# Wing Clipping for behavior modification



## steph84106 (Feb 6, 2013)

Hi everyone...

So on Saturday, my Chloe had her first vet visit and after thinking long and hard AND finally finding a vet I trust, I decided to clip her wings 

I FEEL HORRIBLE! I immediately saw a difference in her attitude in that she became much more docile, which technically was the point... but I can't help but feel like her little eyes are pouting at me asking me "why? why? What'd I do mom?"  

The fact is, Chloe had had a sudden change in behavior, becoming _very_ aggressive. She was the sweetest little bird since the day I got her and from one day to the next, she was literally flying at people's faces ready to bite, in full on attack mode! She even bit me on my nose and drew blood twice... which, after the fact, kinda makes me giggle considering she is normally so cuddly lol.:blush:

I was concerned about the possibility that she could be sick and in pain and that's what was making her act out. I also considered that she may be hormonal. So, I took all the steps I could to prevent her from being upset and cranky... long night hours, no ideal nesting situations or spaces, patience, tenderness, tenderness, tenderness, ahhhh! My poor baby...

The pros to this wing clipping - she is back to her gentle and loving self with very little aggression or threatening behavior. She seems to feel safe with me again ...

The cons - Does she feel safe with me again because I made her feel _unsafe_ without her ability to _really_ fly? Chloe is a bird and I feel like I stole that from her. Does she feel crippled now? Does she feel less than her neighbor cockatiel Daisy (who she was also attacking by the way)?

Surprisingly, she can still fly REALLY well... she flies just below about 2 ft. from the ceiling. 

I have been babying her since Saturday hoping she wont be mad anymore. I think she's coming around. 








Pic From '2013' _not_ '2012'


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## KriStellar26 (Nov 27, 2012)

I honestly know nothing about this. My birds have always been clipped, and I think it has helped with their bond to me. IMO. But I just wanted to say she is SO pretty!!  She is cinnamon, right? My favorite tiel coloring!!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I don't think you made her feel unsafe...you actually made yourself and your other bird Daisy safer by clipping her wings. I had to do this with my hormonal teenage male birds when they got nasty with everyone else. If they couldn't play nice, they got clipped so that the other birds could get away from them. They're fine now, so think of it as a learning process. When she calms down, she can have her wings back. The point of clipping is for taming purposes, to make her rely on you. Don't feel guilty for doing something that needed to be done.


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## steph84106 (Feb 6, 2013)

Stellar, thanks! And from what I understand, she's a wf (boy or girl, I've continued calling her _she_!) 

Roxy, thanks for that! I know I did it for the right reasons, I just can't help but feel bad about it. She's always been a super strong flyer and now that she got her wings clipped, she's having a hard time adjusting to that. Whenever my other baby Daisy would fly, Chloe would be right behind her, and the other way around too. Now when Daisy takes off, Chloe tries to follow and winds up having an accident.  I can see the panic on her face as though she's wondering 'what happened to my wings??'

I can't wait for them to grow back. On the up side, she is much less aggressive. She's still not a big fan of Daisy, but at least Daisy can escape her now. 

Thanks guys.


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## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

I cut Baby and Rajah's wings to begin taming them and they're both doing awesome. I wouldn't feel bad because the wings grow back. It's just temporary. Once your tiel learns to be completely just like you want, they'll be that way when their wings grow back, too. =] Then you'll both be happy.


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