Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, first let me say I'm pretty sure he is actually a she. He seems to be trying to mate with anything that stands still long enough and it is pretty much all the time now.

To give a little background - he used to have his wings clipped and the last time I had it done they completely butchered him (cutting all of his feathers even the coverletts!) He was traumatized so we don't get them done anymore. It completely changed his personality. He hates strangers now.He has been able to fly for about three years now.

He has decided he hates a couple of things and if my boyfriend or I pick up these things we get attacked. They are - DVD cases and paper towels. Does anyone know how to get him to stop doing this short of having his wings clipped again? It's getting REALLY bad! By boyfriend keeps threatening to get rid of him and that would kill me not to mention what it would do to Jr. He is very attached to me and spoiled rotten.

Help!!!!!

It sounds like s/he needs another wing clip. A clip will help to curb rotten behaviour so it should be done.

You can take him to another avian or groomer, not the same one. It may be something he'll have to get used to. Make sure you're in their while they're clipping so they don't hold the bird hard or do a lousy job.

Yep, that was my thought too. Now I just have to convince my boyfriend to do it. He thinks it would be mean to clip them after he has been able to fly for so long. Jr. has too much control over being able to go where he wants when he wants. I think it would be meaner to give him away with the attachment we have than it would be to clip his wings.

Thanks for your input.

You can clip, curb the behaviour & try & have him flighted after training & see how things go from there. This is what I do with my tiel. It is extensive training to prevent their rotten behaviour coming back & doesn't always work on some birds.

You b'friend should also know it isn't cruel. It is crueler to never allow them to learn to fly before being clipped. A second nature for parrots is to climb. Some birds tend not to do this if they fly. Climbing is good for them & as natural as flying. If your conure has plenty of natural perches to climb around, he's not even gonna give a second thought to flying. They usually also flap their wings as a form of exercise so he won't get fat. A free flighted bird is possible but should be well trained to come on command. You also have the risk of an escapee. If he escapes while flighted, you won't see him again & it's not likely anyone else will be able to catch him. Last but not least, they can always grow back.