Wei Wei, a 12-week-old Green Cheeked Conure suffered a ‘severe wing trim’ after she was brought into The Unusual Pet Vets in Brisbane, Queensland.
The bird was given a prosthetic pair of wings after her feathers had been cut too short.
Wei Wei tried to fly but fell into the ground. Dr. Catherine Apuli, 31, gave the bird a prosthetic pair of wings which was made out of feathers that were donated to the clinic. After the procedure, Wei Wei started flying very well once again.
Catherine, a veterinarian, said: “The bird had a severe wing trim, which means that the flight feathers were cut too short and too many feathers were cut.
“As a result of the wing clip, the bird was sustaining heavy falls to the group, which has the potential to injure the bird – in Wei Wei’s case, she was falling heavily and the owner noticed she was painful on her feet.”
Dr. Apuli continued: “Primary flight feathers – the big feathers at the ends of the wings – which have been traumatized may result in pain, bleeding, unwanted aggressive behaviors and self-induced feather plucking.
“The imping procedure was performed to prevent further physical injury and to regain flight for optimal mental and physical health. The feathers were donated to the clinic; each feather was then cleaned, sterilized and dried prior to preparation. The base of the feather was cut to allow the entry of a wooden toothpick where it is secured in place with glue.”
Dr. Apuli then added: “The bird was then placed under a light anaesthetic to ensure that Wei Wei did not move whilst the feathers were placed correctly and the glue dried for this painless procedure to be performed.
“Wei Wei was then placed in our heated hospital room for a couple of hours before encouraged to fly. She flew very well after a few attempts and appeared quite excited that she could suddenly fly.
“Now that Wei Wei had learnt to fly, she can safely land and maneuver herself through the air. She no longer falls to the ground and so does not hurt herself.”
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