clipping wings...

schnitzle · 4/22/17

Mizzely said:
A quote that sticks with me is , "A ship is always safest at the harbor, but that is not what it was built for."

That's a great quote!

schnitzle · 4/22/17

I'm going to jump in here, because I love punishment LOL!

@galah! I was thinking the same way as you were about clipping for training. I kind of figured that if a bird was flighted training would consist of taking the bird out of the cage and it flying away

Are you a new parront? I am. And I don't have much experience with birds at all. I recently found out that a friend of a friend had a parrot, so I made arrangements to visit them. What I found out was that the bird was happy to be out hanging out with their person! He didn't need to be clipped in order to hang out and play and train. He flew back to his cage when he got tired of it. It was an eye opener! Also if your parrot is not tame at all I would think that you could do a lot of training and getting them used to you through the bars of the cage at first too (This is where I'm scared that John will swoop in and break my legs! :scared5:

). If they're used to you and see you of the giver of treats I would imagine you'd have a better time working with them outside of the cage.

Personally I have really high ceilings and I'm short, so I'm going to make a super long T stick so that if my bird flies up really high I'll be able to ask them to step up onto it. So target training and stepping up will be the first things I try to teach after they are accustomed to me!

Nami · 4/22/17

When I first got my birds and they were mostly untame I had their wings clipped before a vet checkup because I thought it would be best if they couldn't fly away when being evaluated.
It honestly was a bad decision, watching them try fly around like they did flighted only to fail and hurt themselves was heartbreaking and they spent most of the time inside their cage after that because they didn't feel safe exploring outside without their wings.
I've never clipped since then and never will, I have successfully tamed them both with them being able to fly and spend time with me at their own will. I think @Mizzley sums it up perfectly.

melissasparrots · 4/22/17

I'd let the bird's behavior dictate your decision. The bird may come to you already clipped. I don't like clipping cockatoos because they are so prone to plucking. But if I had one that was doing fly at me attacks, I'd probably clip the outer 2-3 feathers just to slow him down a bit. My goffin is flighted. She requires a lot of watching to keep her out of trouble. She goes through phases of trying to fly at me and bite. But none of her phases have been prolonged enough for me to want to clip her.

melissasparrots · 4/22/17

JLcribber said:
You start out by providing the proper "adapted" safe environment so they can fly wherever they want and there's no need to "reach him".

You get a step stool or keep a small ladder around. And you learn quick to get rid of knick knacks that collect cockatoo dust and serve no purpose other than to become cockatoo chew toys. The prettier your house, the crazier a flighted cockatoo will make you.

jmfleish · 4/22/17

If you get you bird from a good breeder, your bird should already know how to step up and be socialized to want to be with humans.

I went through a period with Kishka where he didn't want to step up for me and realized that when I would ask him to step up for me I was taking him back to his cage most of the time. I started taking him to other places and the problem stopped. It's amazing how problems can stop when you can figure out what's causing them.

Domothebudgie · 4/22/17

When I first got Gonzo he was also very severely clipped. He would fall with a thud multiple times a day. He was too afraid to explore or do anything really until his flight feathers grew back. Our vet also said that it is great that he is able to fly since cockatoos are prone to obesity. His personality also changed, he was obviously much more confident and much happier. But he is able to fly to really high places, but if you have a long stick and food that he really likes it should be okay.

Mutated Beauty · 4/22/17

It's healthier for birds to fly as it is their nature. All mine are fully flighted and love it. Though they can get into some trouble, but thats what birds do! Theyre trouble makers! It also helps in the fight or flight situation, if your bird gets scared by a cat or something, it will be able to fly away and protect itself
I would also invest in a flight suit or harness just to be safe.
We had a 2 year old Standard Grey Cockatiel who was always clipped winged. One day he got scared by a motorcycle down the road and flew down to the river. He wasnt able to get back up because he was flightless and eventually died while we were searching for hours for WEEKS. This is why we keep them flighted. Learned the lesson the hard way.. He passed away Last May. Had the whole town searching due to Police request and Coast Guard request..

galah! · 4/22/17

Domothebudgie said:
Our vet also said that it is great that he is able to fly since cockatoos are prone to obesity.

What type of too is he???

Domothebudgie · 4/23/17

He is a slender bill cockatoo. But I think most cockatoos are prone to obesity, so any kind of exercise helps.

JLcribber · 4/23/17

Domothebudgie said:
He is a slender bill cockatoo. But I think most cockatoos are prone to obesity, so any kind of exercise helps.

That's the first time I've ever heard that. I've never seen an obese cockatoo. Much too high of a metabolism for that. As long as you don't feed them junk they won't get fat. Amazons and Macaws are much more prone to obesity But only for the same reason. Bad diet and no exercise.

nellysmom · 4/23/17

Pipsqueak said:
Just interested what the safety concerns are ? What factors are to consider, please elaborate.

I would say first in navigating around the house. Accidents do happen. Also I just had a driend lose her bird right out the door. She thought he was safely in another room and when she opened the door. Also when training it will give you more control But remember,especially TOO, even if they are clipped they can still do a hop and glide. But again you must decide. I have never seen any unhappiness in my bird or others I know that are clipped. Good luck

jmfleish · 4/23/17

Diane, are you a member of the rare too group on Yahoo?

Milo · 4/23/17

JLcribber said:
That's the first time I've ever heard that. I've never seen an obese cockatoo. Much too high of a metabolism for that. As long as you don't feed them junk they won't get fat. Amazons and Macaws are much more prone to obesity But only for the same reason. Bad diet and no exercise.

You'd think birds in general would have a high enough metabolism to prevent obesity but I'll tell you it's a thing and there are some... voluptuous... toos out there. Crap diet can be blamed but even if you feed them the good stuff they can still become porkers if you're not careful.

galah! · 4/23/17

i feel like if it weren't for obesity problems clipping would be a lot easier and wouldn't affect the bird to the point of unhappiness...

galah! · 4/23/17

jmfleish said:
Diane, are you a member of the rare too group on Yahoo?

that sounds interesting, what is it?

Mizzely · 4/23/17

galah! said:
i feel like if it weren't for obesity problems clipping would be a lot easier and wouldn't affect the bird to the point of unhappiness...

Having had clipped birds and flighted birds, I can tell you that my "happy" clipped birds seemed pretty sad compared to when they regained flight!

Please tie your shoelaces together and walk around like that for 6 months and tell me if that is the same quality of life as walking or running normally. You might be "fine" and adapt, but I bet given the option you'd prefer the full range of motion.

JLcribber · 4/23/17

Mizzely said:
Please tie your shoelaces together and walk around like that for 6 months and tell me if that is the same quality of life as walking or running normally. You might be "fine" and adapt, but I bet given the option you'd prefer the full range of motion.

Oh I like that one.

cassiesdad · 4/23/17

Small story...bear with me here...

When we bought Titan-26 years ago- we had him clipped. He stayed that way for the first 5 or 6 years of his life. Then I decided to let him have his wings..and flight, back. He became a much happier, active bird. Although he very rarely flew, he knew that he could do so if he wanted to.
It's the best thing we ever decided to do...give him the ability to do something that should have never been taken away from him.

Now, we have Buddy in the house. He came to us clipped-because of safety reasons. (he was living at a rescue/sanctuary)
I'm looking forward to watch him rediscover the sense of freedom that flight gives...

Tyrion · 4/23/17

When I got Tyrion as a baby I was told by his vet to have him lightly clipped so I did but it totally screwed up his ability to fledge properly it took about a 1 1/2 yrs for all his feathers to grow back and he still at age 3 isn't a confident flier ...I will always have my birds flighted after seeing what Tyrion had to go through and is still going through ...its not fair to the bird to cut off their wings

clipping wings...

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