bluedawg Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 I have to have surgery on Monday. I will be in hospital for a week and was very worried about leaving my flighted parrot with anyone to care for. As you may know it's hard to find bird people and even if you do a flighted parrot requires special attention and environment. So I had a parrot trainer come today and he convinced me to "Groom" or clip her wings. I decided it was the best thing to do under the circumstances and after all, they'd grow back. But now I thoroughly regret my decision. He said she would be a different parrot and he was right... My playful happy girl it completely subdued. She just sits in one place and occasionally tries to fly unsuccessfully so she flies into a cabinet or a wall when she is trying to fly to me...it is the saddest thing. I hope she begins to feel better tomorrow and I swear I will never do this to her again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Oh so sorry you felt you needed to clip your grey. The lessons we learn the hard way. No one can kick you in the pants the way you are doing it on your own. Hopefully your grey will forgive you in time. My Tag was clipped when I got her, she would try and try to fly. You are right it is a sad sight. I hope your surgery goes well and you relax and forgive yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 That is a dilemma. Yes, it would be difficult to find someone who could deal with a flighted bird (in my area anyway) for a week. The only other choice would have probably been no out of cage time for the duration of your hospital stay. Sometimes we just do what we have to do. Don't feel bad, we make decisions based on available information at the time, and sometimes there just aren't any great options. Best wishes and prayers for a quick recovery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Things will be just fine and you both will be flying around again in no time! Best wishes for speedy recoveries! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 It would have been preferable to have just let her stay in the cage while you were at the hospital than trim her wings but the damage is done now so don't beat yourself up over it as they will grow out again, it is quite a shock to them to suddenly not be able to fly but you will get your sweet grey back again, lesson learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Oh dear Bluedawg. It's a hard lesson to learn. Your Grey should stay in his cage while you are away to minimise the risk of injury. He will be upset I expect because you are not around. His flights will grow back but depending on how severe the clip is it could take many months and the regrowing pins may cause irritation and over grooming so regular use of Aloe Vera spray will help with that. He will forgive you and you must forgive yourself. You were doing what you thought was best. I hope your hospital stay brings you back to full health. Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Sorry to hear this. I hope your surgery and recovery go well. I understand your sick feeling of a decision made that you regret afterwards. Everyone human on this planet has done it many times, especially under duress and time constraints. Wishing you a quick recovering and your life returning to normal quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inara Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Wishing for you a speedy recovery, and for your beautiful companion as little stress as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedawg Posted September 26, 2013 Author Share Posted September 26, 2013 Thank you so much everybody. I don't know why I didn't think to come here first for advice. The lesson is learned that is for sure. The good news is that she does not seam to have held it against me at all. She's as loving as ever but still not her very happy active noisy self. The people who will be watching her are really awesome with her so I feel very good about leaving her with them. She will be in good hands in my absents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 Glad you have someone to care for your grey. Get better soon. We are here for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos_Friend Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I know how hard it is getting over a mistake with your Grey, she'll come back around to her old self. Like you said, "The people who will be watching her are really awesome with her so I feel very good about leaving her with them. She will be in good hands in my absents. " You just take care of yourself and get well soon. ~Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 bluedawg... She will do just fine. Whats most important, is, you get better! I've had birds that were " clipped", and they did just fine also. What is most important, is your bird already knew how to fly. Any bird that can fly in the beginning, will continue to fly. Sometimes they get grounded for a bit. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Lady Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 hope u have a speedy recovery as far as wing clipping goes I plan on letting Smokeys wings grow out again , Rocky and Opey are fully flighted but hardly ever fly any where but Shamrock is flying around every where even on Smokeys cage which Smokey isn't liking this to much , I think it scares him when Shamrock flys over his cage and when he flys on top of his cage Smokey will just stay in his cage , he won't come out until Shamrock is gone , poor baby so I decided to let Smokey grow his wings out to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluedawg Posted October 8, 2013 Author Share Posted October 8, 2013 Had a "Lobectomy" on Monday. Glad to be home from a week in the hospital. Now I can finally get some rest! Dayo is home as well. Had a "Bird Trainer" come before I left just because we had a few biting incidents and mostly I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to bring up a healthy happy bird. He's the one who convinced me to clip her wings. Unfortunately the trainer's approach was severely outdated and Dayo hated him. She growled at him all morning and while she had never bitten in anger or fear before our "training" session. Last night I got a nasty bite from her which was clearly an anger bite. I know I can overcome this but it's just so frustrating all the mistakes I am making. One step forward two steps back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Good to hear you are safely back home. I expect you have already worked out that the "Bird Trainer" should never be let within mile of Dayo. She will get over her trauma as will you. Misty and I wish you both a speedy recovery. Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Like you, I did the one step forward, two steps back for quite awhile with my rehomed TAG. It has been about 16 months now, and I think I'm finally down to one step forward, one step back It will get better for both of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Glad to hear you are back home and on the mend. You made an honest mistake and the primaries will regrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 I'm sure you were considering all your options prior to your surgery, it may have been a planned week in the hospital but no one has a crystal ball on the outcome and length of the recovery period. Greys are very astute when noticing a flock member is hurt or sick. Dayo could be reacting to that right now. You did what you thought was right at the time. Forgive and forget and make ways for Dayo to get up and down from his cage so he can still get where he is wanting to go. A ladder to the floor maybe? When he has more choices, he may not be out of sorts too long. Shake off your feelings of guilt because it will snowball into feeling worse and worse. You honestly did what you thought you had to do given the circumstances but its all going to be okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 Time to move on Bluedawg, all you can do now is make life easier for your grey. When I got my greys both were clipped by their breeders. Both could easily go on top of the cages and I had knotted rope hanging from the open cage doors so they could go down to the floor for walking. I lialso had a wooden ladder that they have used. They adapt quickly as they are smart little boogers. Do be careful if your grey is now a floorwalker as it would be much too easy to step on her. Luckily my floor are laminated and I could hear my greys' claws hitting the floor with each step. Clipped wings grow back in and your grey will forgive you given time. Get well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted October 10, 2013 Share Posted October 10, 2013 Your heart is in the right place. Lord knows I have made many missteps in my journey with my grey. But greys can and do read our hearts, and you guys will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Don't think of it as a mistake, but an experience! Birds adapt, and trust.They also know when things are not the same. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now