Band

[shortar]

I bought my cockatiel Kiwi (who is no longer with us ) from the same petstore I bought Heffer. Kiwi had a blue metal band around her foot Ive seen birds with it on here as well. Heffer doesn't have one tho what does it mean if they dont have them?

[Luna1285]

People ban birds for a few reasons. The band tells what year the bird is born and if the bird gets lost, they can trace it back to the breeder (or petstore I guess) It can also give information on the birds background (lineage)

Unbanded birds are usually not allowed to show.

I wanted to remove Luna's band, but I figure it is better just to leave it alone.

[shortar]

None of the birds in the store were. DOes that mean that there is something wrong with them or they just cant show or don't want them to show. I just remember that Kiwi would always lift her foot with the band and sing to that foot.I miss her.

[Kalvin]

Not all breeders band their birds, since yours doesn't have one all it means is that the breeder doesn't band their birds.

[Luna1285]

yeah, nothing is wrong with them. They just decided not to band, for whatever reason, I don't know. Perhaps it is better for him not to have a band. He is probably more comfortable without it. The only problem is if he gets lost and someone finds him, they cannot trace him back to anyone. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Oh Mowsie]

Most bands aren't tracking bands. They're just bands so that the breeders themselves can identify them. If you know your band's ID, it could help you ID your bird if its ever lost, but an unscrupulous person who finds a bird could easily have the bird taken to a vet and the band could be removed.. hence no way to "prove" that bird is yours so I don't have alot of faith in bands being used as "ID's". Microchipping is the only way to truly trace a bird.

Only one of my birds has a band, and I fear that it could chaffe her leg though its loose and I have moved it up on her leg several times to examine the skin beneath for signs of irritation. There is none present so it doesn't seem to bother her. Sometimes I fear that she'll get it caught in something. Once, she got it caught in the bottom grate of the cage when her foot fell through. She was squealing and yanking on her leg. Fortunately, I was home and able to bend the bars enough to get the leg out quickly enough so she didn't damage her muscles or soft tissue. As a result, I don't use the bottom grates in my cage and I change the paper every day so she isn't exposed to her feces. Alot of people feel that you SHOULD use your grate to prevent exposure to feces, but since birds can poop on perches and whatnot as well, there's no 100% guarantee that your bird won't come across his own fecal matter at some point during the day. Regular cleaning is the only way to ensure your birds health in that arena.

Since its a "closed band", its not one I can remove myself without taking her to the vet. I had a dream once that I went in to have it removed, and they accidentally cut her leg off in the process. It was a horrible nightmare and in the dream.. I could actually hear her screaming. I woke up suddenly with the sickest feeling in my stomach. LOL I've been loathe to have it done because of that dream. Sounds dumb.. but the dream really spooked me. They've got such thin little legs. One wrong snip on a wriggly bird.. and oops? Y'know?

"Open" bands can cause more of a threat to birds as they're more prone to getting caught on toys since the ends of the band are not completely together. They can also pinch skin and cause injuries. Those types of bands are cheaper and are often made of metal. If Patchie's band was one of those.. I would have it removed in a heartbeat.

[Luna1285]

Man, that would be crazy if they cut off the leg!!! agh! Bad dream!

[kermit8730]

Just to clarify the point, unbanded birds can be shown, they just don't earn any points, regardless of where they place on the show bench.





Mike

[McDenny]

Celeste what happened to your Kiwi?