wow, you know a lot about birds! I have a question that you might be able to answer: I have a cockatiel (Bamboo) who is very sweet and friendly, but she's never been to the vet before and she goes in a week or so. I'm familiar with the towel method that the vets use to clip wings/nails, but she absolutely refuses to be wrapped in a towel- it turns into a screaming, flapping, and biting fit. she loves towels otherwise and likes to chew on them, but how do I get her used to being wrapped in one?
onexwolf
It’s great that she’s already used to being around towels! That will make your training process smoother.
You can start by laying the towel over her very briefly and rewarding her with her favorite treat. Continue this for longer periods of time as she gets more comfortable with the towel being over her. Always reward for good behavior, even if it’s a minor success!
As she gets more comfortable, put the towel over her with your hands holding the appropriate parts of her in the ‘breeder’s grip’ (as I’ve seen it called sometimes), but don’t pick her up. Repeat for extended periods of time, and reward.
Eventually work her comfortably with the towel to the point you can pick her up in the towel. Some birds may never learn to completely cope with it (my tiels still have a very hard time), but you can at least familiarize them with the method so that they don’t frantically flail and injure themselves doing so. Also, if you have a friend who’s willing to help, the extra hands are always super helpful!
Have fun at the vet! If you have health specific questions to ask, make sure you ask your vet about them.
