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Guilt
Oct 11, 2016 18:12:02 GMT -5
Post by zim on Oct 11, 2016 18:12:02 GMT -5
I clipped Yoshi's four new flight feathers earlier, and feel so bad about doing it.
I was going to try to give him a chance to be flighted, but I guess he never learned the basics of flying when he was young. Twice now he's took flight, and couldn't figure out how to land and ended up smacking the wall and falling to the floor. It happened again today and scared me enough that I decided I need to keep him clipped.
I guess he's mad at me now, and won't step up for me. Even with bribes. I really hope this didn't damage our bond.
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Guilt
Oct 11, 2016 19:40:01 GMT -5
zim likes this
Post by cnyguy on Oct 11, 2016 19:40:01 GMT -5
Yoshi will probably forgive you before too long, so it's unlikely there's been any permanent harm to the bond between you. Just give him time to get over being upset with you, and treat him as you normally would.
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Post by aaron on Oct 11, 2016 22:42:26 GMT -5
He will definitely get over it. When Cupcake was re-learning to fly, I would take her to my bedroom and help her practice coasting down over the bed where she could make a soft landing. I think she must have been properly fledged though, because she is so skilled at flight... I don't know enough to say whether Yoshi could eventually learn to fly properly or if the fact that he wasn't given a chance to really learn at a younger age means he'll never be very good at flying. Don't feel guilty, at any rate... you are doing this for his safety. He may not understand that, but that's okay. You are his person, and he will eventually forgive you. Best thing you can do is behave normally with him at this point. Just try to resume your routine with the assumption that things will go back to normal.
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Post by Jan and Shah on Oct 12, 2016 0:09:27 GMT -5
I have allowed Shah's flight feathers to grow out and he now flies into other rooms and hides from me which I find quite annoying. So am thinking of clipping them again but will give it a bit more time. Yoshi will get over it - you just have to do a lot of grovelling  |
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Post by zim on Oct 12, 2016 8:48:47 GMT -5
He seems to be back to normal today. He stepped right up when I uncovered and opened his cage, gave me a kiss and said "i love you" like he always does. He's chilling on my shoulder now, watching me play Overwatch and preening both himself and me.
Very glad he got over it quickly. I felt so bad while clipping them, and still do. But I know it's for his safety. When he smacked the wall and fell to the floor, he fell at least 6 feet onto a hard floor. He could have easily been hurt, and next time he might not have been so lucky.
When the rest of his feathers come in, I think it's going to be a challenge to clip them. The only reason he let me do it so easily this time is because he was still very shaken up from the fall.
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Guilt
Oct 12, 2016 13:03:23 GMT -5
Post by julianna on Oct 12, 2016 13:03:23 GMT -5
Really happy to hear that all is well. I know how you feel and when I had to do Oscar's trim it took me 3 days to build up my nerve. Sometimes it is easier to clip their wings when they cannot see what is happening. If Yoshi doesn't mind the towel, you may want to cover his eyes while you do the surgery. (smiles)
That is funny Jan that Shah is hiding.... they do like dark places and they love to play peek a boo... lol
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Guilt
Oct 12, 2016 19:21:26 GMT -5
Post by aaron on Oct 12, 2016 19:21:26 GMT -5
Cupcake loves to sneak off when nobody is paying attention and try to get into my shoe rack, or the top shelves of the closet... She doesn't get a lot of opportunities, but when she does, she will often take it. They are sneaky! It's part of having a flighted bird to try to train yourself to never totally stop paying attention to where they are... but it's extremely hard to pull off 100% of the time. Glad to hear Yoshi has returned to normal! That didn't take long. |
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Guilt
Oct 12, 2016 20:22:50 GMT -5
Post by cnyguy on Oct 12, 2016 20:22:50 GMT -5
Glad that you're back in Yoshi's good graces so soon. Ralph's wings aren't clipped, mainly because his molts drag on for so long, and he sheds some flight feathers every few weeks. It seems pointless to clip them if they're soon to fall out. He seldom flies except when something scares or upsets him, and then, he usually takes a direct route back to the top of his cage. |
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Post by beccilouise on Oct 21, 2016 8:54:42 GMT -5
Glad that Yoshi is getting over it, Zim! If it helps, Maya didn't learn how to fly properly either. I've been teaching her how to land and take off using the backs of two chairs, I get her to jump from one chair back to the other when they're really close together. When she jumps, I click and she gets a treat. Gradually, I increased the distance, cm by cm, so that she had to open her wings a little for balance, then flap, and then fly. She can now take off, navigate corners and land. We're still working on flying between two perches of different heights, but she's getting there. Young birds who had their flight taken before full fledging will need time to learn their surroundings.
It sounds like Yoshi will be alright with his wings being clipped and don't feel bad about it, you did it for his safety and that's all of our number one priorities! But next year, if Yoshi's flight feathers grow back in, and you fancy giving it another shot, this method really does work! You could also start practising it before Yoshi's flight feathers grow in, keeping the chairs just close enough that Yoshi has to open his wings for balance before landing. This might help him figure out landing before he regains enough flight to be a danger to himself.
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Post by easttex on Oct 21, 2016 13:25:45 GMT -5
Beccilouise, I have to tell you I'm really impressed with all that you do to make Maya happy. She's a lucky bird. |
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Guilt
Oct 21, 2016 14:59:03 GMT -5
zim likes this
Post by aaron on Oct 21, 2016 14:59:03 GMT -5
Beccilouise, I have to tell you I'm really impressed with all that you do to make Maya happy. She's a lucky bird. I will second that  |
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Post by beccilouise on Oct 21, 2016 16:50:17 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. Half the time, I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing, but I love my little chicken, I wouldn't be without her! Her little hoodie arrived today (it's parrot printed!) I've hung it on her play stand to let her acclimatise to it and I'll probably fit her into it next week. Don't worry, Zim, you made the right decision for you and Yoshi at the time. Clipping his feathers isn't permanent, and neither is letting them grow out. You put Yoshi's safety first and there's no way you should feel guilty for that. |
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Guilt
Oct 22, 2016 4:32:26 GMT -5
Post by zim on Oct 22, 2016 4:32:26 GMT -5
That's a great idea, beccilouise! I'd have never thought of doing something like that for practice. I may end up doing something like that next time around. Tho I do like being able to step outside with him on my shoulder and not having to worry about him taking off.
Ugh, so many pros vs cons!
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Post by beccilouise on Oct 23, 2016 6:57:52 GMT -5
I know, it's a really hard decision to make. At the end of the day, it's important to do what feels right for you and your bird. I have to say, Maya is loving learning to fly. She has her moments and she's still yelling all the time she's in the air as if she's terrified of it, but she is loving it. However, it also does make her harder to control and predict. If I need her to be somewhere and she doesn't want to be there, I can't make her be there unless I put her in her cage. She's still learning where she is and isn't allowed to perch. Luckily, a lot of the time if something frightens her, she just flies back to her cage and clambers inside. She knows the way and can fly from the living room all the way back to the pet room. The harness has really helped open up her world and I would thoroughly recommend it if you want to take Yoshi outside. Michael Sazhin's (The Parrot Wizard) training DVD is really good and really helped me get Maya used to it. Just to warn you, he is absolutely 100% against clipping. I don't agree with his black and white approach to the clipping issue, which I think needs serious thought and to be considered on an individual basis, so don't let his views on it influence your choices with Yoshi, who will need you to make an informed decision based on your particular situation. Maya does still chew on the harness if I let her, but she's beginning to leave it alone for longer periods of time. The first of her hoodies has now arrived. I'm acclimatising her to it and she's still a little nervous.
Just be aware that with a strong enough breeze, even a clipped bird can end up high in a tree and not know how to get down. If they end up lost in a tree somewhere with no ability to fly, they remain very vulnerable to airborne predators, particularly Sparrowhawks and goshawks, which are bird-eaters and hunt in woodland.
Like you said, there are lots of pros and cons. Maya is definitely more independent now, but I actually think that's a good thing, because it gives her a little more autonomy over the space in which she lives, and allows her to choose to be with us, rather than express her distaste or displeasure in aggression. However, there is no doubt we have to be more vigilant and more thoughtful about what we leave lying around. We also need to be more careful of doors and windows and more aware of higher areas for perching. Luckily, she still squeals as she flies through the air so we can always tell where she is!
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Guilt
Oct 24, 2016 1:18:06 GMT -5
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Post by biteybird on Oct 24, 2016 1:18:06 GMT -5
Luckily, she still squeals as she flies through the air so we can always tell where she is! Same here. Bonnie emits a loud screech in time with each wing-beat. We often joke about her wings being connected to her vocal cords (I know, I know, parrots don't have any).  |
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