Wing clipping for a cockatiel?!?

Question

i am about to adopt a four yr old grey cockatiel from a wonderful family, but they are having ababy so they cant take care of it. its wings are not clipped...but there are almost no places near me that clip their wings!!! should i attempt to do it myself? i also have a neighbor who has alot of bird exprience..but im not sure.

should i try it? or just keep looking for a place that does clip wings?

thanks!

Answer 1

I would suggest taking the bird to someone with LOTS of wing clipping experience (or a vet; an avian vet is even better) and let them show you how to do it once or twice before you attempt it yourself.

A bad clip can really cause a bird - especially one used to flying - a serious injury.  Also you need to look to see if a feather you are about to cut is a "blood feather".....

And if the bird is feisty and not easily calmed and held steady, wing clipping can be a frightening situation for you both~

Answer 2

You need to be careful about clipping a birds wings. You don't want to do it in a round pattern or anything, clip it in a straight line. Keep in mind, the wings are a lot like our findernails. There is a "whick" so to speak. if you keep in the white part, it will be fine, but there is amore pink part if you look closely, and that is where the blood flows, like in our nails. Don't clip within 1/4 inch of the pink part and you should be okay. Make sure to use a washcloth, and have someone hold the bird w/it over the eyes, so it's less scared, while you clip until you feel comfortable enough to hold the bird, and not get the "whick". Trust me, I have been around birds since I was seven, you can do it, but look at it closely, and have someone there the first few times. If it bleeds, have some septic powder ready to help it clot sooner, and it will heal sooner.

Answer 3

if you decide to clip it by your self then go to google and search secondary wings on images and click a very well drawn pic. of some one clipping a budgies wings and their will be a light blue background and then read it

im not sure if this will help you since the site is about budgies but might

Answer 4

I own a book about cockatiels and it said to clip two of the main feathers and 7 of the secondary feathers.  I know that you're new to this but you can try.  Or if your neighbor has a lot of experience then you could ask him to do it.  The book also said not to clip the wings too short because the wings could start bleeding.  If you extend the wing it should make sense about main and secondary feathers.

I hope I helped!

Answer 5

I'm in agreement with jrmno1...  why clip at all?  The bird is already 4 years old, maybe he is well trained enough to stay flighted?    

Of course, we don't know if you have other pets or a home situation that makes it dangerous for a flighted bird...

but it might be better (if it is safe enough) to keep him flighted.

I'd let your neighbor show you and train you how to do it instead of risking making a mistake.  Birds can bleed to death very quickly.

By the way... another answer said to cut 2 main feathers and 7 secondary feathers....  THAT is too many to cut off a small bird like a cockatiel.  That is a very  "severe" clip!!  

That bird jumps off his cage or playstand thinking he's going to fly, and he's going to hit the floor like a rock!!  

DO NOT DO ANY CLIPPING IF YOU ARE NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE DOING, PLEASE!

Answer 6

The first thing I would do is to carefully think why am I clipping the wings at all. We don't have a large aviary but we do have a lot of birds 50+ counting breeders. None are clipped all (except the breeders) are recall trained. We have Tiels up to Greenwing Macaws as pets. I am not going to tell you not to clip, but I am just saying consider it, there are as many reason to clip as not to clip. In Germany it is consider cruelty to animals to clip and they will lock you up.

To have a flighted bird is extra work in training but the benfits to the bird and for yourself are well worth it. Do the research and like me you will find a whole new world of flighted birds.

Answer 7

I have clipped everyone of my birds wings without trouble.  There are several sites on the internet that will give you step by step instructions on how to do it.  It's not difficult at all.  Good luck!

Answer 8

Well I would go to your neighbor for help or you could look for a Avian Vet to teach you how to clip you bird wings.