Trimming a Bird's Feathers

[pubecat]

You should never trim a parrots feathers.

Especially not before it has learned to fly.

The psychological affects of being unflighted particularly in birds like this grey and cockatoos are massive. It causes a loss of confidence and there is evidence to suggest it leads to feather plucking.

On top of this the moulting sequence in psittacines means that there is a risk of bleeding when moulting.

You should be teaching all pet parrots flight commands and encouraging them to fly. I hope you do.

[c0llzter624]

You guys dont understand how important it is to cut the wings. I lost my first cockatiel because her wings were not cut. We had trained her to fly in a circle around the living room and return to her cage. Unfortunately, one day the door was open and she squeezed through. She circled in the yard for a long time but could not find out how to get back in. We lost her all because of her ability to fly...it would not have happened if her wings were cut...so please, listen to her.

[MrSnake5678]

@c0llzter624 omg this happened to me to i had a cockatiel and one day i took it to my friends hoouse and i had him cupped in my hand so he wouldnt fly away while he was out side and i dont remeber how he was trying to squeeze out of my hand so i gave it some slack then all of a sudden bye bye birdy i was so sad

[animalexchange1]

@Milltify I'm very interested in your comment. You do understand that it is just the feathers that we trim. not the actual wing. Do you not have a problem with birds that escape and potentially establish in the wild? We have a lot of exotic invasive species issues in the U.S.

[mspoohbearfan]

I have 3 frantic budgies who would fly like crazy an I tried the one wing trimming trick it worked and on my trained one I didn't because she flys to me

[michellelynn2255]

i love your videos too and one of my birds also flew out of the window and one got on the ground my other birds came and warned me of what had happened so they r very smart animals i couldnt do without my parekeets and ty for the videos

[CorieD19]

i hope i can be as confident as you with bird wing trimming!!! you seem so amazing with your bird!

[xAntisocialbutterfly]

Its fine to clip birds feathers but make sure they learn to fly first. If you dont it will have massive phychological affect, which will lead to your bird becoming depressed. Also it is not correct to just clip one wing, because she says it herself it is uncomfortable for the bird and puts it off balance (thats not a good thing). I agree with clipping a birds wings when indoors but please let them learn to fly first and get both sides clipped instead of just one. xcherryxcherryx is correct

[ohnoitzme2]

I got a Cockatiel from a Lady at her house, If she didnt sell her 7 month cockatiel she would kill it, so i bought it. The bird flew around the house only when he got frightened and he would always try and land on me(: One day i was taking out the trash and it hit the door the cockatiel got scared and tried to land on my head.. He missed my head and flew out the door.. It was windy but he tried to turn back. He was a baby and i never saw him again. I didn't know he could fly like that.

[animalexchange1]

@ohnoitzme2 Thank you for sharing your disaster. Now if only everyone would learn from your experience and keep the birds feathers safely trimmed. Incidentally, never give anyone money who is threatening to harm an animal. Offer to take it but never pay these pathetic abusers.

[DAVIDTV101]

can your local pet shop trim your birds wings and how much would it be

[animalexchange1]

@DAVIDTV101 In Rockville Maryland Animal Exchange is your local pet shop and yes we can. It depends on who runs the store in your area and if they are comfortable with clipping. We charge $10 and I usually spend some time talking with the owner about behavior and husbandry.

[CandyCrayon91]

My uncle has a pair of budgies, who are untrimmed, and very happy. He has trained them well, and stick around to him - they have never escaped.

So think before you claim all pet birds should be trimmed. There are plenty of birds who can be trained peroperly so they won't escape.

[MrDevinbaseball]

You are like a teacher THANK YOU.

[geebody]

u make a good point and evrything u say is true, but wat if we want the birds to fly to us? and we clipped its wings so it nevr got to fly for the first time like xcherryxcherryx said? will it still b able to fly to me if i wanna trian my cockatiel or will it jus go crashing into the walls like it does when i was trying to train it ?

[animalexchange1]

@geebody When I trim on one wing only, they generally do not crash into anything but glide to the floor on an angle. Just what do you want to train it to do?

[4345g]

what about parakeets

[Parakeetkid]

Im not trying to sound harsh but you should never clip a baby birds wings until it learns how to fly.

[donttryme17]

thanq somuch this video helpd me a lot...i apriciate

[peacegirl852]

to animalexchange,

 should pet birds have vets?

thanks, please answer!

[animalexchange1]

You should always know of a veterinarian who can treat a pet that you own. With many animals there is routine health care but with others you just need to know which vet in your area is familiar with the species. Not all vets will see birds.

[newfiechaos29]

I have to say I really enjoy your videos! This one has helped me alot.

[tshannonification]

It can't fly away if you just shut the windows and doors. It can't hurt itself if you take dangerous things away. A bird's wings are most beautiful to see and they have the right to fly if they want.

[iluvmybudgie3214]

You know what I don't understand? Why you would watch this video if you don't believe in wing clipping.

~Megan and Beau the Budgie

[HayastanAshxarh]

I dearly agree with you my friend.

[exqmdp]

thanks mam,

i wanted to know how to do this but not many videos show it properly. after watching this i have just got my budgie clipped and it has done wonders.

many thanks for this very useful video clip

[Zelenardiana]

I had a beautiful white faced cockatiel ( fully white) but it flew away because we didn't trim its wings. My mom said it was too cruel when i asked her to cut he's wings. Now I know birds understand, thank you and next time a get a new baby, ima take good care of it ^^!

[sportsgirl4444]

o sorry

i always thought u had to clip both sides

by the way the pet store that i bought my parakeet from trimmed both sides the first 5

so thats why i thought that lol

[xcherryxcherryx]

It's also really important that people go to their vet first, and watch them do it, and then let the vet observe whether they are clipping the wing properly before attempting it by yourself.

Don't get me wrong, other than that, this is a great tutorial.

[xcherryxcherryx]

This bird hasn't learned to fly yet?? it is EXTREMELY important for birds to develop properly and learn how to fly before they get their wings clipped, otherwise, they can become psychologically damaged. I'm sorry lady, but research what you are talking about before you go telling other people to go and harm their pets!

And to make sure your bird doesn't fly away on its first flight you CLOSE THE DOORS AND WINDOWS AND SHUT THE CURTAINS... its that simple.

[AnimalExchange]

Research with thousands of parakeet sales over the years and many other species that I have hand fed also has proven these procedures to be correct. I will not even tell you how sad it made me to hear about the breeder who had the baby Hyacinth Macaw fly out the door, never more to be seen. The birds need to fly in the wild for food and to avoid predators. Safe in a home there is no need.

[xcherryxcherryx]

I'm sorry, I went back to my comment and I was very rude, I didn't mean to, you are very knowledgeble, and obviously love your birds, but I have read (and witnessed) that birds who haven't learned how to fly when they are fledging don't properly develop mentally, and they can lose their balance later in life, I have presonally had to help teach bird that we adopted how to fly when she was 4 years old, and it was very sad, It may be ok if your birds are very well cared for, and never

[xcherryxcherryx]

have the need to fly, but I worry about the people who watch this video, and later decide that they want their birds to be able to fly, and they can very badly injure themselves if they haven't learned properly. I would also incourage people to go to their local vet first, and learn from them, but people are going to look on youtube anyway, and you can't help that, so I would say this is the best tutorial out there for wing cliping. Great job, and again, I apologise :)

[Nasser90santour]

@AnimalExchange BULLSHIT! Birds need to fly! :-) It is not even legal here in Sweden. Why would you buy a pet if you are going to cut it's wing? :S Buy a rabbit or something :S

[bublubhuyan]

@AnimalExchange I fully understand what you said. But I too have read over websites that it's important for a bird to remain psychologically healthy throughout it's life to learn to fly before it's wings are clipped. What are your views on the issue?

[BirdsRock11]

@bublubhuyan Birds need to learn how to fly by not being clipped. Human babies learn by walking for the first time, taking small steps, eventually running! (hard to picture adult people learing how to walk, am I right?) Baby birds need to also learn how to fly. If they grow into adults and have not learned how to fly yet, that is horrible!! What a disaster that would be. Other cons for wing trimming are reduced excercise. (Overweight birds are BAAAAAAADD.) Etc. u can later research it.

[Kamakaze07070]

Just watch your video and got the courage to clip my cockatiel's wings and it worked out very well, thank you

[kegomekoroma]

well i watched another one and i didnt kno two wings wer bad but now i know i wont do it a gain thanks 4 parakeets u hav to cut the first six

[EygptianNight]

i used to clip them then i stopped and i've noticed the bird has been less dependant and more of a bitch too me!! so I'm gonna try and clip them again

[xmitainyx]

a bird should be able to fly.

my bird's wings aren't trimmed and i would never do it. i think they should be at least able to fly..

[JuhJuhJennie]

she is doing it for the birds own good, The bird can seriously hurt itself.

[RetroGamerJL]

Once you trim the feathers of the bird does it grow back and you have to trim it again?

[pongmoua1]

yes they will grow back!

[AnimalExchange]

Birds molt their feathers and new ones grow in to replace them. The new feathers will need to be trimmed when they are in.

[JusJuiceIt]

@AnimalExchange

hi, thanks for the video.. do you know how long it takes for a love birds feathers to grow back.. i clipped them like 4-5 months ago, and still no sign of new feathers

[alensk8te]

i own many birds and i would never cut my birds feathers that short and its still pointless to cut one side rather than 2

[slamazoid877]

i have a parakeet and her wings arn't clipps and she is freely allowed our house only upstaires though the only bad thing is she goes to the bathroom in our bathroom (below and on the towel holders) she flew out the house once but we got her back and it is very fun to see her with us and chirping next to us =)

[DevilsPirates]

Hi, I am getting a 2 month old Parakeet tomorrow.

I was wondering if my cage was big enough? It is about 19 inchs high and 15 inchs wide. I am only getting one.. And also i was wondering if it hurt the bird to trim the feathers or is it like getting your nails clipped?

Thanks.

[AnimalExchange]

You need one more dimension for your bird cage. Clipping feathers is like getting a haircut. No pain involved.

[DevilsPirates]

Actually my bird has changed since a problem happened with the budgie.

I am now getting a Dutch Blue Lovebird.

the cage is acutally 22 inchs high and 15 inchs wide. I have everything except the bird. Although i am a beginner i would apperciat any advice given :)

[xxjacobxx3]

Wow! that was great!

[Birdtastik]

I dont agree with wing clipping at such an early age. The bird needs to develop their chest muscles which they cannot do by wing clipping.there are also cardiovascular benefits of flight for the first year of its life and also gains co-ordination skills. The joy of seeing young birds learn to fly is wonderful and you can see how excited they become when they can move around with flight. I breed these birds and I strongly discourage wing clipping for at least the first year.

[AnimalExchange]

If only everyone who acquired a bird kept it safe for the first year, I would agree with you.

[OMGTekTite]

Have you had any experience with some bird species's feathers growing faster than others?

We had a sun conure that flew into a tree, but after a couple of hours he came back to us. He is with us still, but that strange thing was that weekend he had been taken for getting his wings clipped, and yet he still flew without them.

[AnimalExchange]

There are lots of different ways to clip wings. My choice is demonstrated in the wing trimming video. Not all clips are effective.Feathers grow in on an average of 3 weeks, with really long ones taking the longest.

[roxannpadilla]

but what can i do. i dont want him to fly around in the house he wil get hurt i have alot of windows and ceiling fan and high ceilings . im afraid of lettin him fly

[nosirrom5]

Can cats & macaws coexist?

[AnimalExchange]

Yes, but we don' t suggest keeping them in the same space unsupervised.

[AMERIKUH]

if you clip one wing, won't it glide in like a spriral?

[benahawk]

yes that what would happen but it flaps harder in one wing so its to hard to it can't fly

[doglostflorida]

Nice what you are doing to help people care for their birds.

[TheEmpowering]

feathered overlord

[pinkbettalova]

ur awesome! i love ur videos they help alot. by the way, u have many pets. im ur biggest fan.

[anneandgilbertblythe]

Can you please make a video about clipping parakeets nails . Well cutting them ? I love your videos . Thanks A LOT !

[AnimalExchange]

Thanks for the suggestion. The most important thing is to have Kwik Stop and a bird toe nail sissors when nails need trimmed.

[cheree4life]

WOw LOST A HYINCTH MACAW! Well there goes 30,000$ out the window!

[noneofthis4322]

ROFLMFAO I loved that comment!!!

[anneandgilbertblythe]

LOL HAVE to agree !

[cheree4life]

thanks ;)

[ferrariboi98]

that is not right, you restrain a bird from flying. Why would you do that? That is animal cruelty.

[AnimalExchange]

Please review previous comments.

[ThisHippieLuvsYew]

they grow back. and your right in a way but also if we didnt no one could take them outside or they would fly off and get hurt..or in the house they really can get hurt or killed so its not animal cruelty unless you actualy punish them or something when they fly.

[nonanicky]

i'm sorry but you shouldn't encourage people to trim every bird that gets out of the cage. let people make their own choice and don't just show only one side of the story. if they already lost their freedom, why take away the ability to fly?

[AnimalExchange]

People do make the choice every day. My concern is to keep the bird safe and alive. If I did not constantly get calls from folks who had their bird fly out the window or break a leg as the door closed on it, perhaps I would not feel so strongly. The one redeeming feature is when a customer finds a bird outside and brings it in to have the feathers trimmed so they can have a wonderful pet.

[nonanicky]

i think the owners of the bird are responsible for that, they should let the bird out in a save environment. my birds have never hurt themselve because i keep the doors shut, and the windows covered. accidents could happen anyway, i'm sure of that, but if an accident happened with my birds, i wouldn't be the one to blame. i hope you understand my point of view.

[notoriginals]

informative vid......

Wings also excercise muscles. I never entirely clip skip every other molt or molts never had a bird shoot for the window unless freaked out.

[trapperman56789]

i belive in trimming the feathers to

[nealieann]

where can u buy a hand fed cockatiel in the area of pinellas county florida

[nealieann]

what about trimming a parakeets wings...

[AnimalExchange]

Same way.

[hellomedude]

Thanks!

[hellomedude]

I am still not confident with my self to clip the flight feathers. So does any local pet store like PETCO, Petsmart, or Pet supermarket clip the feathers?

[AnimalExchange]

A specialty pet store such as Animal Exchange in Rockville Maryland or an avian veterinarian is your best bet.

[Resichu]

It doesn't matter the cage size when it is out of its cage for hours every day.

[spickymaster]

maybe get it a larger cage

[Resichu]

If it's out of its cage every day, it doesn't need a bigger cage.

[bryantudor]

Wonderful and very informative! Thanks.

[hulkthefuror]

wow thanks

[donutninja4life]

thanks great vid!