Aftermath of a Vet Visit.

Question
Hi,

I recently took my cockatiel to the vet to have her wings and nails clipped. I did the research and was reassured by the vet that it was a simple process. Unfortunately the Vet took too many feathers and left my birds blood feathers exposed. She was experimenting with her "new wings" and damaged a blood feather so I was forced to take her back in to get it pulled.

Since this incident she has become more withdrawn, seems scared to leave her cage and is no longer affectionate with me. Is there anything I can do to comfort her and get back to where we were before.

Answer
Hi, Allison,

I picked up your question from the question pool this morning.

Trimming flight feathers is a simple task.  Was the vet a certified avian vet?  Blood feathers are growing feathers that still have a blood supply to them.  If blood feathers were "exposed," they would most likely have bled until pulled out.  

An incident like this can be a stressful and frightening experience for a parrot.  Just the ride to the vet in a vehicle can really scare them.  As a result, a bird might take some time to get over the stress of the incident, not to mention having to get used to clipped flight feathers, particularly if the event was traumatic in and of itself.  Give your bird some time and space, interact with her as much as she will accept, but don't push to much.  She'll come around in time.

Chrys