee

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ava
Bingley's wings looked similar when we adopted him, some of the feathers he molted were so short! but they have grown normally and his wings look beautiful. He had issues with balance and flight but now he flies quite well, his landings do need a bit of work though Lol. Darcy was not quite as lucky, a piece of his wing was cut out and his feathers have never grown back in but he can flap a little now! and he always looks proud if he flaps and lands back on his cage or play stand! He does lose his balance often though. I would recommend a platform perch as it helps darcy keep his balance at night, and towels around the cage for padding. See if Ezra likes climbing or hopping from perch to perch and adjust as needed. She is beautiful! I believe she just needs time!
 

Wardy

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Poor girl she is a beauty though
 

Lady Jane

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Sorry but that looks awful. She will be totally dependent on you for safety and exercise which is so vital when flight feather plus other feathers have been cut off. If you have dogs or cats or other predator pets please dont let her out of the cage if they are in the same room. Also young children as they can cause a sudden fright for the bird. It will take the better part of one year for re growth. In the meantime do all you can to exercise her. A ladder is a great idea for birds that cannot fly, a long one from the floor to the cage door is nice and they will learn to climb up with a little instruction from you. Please let us know how she is doing periodically.
 
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