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I do feel for you Peggy. It's sometimes really difficult to know what to do because there are so many conflicting opinions about how to raise birds! I am always learning about Alfie and how to improve things for him at home and I've had him for 16 years! When I got him the internet wasn't as big and accessible as it is now so I relied on books- but these were usually difficult to find and sometimes had conflicting opinions. Trying to find a knowledgeable vet was also difficult as birds aren't as widely kept as dogs/cats etc. Thankfully things have come on a long way but I have made many mistakes along the way myself. So I understand where you're coming from and I can tell it's coming from a good place. The flight feathers should grow back eventually and Dixie will soon be up to airborne mischief again.

NEOOW, I really appreciate your kind advice. I am of course worried that it will be hard to undo the trust issues I created with Dixie by clipping her, I will definitely let her wings grow back out. She talks to me still and as I said still taking treats from me, I'm sure she is worried if I hold her I might take her out of the house again. Today is just day two from surgery and I have a long healing period ahead me, so every time I am able to get up i go and talk with her she is verythe t important to me and i will give her all me she needs to win her trust.

I really feel bad now. I had talked to my vet about it before I made the appointment and I have always trusted him, he has cared for all my animals. I'm not a mean pet owner I love my pets, I will let her wings grow out and not clip them again. I really want to care for Dixie for the rest of her life, I want her healthy and happy, I would never knowly harm any of my pets.

And careful about using advice from FB, there are a lot of parrots there that just repeat garbage they've read without any real thought about it. My favorite is the "how long do they live" and then the "80 years+" answers start rolling in. Anyway, if you would have asked here first, I would have suggested putting towels on your windows and mirrors until they get the lay of the land. That's a much better solution than clipping. All 8 of my birds are flighted. I will never clip a bird as they love the freedom to scoot around in the fashion birds do - through the air. Im' a little jealous actually. You just need to take precautions for escape exits and ceiling fans etc. Use the forum to ask, someone here knows.

Just take a step back and let her come to you in her own time. Keep talking to her and going about your daily business but don't try and get her to step up or offer head scritches unless she looks interested and seeks you out. Keep offering her tasty foods as a bribe - still saving the best treats as rewards for good/desirable behaviours. But again, just allow her to come to you to get the treat. If she looks like she's going to bite or if she does end up biting just quietly back away until you're at a distance where she's comfortable. Things need to progress at her pace so do be careful not to force her into anything she's not comfortable with. She's still figuring things out and finding her own way. She'll come round - but it'll be in her own time. Just keep giving her the time and space she needs to adapt and learn about her new environment and family. There are many arguments for and against wing clipping and the debate can get a little heated at times. I try not to judge too harshly either way. Alfie was clipped when he was very young but I allowed him to grow out his flight feathers because it gives him to the freedom to get around easier. I also figured if he ever did get out of the house I would want him to have the skill and confidence to fly away from threats rather than stay in harms way like a sitting duck. I made sure to show him where the windows are in the house by taking him up to them and tapping on them and letting him touch them with his beak. Some people place pillows and soft furnishings around the home to help if a bird does have an accident and bumps into something- at least then they have a soft landing. I have also seen people put stickers on or hang decorations around windows so it's obvious that it's not an open space to fly through. I have no doubt that you did what you thought was the right thing for Dixie and you were worried about her injuring herself. I'm sure she'll come round again soon - she just needs to get used to the changes. If she was already fully flighted and able to fly when you got her (which it sounds like she was) I personally would recommend letting her flight feathers grow out and letting her learn how to get around your house safely- and maybe look into having some pillows or soft things to hand for her to land on- just in case! There is the possibility that if she is kept clipped that she could get stressed about the fact she's no longer able to fly and this may potentially lead to behaviour issues such as plucking. They are sensitive little souls! When she trusts you enough to let you pick her up and hold her then it may be worth showing her other areas of the house so she can see them before trying to fly in them... obviously making sure that she is comfortable being with you and moving away from the cage. It may also be worth letting her explore smaller sections of your home by keeping some doors closed when she's out so she can get used to navigating around each area. Once she's happy and confident then let her explore the next room/area of your house (in her own time).

I truly wasnt trying to do anything mean or wrong. You get so much advice, you get yes and no's, I really only want to take good care of her, get her to love me as much as I love her and have companion for life.

She hadn't become used to your layout; hence the flight into things. She would have soon figured out the lay of the land. Clipping a flighted bird greatly impacts their psyche. Now, if she needed to safely fly away from your dog or anything that causes her dis-ease she can't.

It was a hard decision to make I was worried about her hurting her self, she would fly into window or door them land on the floor, I was terrified she would get hurt. I would be very interested to hear the reasoning behind non clipped, its safety and then do any of you use flight harness. I really want this next six weeks to count with my doxie