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Parrot Care When Trimming The Parrot's Wings

2016/5/4 10:33:03

Parrot owners will mostly have the wings of their parrot trimmed so that the parrot cannot take flight and fly away. There is a difference between hindering the flight of a parrot and totally stopping it from flying. The general consensus is that the wings should only be 'trimmed' not cut off. A parrot is a bird when all is said and done, and birds fly! It is just a fact of life. To lose the ability to fly would be like losing the ability to walk for a human.

Most parrot owners will get a professional to trim the feathers of a parrot as it is a job that does need to be done with care so that there is no damage done to the wing itself.

A Baby Parrot.

For its own safety, a young parrot in captivity would have its feathers trimmed a little, but it is important that such a young bird can still fly a little because it does need to learn to land on its feet. If its wings are trimmed right back at an early stage it may never learn to land on its feet and that could be harmful as the bird gets older.

When a parrot is very small they only will have the first three feathers trimmed and then only half the length of what a mature parrot would have trimmed. The idea of cutting the wings of a very young parrot is so that it will not fly into windows and other objects and hurt itself.

Wings On A More Mature Parrot.

An adult parrot would need to have the first five flight feathers trimmed if it is to be hindered in its flying. He is now a stronger bird so he needs more feathers trimmed to stop him flying away.

Care should be taken not to trim the feathers too short and definitely not shorter than the parrot's covert (the layer of feathers which protect their bases). Clipping of the feathers should mean that the feathers will grow out again, but if clipped too short it could mean that they will not regrow. If you do visit a vet or a professional trimmer who wants to cut below the covert, do stop them from doing so and find someone else. Make sure this issue is discussed before taking the bird to be trimmed.

Usually a parrot will have its wings trimmed twice a year and this seems to be sufficient in most cases as regards the parrot care. This will allow the parrot to flutter around the house comfortably with having accidents or causing any accidents either.

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