The DANGERS of Bird Leg Rings and Bands! | BirdNerdSophie

[@taistudobom]

It's important to note it doesn't work like that worldwide. In Brazil, if your bird doesn't get a closed leg band at birth, it's considered an illegal animal and there's no way to prove it was not acquired from animal trafficking. You can legally lose your bird and be fined for keeping it. If you absolutely must remove the leg band because it's hurting your parrot, you'll have to carry at all times a document signed by the vetenerian explaining the situation and why this bird does not have a leg band anymore. Yes, it is exhausting haha That applies not only for native birds such as your lovely conure (they're called tiriba here, just a random fact), but all species save budgies and cockatiels, who are considered domestic pets and can be kept without restrictions much like dogs :)

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Oh absolutely - I can't speak for every country but there are varying legislations about keeping parrots (if you are allowed to at all!), especially across Central and South America where there are so many native wild birds that are trafficked to the pet trade! Thank you for sharing that fact, its a cute name for them! :)

[@tessa7413]

I’ve always been a bit worried about those wrist bands! Anesthesia is scary. I’m so glad Olive came through it all ok!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Me too but we didn't expect anything like this to happen! And thank you :)

[@monicabarela7527]

Great video! Yesterday I had my own leg ring scare. My cockatiel was flying around the room and landed on the top of her cage as usual, then she just started screaming. I was less than 3 ft away from her so I went over and I couldn't figure out what was wrong, her leg had not gone through the bars but her leg ring got hooked on a hinge, and I still don't understand how it got hooked. She was screaming and flapping her wings but I couldn't get it off so I got my sister. I had to hold my bird's head and wings while my sister slipped her leg ring off the hinge. It was so scary, I have since wrapped every hinge with vet wrap to hopefully prevent that from happening again. I'm considering getting it removed, thank's so much for another informative video!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Wow that sounds like a very stressful experience indeed! Accidents happen but these leg rings make things even more scary! If you can get it cut off safely then I’d go for it!

[@anitacoogan4822]

thanks for sharing that story as shows can happen even with an attentive bird owner

[@AMPStorm]

What a stressful incident.

[@ElleAndTheBirds]

I’m getting Nemo’s band removed very soon! Luckily he’s the only one of my birds that has one.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Awesome! Do you know if it’s a plastic/think metal one or if he will have to have anaesthetic like Olive to have it cut off? I hope bands get phased out over time!

[@ElleAndTheBirds]

@@BirdNerdSophie his was metal, he just got it removed and didn’t need any anesthetic

[@claremcinroy6776]

Hi ya. I never leave comments, but everytime I'm looking for tips I keep coming across your video's everytime. I have now subscribed. You both are brilliant. I was checking if my conure needs a foot band. I'm now so relieved to know that it's not necessary. Glad your little baby was okay 😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching and subscribing/ I’m glad you find our content useful 😊💙

[@teledoink]

I don’t think these things are as coincidental as I used to believe. Now I see that my iPhone literally listens and then google recommends products in ads that I just talked about. Now I’ve come to realize that the KZbin algorithm also works the same way by recommending videos on topics that I was just typing about in a text I literally just typed to my husband that our birds leg band is causing him irritation and probably needs to be removed. And voila! The first thing to pop up on my recommended videos is Sophie’s video from 8 months ago about that same subject! But yes, I agree that Sophie is often the one who has these very specific things she talks about

[@BirdNerdSophie]

@@teledoink I also find it very bizarre how our phones listen - I have tested it before by saying a random topic over and over again that I don't normally talk about for, and all of a sudden I'm getting ads for it!

[@teledoink]

@@BirdNerdSophie Yes it’s very creepy! Now that being said, I appreciate that you’re covering these topics that I’m talking about

[@TheParrotTeacher]

Really glad we got it sorted out. They are so annoying!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

A very stressful experience!

[@michellepinet686]

Great video, it's important to share and have these discusions. Often people aren't thinking things can be done another way or there's no need.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching 💙😊

[@lindabell9235]

Thanks for your comments and advice. Leg rings are a concern for me too. I have a 21 year old green cheeked conure who never had a ring when I purchased him from a pet shop here in Glasgow. I have recently bought 2 baby budgies who are both ringed. I'm worried that in future they may irritate their little legs or get caught up in something. Hopefully not especially when it costs so much for removal.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Many leg bands will be fine and won’t cause an issue but it’s good to be aware of the risks and know what to do if something goes wrong!

[@lindabell9235]

That's why I appreciate your video. You have assured me of the necessary steps to take should the unforeseen happen. Thank you Sophie 😊

[@AnkiChurch]

I am so grateful I found your KZbin as I have an African Grey with the leg band above his hock. He came to me this way in October 2023. He is now settled in and I have booked an appointment with our local exotic Vet. to have a look at his leg band. At the moment it is not causing him any discomfort and he is not favouring any leg, no swelling or redness. I can easily swivel the band at the moment. Although as he grows it will probably get tighter and more difficult to remove. He is 8 months old now and I hope he can cope with sedation. Whilst he is under sedation, can you recommend any other tests ? Like common avian diseases, DNA sexing or other? I would like the sedation to be his last so any procedure that can be done at this time to be valuable and useful. I really appreciate you and your husband making these KZbin’s. Thanks to the both of you🥰

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for your kind words 🥰 You will likely need to have him microchipped as African greys either need a ring or a microchip due to CITES! Whilst he is under, he could have a complete blood count, DNA testing, and tests for PBFD, bornavirus, psittacosis and any others the vet recommends!

[@anitacoogan4822]

THANK you for info. I also think is unethical for thousands of bird group/clubs/schools catching wild small birds in large trap nets ( at times hanging upside down for extended periods tangled) often no true purpose or experiment other then the thrill of touching ( stressing the birds). A friend & I rescue songbirds . A recent youtube video shows us in Newark NJ, the video is named ( Volunteers give migrating birds injured in N.J’s biggest city a second chance ) The Raptor Trust made an older video when we first started named ( Window Strikes in the Business District ) of us picking up injured Warblers . When we rescue we place the bird quickly within seconds into a breathable paperbag to reduce stress, often do not ID as more important to not touch these wild birds as that is stressful to the wild birds that are hurt and exhausted from injuries.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I agree, that sort of practice is totally unnecessary! 😢

[@fountainpeninsanity3344]

I wanted to have my bird’s leg band taken off, but our avian vet said she couldn’t do it. It wasn’t an emergency so I decided to live with it, but I should find out if the leg band could be taken off if necessary. Maybe I need to find a different avian vet.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It’s worth looking around to see if another vet can do it! Give me a shout if you need any help finding one!

[@SirGeren]

We had that same issue when we first got our rescue Bean. We noticed it straight away and because she is so easy to handle got it back down with next to no effort even though it's quite tight. We asked our vet if they could remove it but because it's hard metal they said it was more dangerous to the bird to remove it than to just keep an eye on it. No problems since that day but we always keep an eye out and check / look at it every time she's out and about hanging out with us. With our rescue we are also not allowed to do anything that involves Anaesthesia or non-emergency procedures without checking with the rescue first.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Glad to hear that there have been no more problems with it 😊

[@rhondavroman5191]

I have two green cheek conures Rudy and Kirby. They came with leg bands that had a bit of an opening on them. They were aluminum. I ordered the special scissor needed to cut bands and we cut them off ourselves. They came off super easy. I also have an umbrella cockatoo that didn't come with a band thank God. I got him from a breeder that doesn't put bands on his birds. I really don't like those bands at all !!! Ugh.. I could tell it was really bothering my sweet baby birds leg. We are band free 😊

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I get why they’re out on but they are such a risk! I am hoping over time we can get the bands on the rest of the flock cut off!

[@littlechickenman]

I once had a scare with one of my chickens and a leg ring. She had on a plastic leg ring on from when we needed to tell her and her brothers and sisters apart when they were young. One day I went out and found her hanging upside down from her ankle from a short fence in our chicken run. She had jumped over the fence and caught her leg ring on it. I managed to get it off and miraculously she was unharmed. Needless to say, none of my chickens have leg rings now!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Very scary, glad she was okay!

[@conniecruz880]

Thank you. I plan on having mine birds taken of my next check. Thank you.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thanks for watching 😊

[@jasminahaverinen5759]

Oh noooo. This timing, I have a fairly new parrot and he is the first parrot I have that has a ring! It is one of those "permanent" rings and tbh I have been thinking about it. I'm not sure it that is safe as I saw him chewing on it few times. I have to keep an eye on it, I feel like I should get it removed or something it just feels off, I can't explain it maybe because none of the previous ones had rings?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It could be irritating him if he’s chewing it! Definitely keep an eye on things but if you have the opportunity to get it cut off, I’d do it!

[@MCrvngraddip2013]

My canary and cockatiel has one. The canarys is plastic so could easily be removed. My cockatiel has the metal ones. 🙈I check them every day as I'm paranoid. Glad Olive is well ❤️ X

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Haha it’s good to keep an eye on them 💙😊

[@Budgie-Boo]

Thanks for the video, my budgie Boo has a leg ring and I made an enquiry at the vet to have it removed because I was worried something may happen to him. The vets told me they may have to keep him in depending on the type of ring used and even use a Dremel to remove it if necessary. I decided not to have it removed as the risks associated with having it removed were too high. I check his ring regularly he’s two years old it’s not tight or too lose. ❤️❤️

[@BirdNerdSophie]

You’re welcome! It’s good to know all of the risks so we can be extra careful 😊

[@Stringbean421]

The same reason I never ever put flea collars on my pet cats. Cats have been known to get their flea collars caught when exploring outside with the dire possibility of strangulation.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Oh absolutely! Only quick release collars should be used!

[@rozan9]

Yes , it is very risky, that happened with my sun conure bird the breeder put small ring in her leg and then she got bad swelling then vet did g great job to removed it .. all be careful.

[@pamelamenard4179]

I just lost my female Gouldian Finch because her leg ring went up above her leg bend, the joint and leg swelled and was cutting off her circulation and her bone was fractured. I took her to the emergency vet and they put her under but could not get it off without cutting her leg off 😢 this is a tragic problem. I now have a very lonely male at home.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m so sorry to hear about your loss 💙

[@teledoink]

My bird is chewing on his leg feathers and he keeps trying to chew on the leg band. He’s so tiny (parrotlet,) I’m worried about taking him to the avian vet and trying to have it removed, but it seems to be giving him a lot of issues. Thanks for making this video and I feel a lot better after watching the entire thing as my birds leg ring is very thin metal. I assume it’s nickel or some other soft and thin metal. So it should be relatively easy for the vet to cut off.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

They! If it’s causing him that much irritation then it’s probably worth taking him in to get it removed! Some leg bands can be cut off without going under anaesthetic!

[@Loveofpets]

The wrong size band definitely makes a difference. I had a linnie that needed his band removed by the vet as his leg swelled up and they had to use sedation. The ring was too small. Great topic!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It just seems like another unnecessary risk for birds who always find danger 😅 thanks for watching!

[@Specogecko]

Only good thing about bird bands, is if you ever loose your bird, many people don’t expect birds to be microchipped but when they have a band assume it’s like a collars of sorts and make more of an effort finding an owner. Many people who don’t have pets don’t even know about microchips.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It’s true, but the marking can wear off from the bands too so it won’t necessarily have any identifiable info on there!

[@Specogecko]

@@BirdNerdSophie I think it’s worth it if you have flighted bird who isn’t free flight trained

[@JJ-rf7dg]

does the leg band require change as they age?

[@BirdNerdSophie]

No they don’t! 😊

[@JJ-rf7dg]

@@BirdNerdSophie TY

[@onegirlandheranimals]

So I was wondering about bird leg ring harnesses? My cockatiels is a rescue but he is terrified of them we have done all things videos have said and we can’t get a harness on! He loves us and can free fly but it is always better for him to be attached somehow… would these be okay if we removed them after? ❤

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hey! I don’t recommend leg leashes/harnesses for parrots - their legs aren’t strong enough for them, so if your bird spooks whilst on one, it could result in a serious injury! Either keep up with the harness training or go for a travel carrier 😊

[@onegirlandheranimals]

@BirdNerdSophie see I can’t get it to work harness wise and I want my birds to be able to fly and enjoy the air but thanks for the help

[@Ash43509]

Awesome video! I took mine to a local bird store and had them remove the leg bands off of mine. They acted as if they were uncomfortable for them and we're always chewing on them so I wanted them off.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

That’s great that the bird store could cut them off! It really depends on the material used as some are such strong metal!

[@Ash43509]

@@BirdNerdSophie Me too. They both had aluminum bands, and I was told they both behaved pretty well for them. I usually take them there to get their nails trimmed once a month too. They have a background with birds and all of their birds in the store are rescues that they use to spread awareness. Usually people come to look at their parrots and buy supplies for their birds. I like them because they are the only store around that has natural wood perches and natural toys, and they are very trustworthy people who do great things for parrots!

[@JohannaV-h1u]

Bird aint walking right or normal at all keeps falling and I already removed the damn ring out of his leg ... wondering if ge is going to get better

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Might be worth a vet check up to see what’s going on!

[@barbaraanderson2449]

Thank goodness baby Olive was ok. Must have been so scary for you both. x

[@BirdNerdSophie]

It was but she’s very happy now 😊

[@angsfeatheredfriends]

1 cockatiel and 2 budgies have rings, they haven't had any issues in the years I've had them so far. Never knew these things could cause issues. To bad there isn't really any better way to keep your bird identified if it ever flew away.

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Birds can have microchips! Not sure for budgie size but certainly cockatiels can!

[@birdiiii]

Please help me! I don’t know how to get my cockatiel out of her cage! She is very nervous 😩

[@BirdNerdSophie]

This video will help! kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3fPZYyMo7FgbdU

[@birdiiii]

@@BirdNerdSophie I have had her since September and she loves scritches and kisses but she REFUSES to perch up, I have watched that video already and I would classify her as tame! She was 4 when we got her and she was a rescue through a bird shop so I don’t know her past. I really need some tips! Love your channel!

[@Clover_knows_pets]

Interesting topic!

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Thank you :)

[@dreamercraftcorner]

i had personal experience with this. got a bird at 13. spent months taming and training etc. long story short bird died i wont buy a bird with a band

[@BirdNerdSophie]

I’m so sorry to hear that 💙

[@harika.n]

But the bird I am gonna get has one of those rings in the thumbnail

[@BirdNerdSophie]

You’ll need to decide if you’d like to get it removed or not!

[@the_creatr2469]

Oh I wanted one so I can tell the difference between my birds..

[@BirdNerdSophie]

They do come with risks but as you get to know your birds, you’ll be able to tell them apart 😊

[@the_creatr2469]

@@BirdNerdSophie yeah I have a female and a male but I don’t know which one is mean and which one likes me

[@elenaandthebirds1545]

Heeeellllloooooo

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Hello!

[@jasminahaverinen5759]

Nice, the timing of this video made me paranoid 😅😅 just commemted, looked at my parrot AND HE IS CHEWING AND PLAYING WITH THE RING. Nice!!! 😨🦜

[@BirdNerdSophie]

Might be worth exploring getting it removed!