Biting After Grooming?

[birdluv07]

Hello,

I just had my senegal's wings, nails, and beak trimmed. It's a female, and she just turned two. Before she was groomed (which she is about every two months at least, depending on how much flight she is getting, since it's dangerous for her to fly around my apartment) she was perfectly fine and acting normal...but yesterday after my husband brought her and I returned from work, I picked her up and she began squawking, those short, sharp, ear-piercing squawks that I normally associate with her feeling some kind of pain. I immediately became alarmed and attempted to see if there was one particular area that I could (gently) touch that would elicit the same response, but she seemed to be doing it fairly randomly, and then started becoming very aggressive toward me, trying to bite etc. She has always been very sweet with me. After a couple of minutes I put her in the cage and covered it, not knowing what else to do and figuring maybe she felt a bit traumatized and needed some alone time. This morning, however, I heard her make the sound again.

I don't know what the issue could be. I'm so worried they hurt her at the groomer's, since the behavior started directly after. However, I'm also wondering if she might possibly be feeling hormonal. The third option is that she wasn't clipped short enough last time (she was done at the vet's rather than the groomer's, and he did it much differently...she was able to fly quite a bit more than usual, much sooner than she would normally be able to do after a clip) and so perhaps she is very angry now that the ability has been taken away. Which is why I'm always so careful to try to stay on top of how *much* she can fly, never having wanted her to feel deprived.

She just had a checkup in March and was described as being a very healthy bird. Any ideas?? I feel so awful!

[cml]

Clipping often result in aggression issues down the road, as a parrots natural instinct is to fly away from trouble - when you take that opportunity away, they have to find other solutions, such as biting.

Before she was groomed (which she is about every two months at least, depending on how much flight she is getting, since it's dangerous for her to fly around my apartment)

Would you care to tell me why its dangerous? I have 2 flying parrots in my appartment, there are no problems with that. I believe that argument to be a complete myth, if anything its more dangerous for a bird when clipped. If a flighted bird gets in trouble, at least they can attempt to fly away. A clipped bird cant, and isnt really made for walking.

he third option is that she wasn't clipped short enough last time (she was done at the vet's rather than the groomer's, and he did it much differently...she was able to fly quite a bit more than usual, much sooner than she would normally be able to do after a clip) and so perhaps she is very angry now that the ability has been taken away. Which is why I'm always so careful to try to stay on top of how *much* she can fly, never having wanted her to feel deprived.

Of course she will feel deprived of her flying ability, they are born with it.

My advice to you, dont clip your parrot, and I am sure you will see an improvement =). Sorry for sounding harsh, its just that the problems you described sounds so connected to clipping! I really do hope that everything works out, and I do believe letting your parrots retain their flight will help a long way!

[marie83]

Yes they may have accidently hurt her, restained her too tightly or incorrectly etc.
Why is it not safe for her to fly round your apartment? a bird that wants to get to something it shouldn't generally will sooner or later, clipped or not, so its really your job as a parrot owner to make the parrots environment safe as possible. All my birds have been fully flighted (over 23 birds)and I've never had one injury from flying.
As you've said there is no particular area that seems to be causing a reaction I would just carry on as normal and ignore her behaviour. Try to avoid touching her for a few days incase she is a bit bruised, If she gets worse take her to the vet for a check up.

[birdluv07]

*Sigh.* I knew everyone was going to jump down my throat for clipping my bird. My apartment is small. I have limited space. I have shelves, items on the walls, and on the occasions she has flown she has come dangerously close to hurting herself by flying straight into the walls and bloodying her nares.

I have bird-proofed my apartment as much as is possible. I don't let anything toxic near her. I've thrown away all my nonstick pans. I have bird nutrition books. I love my birds. They have always been safe. And I choose to keep her that way by keeping her clipped, just enough that she can glide but not really fly. And until yesterday she has always been fine with that. She has never bitten me from a need to "get away." This seems abnormal to me because this change is very sudden, very abrupt, as in I left my house in the morning with my bird one way, and the next time I saw her she was a different bird.

I've been watching her and she's a little fluffy and her stool seems a bit loose so I just made a vet appointment. If I can't come here for help without going on the defense maybe I shouldn't.

[cml]

As Ive said, I didnt want to sound harsh, sorry for that. You sound like you really care about your birds, which is great, and you came online to search for more info which is awesome!

f I can't come here for help without going on the defense maybe I shouldn't.

You dont need to go on the defense, clipping is your own choice, but I personally believe that its connected with these new issues.

Dont leave just because someone is of another opinion than yours, but stay and lets us know why you do as you do. We learn from each other, thats what the forum is here for =)!

PS. Our other appartment was small as well, it worked fine with a flying bird ^^. How big is your flat? Our last appartment was roughly 450 square feet, or 42m2. DS

EDIT:
With the sudden change, it might be as you said, that they have restrained your bird incorrectly and because of that she is in a little pain now. I would keep close watch, give her space and see what happens during the course of a couple of days. Please keep us updated =)!

[marie83]

I didn't jump on you, merely questioned your motives. I questioned your motives because I want to learn as much as I possibly can but also maybe offer suggestions you haven't considered yet in order to help.

If you want people to pat you on the back and say there there, your 100% right in your decision and your bird will be ok in another 2 and a half hours because you've totally done the right thing then it isn't going to happen. Everyone does things differently and because of that some things work and some things don't. You've been offered helpful advice, its up to you take that into account or not and which bits you will consider trying.

Anyhow my birds have been kept in some pretty tight spaces, shelves aren't an issue but anything which can fall may be, simplest solution is to put them in another room or in a cupboard. Nobody is saying you don't love your bird, you wouldn't be posting if you didn't care.

Best of luck at the vets and keep us updated.

[liz]

She is p.st!!!! If someone tied your legs together you would be to. It is just about the same thing except tying your legs did not hurt or run the risk of permanent injury.

Rambo is 21. I have had him many years. He cannot fly and is jelouse of Myrtle. Since this is his third home I don't know what happened to his flight feathers. It could have been a bad clipping. I figure he has a good 50 years left and will always be a pedestrian.

Both Myrtle and Rambo are loose. I took the cage door off to keep them from swinging on it. They have never been injured. Myrtle was hanging upside down off the curtain valance and fell on her back on a hassack. She got back up but blaimed the dog on the hassack for making her fall. She gave him a real talking to.

[pennyandrocky]

wow liz,i wish i could visit your house it sounds like alot of fun.i just pictured myrtle falling and blaming the dog