% of parrots clipped?

[Mr Peepers]

Have you noticed how many parrot alerts that are posted on this forum? I wonder how many of them could have been prevented with a clip. Is having a harness on a guarantee that he will not escape or get injured?

A clipped bird can still fly away, they can't get far fast but they can still fly enough to get them away from you and the safety of your home.

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[Mockinbirdiva]

One of my crimson bellies - "Casey" was given to me in 2009. He was at least 1 1/2 to 2 years old. ( I'd check his leg band but he bites) His owner bought him and kept him for 6 months. She knew I had crimsons and called me one day to see if I'd be interested in buying him. I told her no, I wasn't adding any birds to my flock and quitting breeding. A week later she called again and said she was coming by with him. I had to reaffirm I wasn't buying and she told me she was giving him to me because she knew how I kept my birds. He had always been clipped and couldn't even glide to the floor. Even after his flights grew in he was not motivated to fly but would do his best to figure out how to get where he would want to go by climbing. Here it is almost six years later and Casey can fly well. No doubt he learned by example of the other birds when I let them out for free time. I'm proud of him for learning. I do wish the little stinker had a better disposition as far as biting. Had I of been his original owner from the start he would likely have had a sweeter temperament. This beautiful boy had been in a local pet store when I first saw him. I knew where they bought him from and the breeders as well. He was there for a year, kept in a triple stack cage.. in the bottom section of that stack. No doubt he had plenty of fingers poked at him, kids teasing that weren't attended by parents. I just wouldn't buy him because of how he was kept or personality wise. How could they have not featured such a beautiful and expensive bird? I am glad he landed here…. I guess it was meant to be.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

I know my posts haven't addressed the initial question on percentages. I am glad it is still going and do hope Casey's story is enough inspiration for anyone considering letting their companion's flights grow out.

 

[Jaguar]

See, understanding why people clip to begin with makes it pretty apparent why the majority do it. Just look at any pros/cons list of flight vs clip... Most pet owners are (sadly) less than stellar at caring for their animals, and while there are some good reasons to clip, a lot of the time I think it's used as an "easy way out" of certain responsibilities that come along with having a largely undomesticated wild animal in your home. AA doesn't represent the majority of parrot owners AT ALL - there are far more people who purchase exotic parrots just to be status symbols and perch puffs, and those are the birds that get clipped without consideration for the their physical/mental health, and then dumped in shelters or tossed between owners after they aren't sweet little babies any more. Sadly, that is the real majority of parrot owners. But those people don't care to further their knowledge, so they're not the ones here on AA.

 

[Monica]

Have you noticed how many parrot alerts that are posted on this forum? I wonder how many of them could have been prevented with a clip. Is having a harness on a guarantee that he will not escape or get injured?

I wonder how many of those birds are flighted, and how many of them are clipped. Is it about 50/50? Or is one higher than the other? If so, which one?

 

[QBird]

This would make an interesting poll for numbers

 

[Gypsy]

How many birds escape while harnessed? I rather suspect a lot fewer harnessed birds escape than clipped birds...

That may depend on the type of clip. Some birds get a hack job and sink like a rock.

I wonder how many of those birds are flighted, and how many of them are clipped. Is it about 50/50? Or is one higher than the other? If so, which one?

That would be interesting to know. I clip but sometimes not enough because one proved it could still fly when startled. He went from his play stand to his cage in the dining room. I can see how many people can think well he is clipped and have a false security. My vet taught me you should always check to see if the bird can fly up from the floor. If yes, remove one or two more.

 

[Heather F]

Frankly, I think that completely removing a bird's mobility so it is forced to stay on the stand where you put it so it doesn't make a mess elsewhere goes well beyond "safety measure" as a justification for clipping.

 

[Gypsy]

If you own a dog and a cat and they have freedom of the house, it does.

I have seen many people post pictures of damage to their walls, door frames, wires, remotes and other household items. Just recently I read a post about a bird possibly ingesting an anti-depressant pill. If owners of flighted birds are willing to take chances of that happening, then so be it.

Birds are often compared to toddlers. Toddlers are into everything and are put into play pens to keep them out of trouble. I see no difference.

I offer multiple play stands in different rooms so please do not paint me as a bad person. All that matters is that my bird is happy and healthy which he is. If you are against clipping, that is fine. Please do not criticize those who choose to not agree with you. We all have to live with the consequences of our decisions.

 

[Bird_lover6]

We really have to take into account all factors like safety and the owner's lifestyle when deciding whether our birds will be fully flighted. My birds are flighted, but they have (supervised) out-of-cage time for only about 2 to 4 hours each day on weekdays, and probably 3 to 5 hours each day on the weekends. It's what works for our situation, and allows maximum safety while flighted. I have dogs and teenagers coming in and out of the house, so this works best for us.

 

[jmfleish]

You know, my birds did far mor damage clipped than flighted. When clipped they spent far more time wandering around on the floor to get where the wanted to go and climbing on things like my bookshelves. They have been flighted far longer than they were ever clipped and yet the loss of electrical equipment, books, Tupperware, clothing, mostly occurred when they were young and clipped, not older and flighted. Either they have become less destructive or there's a difference between flighted and not flighted!

As for having other pets in the house, I'd rather have a fully flighted parrot who can get away from a preditor than a clipped parrot who cannot. I lived harmoniously with cats and parrots for many years and never once had a problem. The parrots actually tormented the cats and I was more worried about the cats' safety than the parrots' safety. We now have indoor mini chickens and one of our hens has a huge vendetta against our Galahs to the point that she will chase them down any chance she gets and she means business. I've never been more happy that my birds are fully flighted and can out maneuver her because they need every advantage they can get when it comes down to the Queen Bee Miss Tildie!. Of course the dumb thing is that they could inflict an enormous amount of damage on this tiny chicken if they wanted to but they are completely terrified of her and just stay out of her way and everyone is happy.

Finally, the study done in the UK on lost birds showed that more birds that got out were clipped than fully flighted and this was most likely due to the fact that people who clip their birds have a false sense of security that their birds can't or won't fly away where those of us who have fully flighted birds tend to more careful (although not always as I am a member of the "Outdoor Flight" club) with their birds because they are fully aware of their birds' flight status. Another thing to remember about fully flighted birds versus clipped birds who have gotten outside is that their chances of survival are much better because they are less apt to become dinner to a predictor since their primary form of escape is still in tact. This also means their chance of returning to you is much better.

 

[Saemma]

I personally think that the majority of bird owners DO clip their birds. It always catches me by surprise when I take my birds to the vet and she will tell my birds how lucky they are to have a mom who lets them fly and not be clipped. After My grey returned from being lost for 72 hours a lot of people were pretty mortified when they found out that I still was NOT going to clip her, they thought I was being reckless and irresponsible, again.

 

[Monica]

Finally, the study done in the UK on lost birds showed that more birds that got out were clipped than fully flighted and this was most likely due to the fact that people who clip their birds have a false sense of security that their birds can't or won't fly away where those of us who have fully flighted birds tend to more careful (although not always as I am a member of the "Outdoor Flight" club) with their birds because they are fully aware of their birds' flight status. Another thing to remember about fully flighted birds versus clipped birds who have gotten outside is that their chances of survival are much better because they are less apt to become dinner to a predictor since their primary form of escape is still in tact. This also means their chance of returning to you is much better.

I don't suppose you know where that study is?

 

[jmfleish]

I don't suppose you know where that study is?

I'll see if I can find it again. It's older and I remember that the percentages weren't incredibly different but there were definitely more clipped birds lost than flighted birds.

 

[Mizzely]

A Birdchannel poll found that over 50% of responders had their birds clipped at all times. Poll: My Bird's Wing Feathers Are Trimmed...

Now, that's the people who are somewhat in the middle of ownership, in my opinion. They do some effort with research, etc, but aren't crazy like the people here LOL

I'd say the number is higher, but also keep in mind that birds that are kept caged a majority of the time are probably not being regularly groomed.

My mother in law lost a clipped cockatiel. His body was found in the next county

 

[Monica]

Thanks Jen!


Shawna, so sorry to hear about your mother in laws cockatiel. Thank you though for that link.

 

[bicmeister]

Thanks Shawna!

 

[Bird_lover6]

I personally think that the majority of bird owners DO clip their birds. It always catches me by surprise when I take my birds to the vet and she will tell my birds how lucky they are to have a mom who lets them fly and not be clipped. After My grey returned from being lost for 72 hours a lot of people were pretty mortified when they found out that I still was NOT going to clip her, they thought I was being reckless and irresponsible, again.

But...I don't think most people take their birds to the vet, and I suspect that many are unclipped and permanently stuck in cages. If you don't ever take your birds out of their cages, why clip them?

 

[Gypsy]

But...I don't think most people take their birds to the vet, and I suspect that many are unclipped and permanently stuck in cages. If you don't ever take your birds out of their cages, why clip them?

Excellent point! I think though that many do not take the bird out of the cage because they are afraid of being bitten and are uneducated about their natural behaviors.

 

[Begone]

I would say its higher than that. There are definitely more clipped birds than flighted birds.

Very sad! In Sweden all birds are allowed to fly (yes I'm proud of my Country) because it's not allowed to clip them here. We have a own "bird law", that tell what we can do to the bird and how big cage the bird must have.
And we don't have a lot of problem with birds getting lost or injured because they can fly.
To keep our birds safe, we secure our home, because to clip their wings is not an option.