Clipping Babies?

[Rob]

**UPDATE** I talked to the woman who manages the feedings and all of that. She explained to me that she is not there every day they are open so she clips the first 3-4 feathers because the people are still learning how to handle and they have had issues with the birds flying into the windows and things like that so she clips them because she is not always the one that feeds them. I feel a bit better now and she did assure me she wont clip him again before he leaves so he will be ready to fly when he goes home

 

[JLcribber]

I feel a bit better now and she did assure me she wont clip him again before he leaves so he will be ready to fly when he goes home

Those feathers aren't going to magically all grow back in a number of weeks. They were brand new feathers that still have a full lifespan before they fall out. Flight feathers are replaced sparingly (only 1or2 at a time) for safety reason. He will still be clipped when you get him and can take a full year to replace them all.

The damage is done. Your bird is not learning to fly at the proper "critical" time for him to be a natural flyer. That window of time is small.

Why baby birds should never be clipped.
Thinking on the Wing | The Parrot University, llc

 

[karen256]

Most breeders and nearly all pet store clip babies - the better ones at least let them learn to fly a little first.

It's not strictly the breeder being lazy or uncaring, a lot of it is more misinformation. A lot of resources, even many vets, will say that clipping is essential for safety, so some will clip for this reason. A fledging baby will also be more interested in flying around than in eating and will lose weight - while this is normal, it can be worrisome to the person feeding which may be why they think they need to clip.

If it's a fairly light clip, he will be just fine. Encourage wing flapping and let him fly after his molt and he should be ok and learn to fly pretty well, if not quite as well as a wild bird. Clipping is a more serious issue when a bird is clipped severely (so they can fall and become injured and damage growing bloodfeathers), or when they are clipped for years and start to lose muscle tone in the wings. Another option, if he turns out to be clipped too severely, is to have several of the cut feathers pulled, so he regrows them quickly, but this should only be done by a vet and only if hes at risk of injury.

Also IMO, a light clip when a bird's going to a new home isn't that bad. It can help keep a bird safe while they learn about their new home. Case in point, when I brought Sammy home, clipped, he liked to be put on the windowsill but would sometimes try to walk through the window. As in, face the window and just try to walk through it, feet sliding on the windowsill. As a baby, he had no concept of it being something he couldn't go through. I worried a bit about how he'd be flying - but by the time he could fly, he was fine with windows. He was an amazingly agile and graceful flier and never hit a window.

 

[Animallover03]

Grumbles was clipped when I got him- before he learned (not my choice), and he still learned to fly. Now he is an excellent flier.

 

[javi]

I have breeder friends. Currently a friend has 7 baby macaws flying around his house landing on furniture, destroying blinds and begging to be rescue from high spots. He still won't clip them cause he knows how much a bird needs to fly.
I have always known it to be common practice for a store to clip babies. With opening doors and other pets in there a baby taking off from a bin or a customer's arms could mean flying out a door or landing in front of a visiting dog. The only way to have avoided this would have been to select bird before they clipped and having said bird taken off sales floor to where if he got loose he wouldn't be in danger. Or to avoid a store for a bird entirely. I prefer to get from a breeder or rescue. Ive had birds for so long that I know to avoid store birds for various reasons.
Also to clarify a clipped baby may fly out the door or land in front of a visiting dog. Seen it before.

 

[Lady Jane]

My budgies were both clipped as babies. Breeder's Policy I was told. They did not fledge before the cut. Face it is a cut, not a clip. It took forever for my birds to fly well. Make sure when the flights have grown back to teach them to fly in a small room like bathroom with anything reflective covered up. Their flight muscles will be weak. Breeder cut the flights for his convenience, not what the customer requested. Reason I did not walk away is because English Budgie breeders and few and far between.

Sorry I am still angry that this happened a whole year later. I am sorry this also happened to you Rob.

 

[melissasparrots]

Clipping is not necessary for the hand-feeding process. If anything, clipping causes a bird to wean slower. Possibly much slower. In some species it can also make them more likely to be clumsy flyers later in life. However, I can see why people clip and I even send almost every baby that I've ever bred home clipped. IMO, it is fairly important for babies to fledge and ideally be able to fly for a few months for larger species or at least a few weeks for smaller species. However, I also see A LOT of stupidity by new owners. People that will otherwise grow into being good bird owners but are not used to thinking in three dimensions with regard to pets. Many people are just shocked that when birds fly, they go UP. And its hard to reach them when they do that. And they can even fly outside. Like, actually away from their human and never to return. And they are shocked because they never thought of that. Or, they put the bird in the living room and start cooking in the kitchen and they are just shocked when the bird flies into the kitchen with them, possibly burning themselves on a hot stove. Clipped birds don't move as fast. Yes, they can still fly in a breeze and stupid stuff still happens. But it makes disaster because of inexperience much less likely to happen. Humans grow into the new flight feathers just like the bird does when it molts. By the time a clipped bird molts, most humans have figured out how bird brains work. The down side is, they can also be lulled into a false sense of security if they aren't keeping track of new flight feather growth. And bad stuff still happens because people give bad stuff an opportunity to happen.

 

[cassiesdad]

My new game with him is to hold him and run through the house to make him flap his wings. I want him to try to do keep trying and not give up.

I think that's a wonderful thing that you're doing for Charlie! It will help him develop his muscles in anticipation of his flight feathers growing back, which is so important for him...

 

[parrotluv]

Some babies are given just a light clip, so they still have flight but a bit less height. Mperhaps thismis what they did.

 

[Familyof12]

Nope, they cut across all his feathers and she showed us how she can tell they used dull scissors as some of the veins on the feathers were jagged. Not smooth. She also said, if you need to slow them down, just clip no more than five flight feathers. That way, they can still swoop and not fall like a rock. It keeps their wings exercised because they still have a small ability. Charlie, no joke, drops like a rock. If he falls off the swing Lil Monsters specially made for him, he doesn't even try to flap anymore.

This is why I have him hanging on to my and and I run (my knees are screaming) to make him pump his wings. He knows he supposed to be able to fly but I don't feel they gave him a lot of flying time (so I know he doesn't know how) and I've see other caiques and they at least try to flap their wings. He doesn't. He's just nope, I'm like you guys and fall. I know he'll grow out of it but it makes him clingy too. He can't stand one second not being on our arm or head. If I leave him in his cage and run an errand, it is double down and he has to see you in the room otherwise he'll scream until you return. I'm still doing it. I can't not go to the store.

I purchased a harness. We are working on it. We've put it on him and he isn't comfortable but I just put it on every day for as long as he'll take it or if I feel like he's going to chew it off. He's done a pretty good job of it in the front, I've had to ask my neighbor to sew a little decal over it so he can chew that instead before hitting the straps themselves. So he has a decal in front and one in back. Once he's comfortable where he isn't constantly chewing no matter what distraction (even being outside) I will take him out. I can't wait. Oh, and I can't wait for him to know he can fly and still be clingy, then it's okay.

 

[Animallover03]

Nope, they cut across all his feathers and she showed us how she can tell they used dull scissors as some of the veins on the feathers were jagged. Not smooth. She also said, if you need to slow them down, just clip no more than five flight feathers. That way, they can still swoop and not fall like a rock. It keeps their wings exercised because they still have a small ability. Charlie, no joke, drops like a rock. If he falls off the swing Lil Monsters specially made for him, he doesn't even try to flap anymore.

This is why I have him hanging on to my and and I run (my knees are screaming) to make him pump his wings. He knows he supposed to be able to fly but I don't feel they gave him a lot of flying time (so I know he doesn't know how) and I've see other caiques and they at least try to flap their wings. He doesn't. He's just nope, I'm like you guys and fall. I know he'll grow out of it but it makes him clingy too. He can't stand one second not being on our arm or head. If I leave him in his cage and run an errand, it is double down and he has to see you in the room otherwise he'll scream until you return. I'm still doing it. I can't not go to the store.

I purchased a harness. We are working on it. We've put it on him and he isn't comfortable but I just put it on every day for as long as he'll take it or if I feel like he's going to chew it off. He's done a pretty good job of it in the front, I've had to ask my neighbor to sew a little decal over it so he can chew that instead before hitting the straps themselves. So he has a decal in front and one in back. Once he's comfortable where he isn't constantly chewing no matter what distraction (even being outside) I will take him out. I can't wait. Oh, and I can't wait for him to know he can fly and still be clingy, then it's okay.

I like the idea of a decal on the harness to keep him from chewing on it!
Could you post a picture for me please?

 

[parrotluv]

Oh yes that is definately too short of a clip, poor guy. I always give my babies a gentle clip to prevent them flying up to the cupboards where I can't get them, allows for flight and gliding to land. Never good when they just plop to the floor. Depending on the species could take 6-12 months to grow back.

 

[Monica]

With clipped feathers, there's only 3 ways to get around that... in a manner of speaking....

1.) Wait for the clipped feathers to fall out on their own
2.) Get the clipped feathers "surgically" removed (i.e. vet puts bird under, pulls them out - makes the feathers regrow faster)
3.) Get the feathers imped (taking molted feathers from flighted birds and "grafting" them onto the clipped feathers)

 

[Familyof12]

I like the idea of a decal on the harness to keep him from chewing on it!
Could you post a picture for me please?

We just sewed it with cotton thread and it's non-toxic (it's for kids I got at Michaels) and we just stitched it over the chest and back where he loves chewing it. We haven't tried putting it back on him because to be honest, I lost it after my hubby sewed it for me. I just found it again this morning (it was driving me crazy for days!). So sorry I am late posting but I found it this morning. Yay!!!

 

[javi]

Very smart idea