How is the best way to cut my galah's wing or wings so he can't fly away??

Question

The pet shop told me to cut both wings.......... but he can still fly....I have let them grow back before I cut them or it again...I think cutting both is why he can still fly and maybe if I only cut one he will be over balanced and can't fly...If I take him to the vet they will charge me $25.00 but how hard can it be !!!! please help......He is only a baby and now he is starting to talk and is a great pet we love he heaps and is one of the family and his cage is in side our house and I am too scared to take he outside untill I stop him from flying away..

Answer 1

If he's a baby, he needs to learn how to fly properly. If he's not fledged in early life, he'll have a LOT of trouble balancing and getting the hang of flying later. It's very complicated for the bird.

I suggest you take it to the vet. It can be hard, especially if you've never been shown how or done it before. You can cut too far and have him bleed, and if you don't care for it properly, he can bleed to death. $25 is not a lot to get a good job done, and $25 is NOTHING compared to everything else that you have to pay for that bird's needs, so I don't see the problem with the vet cost. They know exactly what they're doing and can show you how if you're interested, and it's always better to get an experienced avian vet to do it the first time. The internet may help, but there's always a chance you'll do it wrong without someone instructing you properly and the size of the bird matters. If a site shows you how to clip cockatiel feathers, it won't help you with your significantly larger cockatoo because it's more difficult to judge where's where on each bird.

Do NOT cut one wing. It makes them severely unbalanced and disables their flying completely. They drop like rocks. You do not want them to fall like that because if they slip off of a ledge or try to fly to you but have a poor, uneven wing clip, they will fall and can damage their internal organs greatly. He needs to have a soft glide so that he can break his own fall without getting injured. Ask a vet to clip his wings as short as possible EVENLY. Cutting them unevenly is the very worst thing you can do for the bird. It's far beyond confusing and dangerous. As they're growing back in, he'll still be lop-sided and confused. Cut them evenly!

If you want to take him outside, get him a harness. The Aviator is a good bird harness. You can buy one specific to his size and start training him to be comfortable wearing it when he's young so he won't freak when you put it on normally. They come with little leashes to hang on to, obviously, and one should NEVER take their bird outside, flighted or clipped, without some sort of restraint, whether it be a cage or a harness. And you should always be there 100%, no matter what, supervising him outside.

Answer 2

A good breeder could show you how to do it properly where if the bird falls, he will glide down to the ground. If a bird's wings are butchered or done improperly, it can be extremely painful and considered cruel. This article may guide you well. http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww19eii.htm Personally, I would go to a pet shop that deals with birds and purchase a good set of shears for the purpose. Some local breeders are cheaper and many are happy to show you the technique. Good luck. Oh depending on your bird's reaction, perhaps you might towel the bird (and cover his eyes) and expose one wing at a time. Have a friend with gentle but firm restraint.That way your bird won't know it was you that did the dirty deed. Have a tweet year.

Answer 3

Your bird can still fly because you didn't clip the wings correctly.

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/clip.html

All that matters is that you don't clip the wings that have blood going into them.

Read up! And Good Luck!

P.S. The people at the pet shop should have shown you how to clip the bird's wings. When I worked for th pet shop, I always showed people how.

Answer 4

Galah Flying

Answer 5

My thought is maybe you did do it wrong, but at the same time I remember too vividly when our bird took his first flight to fifty feet up in a bare pine tree, just two or three days after the vet clipped his wings. He spent the night outside, flew to a tree behind our house, then landed on my mom's arm after a good 24hrs outside. I don't think there's a foolproof way of making a bird not fly short of mutilating them. If you like to take the bird outside, get it a harness. For real, they come in sizes covering cockateils to macaws. Good luck.

Answer 6

Wing clipping isn't supposed to stop your bird from flying completely. It is supposed to prevent them from gaining altitude and flying long distances. Do not only clip one wing, this is an outdated form of clipping and it bad for the bird as it causes them to be unbalanced, thus causing stress.

Personally, I don't think you should clip your birds wings at all. None of my birds are clipped and they are all happier and healthier for it. How would you like it if someone fixed your legs so you couldn't walk, only crawl? That's what your basically doing to your bird, only worse.

Invest in a flight suit and train your bird to use it. You can get good ones which come with training dvds to tell you how to get your bird to use it. They are safer then wing clipping because even a severely clipped bird can still fly some distance. This might cause your bird to fly out of your sight but into the sight of a predator. They would have already used all their energy in flying away form you on their clipped wings and would not be ableto escape from the predator.

Some flight suite are even designed so you can fly and walk your bird almost like you would walk a dog.

The only other consideration you would have to make is to be extra careful when you are inside with your bird and he is not in his flight suit. Be sure no doors or windows are opened so he cannot escape.

This site sells very good flight suits and harnesses and they ship to most places (I'm in Australia and they'll ship to me!) Have a look! It's well worth it!

http://www.squawkstore.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=130&products_id=552

Allowing birds to have free flight really is much better for them. It allows them to have their main and best form of exercise, enjoyment and movement. Please consider this...

Don't let anyone tell you birds need to be clipped because they might crash into things when they are free flighted. he only birds I have ever seen who crash into things are ones who have their wings clipped. Birds who know how to fly and have the ability to do so are not clumsy and do not crash.


Well good luck to you and your bird. You're very lucky to have a galah! They are beautiful birds and I'd love to own one oneday... :)

Answer 7

Well, is he actually FLYING or is he fluttering around? When you clip a bird, they can still flutter to get from place to place. Even with just a few flight feathers, they will be able to fly. Not cutting one wing would not help. Vets arent the only people who clip birds. Check your local pet stores. They will most likely be more than happy to do it. We have a pet store here where it only cost 5.00 to get the nails and wings done. Anyway, my point is, birds will flutter when clipped.

Answer 8

I use to clip my bird's wings all the time. But after reading these answers, I think I must have been extremely lucky! Go to this website: http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww19eii.htm

Answer 9

You definately have to get the pet shop to show you, i hold peoples birds when they want them trimmed and i show them where to trim, so they feel confident, i work in a pet shop.
I can relate to how much you love your galah and that you dont want to have him fly away.
So take him somewhere that will advise you.
Both wings need to be trimmed, to avoid over balancing on one side.

Answer 10

unfortunately its best to learn how to clip a birds wing by observing it being done. as new feathers grow in they still have blood in them and must not be cut . By observing some one who has done lots of birds (a vet or pet shop staff) they can show you what to look out for. if you cut too short or the wrong feathers it will be amost a year before your bird will look normal again so it is very important (i think $25 important) to get it done right.