[KimM]

If you are going to clip, I actually just learned from my Avian vet there are two types of wing clipping. One is where you clip the first few feathers of the wing (how many feathers depends on the breed ) so check with your vet on what is safe.

The other type is called a "show clip" . He recommended this for my Scarlet since he has a birth defect with one of his wings and if he does take a tumble, he won't fall like a stone. This cut you leave the first 2 feathers long and clip the 4 feathers "behind" the first two. Again, check with your avian vet on what is the recommended feathers to trim for your species of bird.

I do know that you have to be careful with African Grays since their bodies are so heavy and if too many are cut or cut too short, they can fall pretty hard and hurt themselves.

Also, I have trained Newton to hold his wings out for me so I can clip him myself. We've made it sort of a game so it's fun. Wing clipping and toenail trimming should not be stressful. He HATES being bundled in a towel so I worked with him and we don't have to do this anymore. He's much less stressed now for his grooming.