Instructions
Request another individual's help to assist you in restraining your budgie while you trim its wing feathers. The assistant should use one hand to wrap and hold a towel on the underside of the budgie, and simultaneously place the other hand on the back of the bird's head and neck. Position the budgie on its back to prevent it from biting you. Calm the bird by offering it a snack or toy to chew on during the grooming process.
Ask your assistant to slightly move the towel down on one side, such that the budgie's wing emerges. Extend the wing out with the other hand and hold. Examine the underside of the wing feathers for blood feathers. Blood feathers are young feathers that are red at the center of the feather shaft -- as blood is supplied to the quill to aid growth. Do not cut blood feathers, as damaged blood feathers can bleed and potentially threaten the life of your budgie.
Hold a scissor in your hand to trim the first five primary flight feathers. The primary flight feathers extend from the wing tip towards the budgie's body, and are the first group of long feathers on the underside of the bird's wing.
Clip 1/4 inch of the budgie's primary flight feathers. Use the top layer of the budgie's short feathers as a guide while trimming -- cut the primary feathers up to 1 inch below the top layer of short feathers. Position the scissors such that you follow the natural angle of the wings. This will ensure that the trimmed feathers rest comfortably against the budgie's body without causing irritation to the bird's skin.
Repeat the trimming of the primary flight feathers on the budgie's unclipped wing. Ensure that you trim the unclipped wing in the same size and length as the clipped wing. Uneven trimmed lengths of the primary flight feather will hamper the bird's balance, coordination and confidence.
How to Trim a Budgie's Wing Feathers
Budgies (Melopsittacus undulates), also known as budgerigars, are a miniature version of the parrot. Like parrots, budgies are quick learners and can be easily trained. However, before training your budgie, you should clip its feathers. This will prevent it from banging into walls and other areas and getting injured, or from flying out of the window and escaping. Exercise care and caution while trimming your budgie's wing feathers, which should not take more than a few minutes to accomplish.