Monday, May 24, 2010

Do my parakeets have to be tamed when I'm clipping their wings myself?

I have three parakeets which I want to have have wings clipped so that I can tame them. I saerched and it said that it is easier to tame when they have clipped wings...
Answers:
They don't have to be tamefor you to clip their wings, and yes it is true that they are easier to tame when they have clipped wings [not only that, but it's much much safer for them aswell]. If this is your first time though have a vet or someone who knows what they're doing show you. You don't want to clip the wrong feathers, and possibly even clip blood feathers causing in bleeding.
yes
It sounds like what you're asking is whether they need to be tame in order to clip them, but at the same time wondering how you will be able to clip them if they are not already tame. Is that it? If so, I will do my best to answer.
First of all and most IMPORTANT: I must say that wing clipping is to be done by an EXPERIENCED person, NOT BY YOU unless you know how to do it properly. From the sound of your question, I don't think you have that much experience with birds and have NO business attempting to clip them yourself. You should check with a vet, bird breeder or possibly the pet store personnel to get the wings clipped.
Now to answer your question, they do not have to already be tame in order for you to clip them but by clipping their wings you will be able to play with them more and hopefully this will help you to tame them. Because they will be unable to fly (for a period of 4-6 months until new feathers begin growing), they will learn that they have to rely on you to get anywhere.
You can take them out of the cage and play with them on the floor. This should be done with each bird SEPARATELY and for not much longer than 15-20 minutes at a time, per bird, because they do not have long attention spans. You can do this with each one 2 or 3 times per day, depending on how much time you have to spend with them. AND, please do not use gloves when removing them from their cage. Gloves only make your hand larger and more intimidating to the bird. You should first try getting the bird to step onto your finger by slowly putting your hand in and allowing them to get used to it. If all they do is thrash around like crazy, and bite you when you try to pick them up, try using a face cloth to take them out of the cage and sit them on the floor in the training area, which should be away from the comfort of their cage. Go to into a small room such as a bathroom (toilet lid DOWN please) or a walk-in closet for the training sessions.
You can go to a bookstore, library or online and find lots of information on bird training because there is way too much to tell you here. I hope that I have answered your question just a little bit though and wish you good luck with your FIDS (feathered kids).
If you have never done this before, I would recomend that you have someone else show you the proper way to clip them. If you try it yourself, you may cut a blood vein feather that you may have a difficult time stopping from bleeding. And about them being easier to tame, i dont know about that... I think the younger they are when you get them, and the more time you spend with them the more tamer they get. You have to devote a lot of time with them in order for them to become tamed. Good luck with your Birdys

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