It is a good idea to “towel train” your bird in advance, so he will be easier to deal with when you need to restrain him. Use the same towel every time, and give your bird treats on the towel. Allow him to walk underneath the towel on his own until he gets used to the towel. Do not constrict a bird’s chest when restraining him with a towel. Birds need to be able to completely expand their chest in order to breathe properly.
”Flight” means a bird can lift herself from the ground or another surface, and can move herself through the air of her own volition. ”Gliding” means a bird can control her wings well enough to drift safely to the floor when released; however, she will not be able to lift herself off the ground or maintain flight once she is in the air.
Select the flight feather you wish to trim, and clip it carefully on the quill, below the barbules (the wide, soft part of the feather). Cut the quill just below the barbules — if you clip too close to the bird, you may hurt him. Never cut the shaft if it is dark in color — this is the blood supply that indicates it is a growing feather (or blood feather. ) Clip only a few feathers at first, and don’t clip more than you absolutely have to. Birds are very proud about their feathers, and over-clipping your bird may upset him.
Clip the group of feathers you intend to trim all at once, about halfway up the wide part of the feather – as if you were giving the bird a hair cut. Trim the feathers at an angle, to match the length of the covert feathers (the shorter, softer feathers on top. )
In a cockatiel, blood feathers have a dark purple/blue quill (the tube-shaped portion of the feather). A cockatiel’s mature feathers have a pale, opaque, slender quill that does not contain blood. Blood feathers are often sore and tender to the touch, and handling them at all will hurt your bird. Clipping a blood feather can cause serious (potentially fatal) bleeding that may require a veterinarian’s attention.
You can also use a coagulant like Kwik Stop, available online or at your local pet store. Kwik Stop may sting your bird a little, but it is said to be very effective. It contains a topical anesthetic to treat the pain. When a blood clot forms, be very careful not to disturb it, or the feather will start bleeding again. Return your bird to his cage and watch him closely for at least an hour. If he seems weak or listless, or if the bleeding starts up again, see a vet right away. Even if you successfully stop the bleeding, you may want to take your bird to an avian vet to have the damaged feather completely removed.
