Things You'll Need:
- A Towel
- Nail Clippers
- Flour or Quick stop to help clot blood if cut too short.
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Step 1
First you will get a Towel to wrap your parrot in. You don't want to hold him/her too tight just restrain him/her from being able to bite. You might even want to have 2 people to help. You will notice there are several rows of feathers your concerned with the bottom row which are primary feathers. One person can hold the bird wrapped in the towel and the other person can hold the birds wings and clip them.
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Step 2
When I clip the bird I always use the secondary feathers as a guide by doing this you will not cut the feather too short. I skip the first feather and take the second, third and fourth feather and snip it right at the tip of the secondary feathers. I do this on each wing and then I see if the bird can still get air or if it glides to the floor. I test this on well padded carpet because you don't want it to land on a hard surface if you happened to cut too many feathers it will fall like a rock and its Keel bone can split its chest open. If the bird can still get air and take flight you can cut the fifth feather off as well. Yes the feathers do grow back.
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Step 3
Once you get the feathers clipped make sure they were not clipped to close because the shaft of the feather acts like a straw and if it is cut too short your bird will bleed and could bleed to death if not stopped. I always have flour or quick stop to pack the end of the feather to help clot the blood. I am not a vet but am experienced with birds if you do not feel comfortable do not try to clip your birds wings by your self. Take it to a Vet or pet store and let them show you how until you are comfortable.
Comments
NatalieJ said
on 9/3/2009 Good tips on clipping wings. 5* and recommended.
DreamLiving said
on 6/18/2009 Excellent article on clipping birds wings (not just for parrots). Well done!