How To Safely Restrain A Bird

While not the most pleasant topic, all caretakers may face situations where they need to restrain their beloved pets, such as helping a bird with a broken wing. While you normally shouldn't grab or hold your avian companion if they don't like it or don't want you to, there may be times where you don't have a choice, like if they are sick or hurt and you need to get them to a vet. If you ever find yourself in such a scenario, there are ways to go about it safely and prevent your bird from experiencing unnecessary stress.

To restrain a bird, the Avian Welfare Coalition (pdf) recommends employing the towel method. Reach into the cage quickly and wrap the towel around their body. For smaller breeds, use a wash cloth in addition to your thumb and pointer finger to gently hold their ears and cheeks. For large birds, such as a macaw, utilize the same fast-acting towel technique, but place your pointer finger and thumb under their jawbone. Restrain your bird's wings using the other hand, as they could get injured if they try to fly away while restrained.

A little preparation can go a long way when it comes to restraining your bird and can make the process easier for both you and them. "[One of] the biggest ways to ruin your relationship with your animal is to have to engage in forceful restraint often," bird behavior expert Hillary Hankey explained on Instagram. "In some cases, it's unavoidable, like emergency medical care, but other cases, we can absolutely train our birds to participate in their own husbandry and veterinary care."

To increase you bird's comfort level, invest the time to acclimate them to towels or wash cloths from the start of your relationship so they aren't taken by surprise in an emergency situation. Hopefully, this will prevent them from becoming as agitated when the need to restrain them arises. Try giving your bird a towel or wash cloth and letting them explore it on their own. You can also play games with them, such as tug of war. Restraining your bird can be a scary event for them, especially if not done properly, so getting them used to this part of the process and ensuring they see the towel or wash cloth as a good presence can make for a much less stressful experience, keeping you and your bird happy.

If you follow the necessary steps to restrain a bird safely, everything should go smoothly. However, there is one thing you should never do in this situation: squeeze your bird. You might think that a tight grip will make them less likely to resist; however, birds are delicate, and you could easily injure them.

When restraining a bird, don't hold onto or put pressure on their chest, as this could inhibit their ability to breathe, according to Peter S. Sakas DVM, MS (pdf). If you notice your bird struggling to inhale or exhibiting signs of stress while being restrained, it may be best to let them go and try again later. Additionally, always make sure you don't leave any windows or other potential escape routes open when initiating this process.