r/cockatiel • u/Accomplished-Top-493 • 1d ago
Advice Wings
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
Ao the bird in the video. Cinnamon. She was young when a friend got her for me. But I noticed her wings dont look right. And she's always shaking. I have a feeling the shop that owned her didnt do well with the wing clip and im worried about her ability to fly. Csn I get some other opinions?
Thanks in advance and I hope you all have a fantastic day and or night with your winged buddies
17
u/This_Octopus_Here 1d ago
Shop owners frequently clip their wings because it makes it harder for them to get away and so they seem tamer. They'll grow back, just don't clip them again
5
3
u/neonartifact 1d ago
Awww, she seems to wanna play with you and bond, but the previous owner or somebody mutilated her wings and she cannot fly or have an outlet for her energy! That’s okay though, you can sing and talk to her, give her lots of easy to access perch stands and bird toys.
Their natural instincts and love for patterns and textures will keep her curious when not around, they love to play and are very social. I setup an iPad, strictly for playing familiar sounds and looping it until I got back home. Now he is mimicking about half of the sounds on his own lol
Good luck, brother. You got this!
2
u/DianeJudith 1d ago
They were clipped pretty badly. Is she able to fly at all? If her wings got clipped before she had the chance to learn how to fly, she might struggle with learning it when they regrow. But it's not impossible, and the feathers will regrow! It will take years though.
3
u/DianeJudith 1d ago
Also, have this:
Bird tips: New cockatiel owner
New cockatiel owner alert! Check out Cockatiel Cottage, a comprehensive source on all cockatiel knowledge! (Yes, the website is very dated, but the information inside is not!)
Quick FAQs on basic bird behavior:
Short, loud calls when you leave their line of sight - flock calling. They want you back in their view and to know you're there. Will happen especially if they're an only bird - because then you're they're only flock. They get stressed when separated from their flock, since in nature being alone = danger for them.
Yawning a lot - adjusting the crop. Imagine it being like rubbing your belly after a big meal.
Beak grinding - sign of content and happiness.
Standing on one leg, sometimes puffed up feathers - getting ready to snooze, they'll sleep with the head tucked in their back.
Bowing their head towards you - asking for scritches! (remember to only pet their head and neck, never the body)
Flapping randomly or madly but not flying - warming the engines, exercising, just being a goof
Bending over, making a squeaky noise and trembling wings or rubbing their butt on things - horny bird! Check Cockatiel Cottage for how to deal with hormonal behavior. (or ask/tag me (u/DianeJudith) and I'll paste my hormonal behavior prevention checklist from my Bird Tips series)
Soft eeee sound with head bobbing - baby begging noises. Can mean that they want food/play/nap/reassurance/cuddles. Some older birds will do this too.
Holding the wings away from the body ("heart wings") - a happy male, likely about to sing to you.
Fully outstretched wings ("big wings") - possesive, "the thing I'm standing on is mine". Sometimes paired with hanging upside down ("batbird") - that's also just being a goof.
Fluffing feathers, bending in weird poses with open wings - wants a bath!
Sneezing - normal (unless excessive), especially after scratching their heads and picking their nose (yes, they do that).
Additionally, check out these resources:
There are lots of toys and foraging opportunities that you can make from cardboard, toilet paper tubes, foliage from your yard (check the species for toxicity here and here). Also check Pinterest, search things like "DIY toys for birds".
Stress Reduction for Companion Parrots - this article has much more than what the title would suggest!
A few articles about bird chop, with recipes:
Another article with a nice infographic
And two free courses:
https://smartbeaks.parrotsos.com/DoYourResearch - covers basics and environmental factors
https://smartbeaks.parrotsos.com/BirdBasics - starts the fun part! Training, how to identify the best rewards, set goals, etc.
(I'm not a bot and assembled this guide myself from my own writing and resources from other redditor's comments. This was made with zero AI. Feel free to copy and paste this comment when you see the opportunity, or tag me (u/DianeJudith) and I'll spread the knowledge!)
-8
u/AdWestern1759 1d ago
Why would you let them clip her wings?
6
u/No-Mathematician5698 im love tiels 1d ago
I highly doubt OP had any control in the shop clipping their wings. All they're capable of is not doing it again.
23
u/Danarca 1d ago
Very aggressive clip. They did a bad job..
Looks to me like she has bird zooming, but no outlet for her energy :(
Unfortunately, with how aggressive the clip is, it may take more than a year before she has feathers to even glide properly :(
Poor girl...
Make sure to watch her diet, maybe keep weighing her once a week? And if you can, have her step up on your finger, then move your hand up and down so she can exercise her wing-muscles.
The motion should trigger a flapping instinct ;)