Grooming
An experienced Avian Veterinary Nurse offers basic grooming procedures on site. This includes nail clipping, bathing and showering. Evidence of a health check performed by an avian veterinarian in the previous twelve months is required before we can offer this service.
A parrot is a prey animal and has therefore developed a flight instinct. This means that they fly away from things that they fear. When this option is taken from them completely through severe clips (uni-lateral, clipping of the secondary flight feathers, etc.) there is a significant chance of a process called 'flooding' occurring. In these cases, the flight instinct often morphs into a type of fear driven aggression (biting) rarely observed in the wild.
Bird Boarding advocates light bi-lateral wing clipping in some cases in line with the code of practice (by an experienced avian veterinarian for a safety reasons and not for training).
“Cage birds should have the ability for free flight and nothing should prevent or hinder this ability. Cage birds should not be wing clipped except for the health of the individual bird and on the advice of a veterinarian experienced in working with birds.”
The aim is to have the bird flying approximately half as high and half as fast to avoid injury around the house. Grooming performed by inexperienced handlers (anyone outside of the avian veterinary profession) carries with it a range of potential risks, including:
Injury or death by asphyxiation due to improper restraint techniques
Fracture of the legs and wings, which will likely result in euthanasia
Severing of Quick (nail) or ‘blood feather' (wing) and subsequent bleeding
Ongoing behaviour issues – including feather destructive behaviour – related to trauma and discomfort
Improper wing clips are associated with many behaviour and medical issues. A severe wing clip can cause crash landing injuries to the vent/tail, keel bone, beak and legs. Rough and inappropriately short wing clips commonly cause feather picking and skin irritation.
Wing clips via your vet should allow your bird to fly. We feel that this is the most appropriate technique. During nail clipping, our staff will discuss appropriate perching options to allow your parrot to naturally manage nail growth.
If you have any questions about parrot grooming, please ask one of the friendly Bird Boarding staff and they will be more than happy to discuss the issues with you.