To Fly or Not TO Fly THAT is the Question!

[SaraR]

Ok so I have a QP named Dino and he has been doing great. my question is do i let him grow out his primaries and allow him to fly? or should i keep him clipped since i am bringing home a baby catalina withing the next few months and she will be clipped until she learns boundaries and the rules of the house? i would eventually love to have them both fully flighted even if it takes a couple years to allow them to do so. what do you all suggest aviator? or flight suit? pro and cons of each? why you like one over the other? really need help with this topic since i've NEVER had a flighted bird. thanks in advance for your time and advice/suggestions!

 

[Welshanne]

My own personal opinion is that they should be allowed to fly if possible no matter what you intend to end up doing. The simple reason being they need to devolope their chest muscles and can only do that if they are allowed to do what they were built for.
The fact you are introducing another bird and species soon, they should not be allowed out at the same time and need to be monitored closely when they are out as they can do a lot of damage to one or the other in a split second whether you are with them or not.
You end up with a more rounded companion that is happier and will then not present any problems with feather plucking etc in the future. Good luck.

 

[suncoast]

I am always for flying. It is ALWAYS better for the bird but not neccesarily for humans. You need to be hypervigilant, no ceiling fans on EVER, two doors closed between you and the outside at all times. Birds are designed for flight. Not being able to fly would be like making a human crawl on all fours their entire life. That being said, it's dangerous to let two drastically different size species interact together. The number one cause of injuries and death to smaller birds is being attacked by a larger bird. (Usually after they get buzzed by the little guys.) We never let our Lovies and Cockatoo out at the same time.

Also you need to readjust your thinking about rules, regs and boundries. Your entire house is their boundries and territory, especially with the larger birds. They need the space. In the wild they have miles and miles of territory and then we capture them and keep them confined in a 3 x 3 x 3 cage. Not healthy. Your Catalina is going to need the biggest cage they make.

Ginger

 

[Anne & Gang]

I say yes, but that is a personal c hoice...as Ginger says, you must be hyper vigilant and also make sure there are no open doors etc..

 

[SaraR]

No open doors ever! lol i have cats that like to come sprinting to the door everytime they hear it so i am already hyper vigilent about open doors lol...i didn't mean that they wouldn't have access to the whole house i just meant that i would like for her to rely on and bond to me before i give her an obsene amount of freedom to come and go as she pleases

 

[suncoast]

It's critically important that you let your new baby fledge and learn to fly. Tell the breeder that you absolutely positively DO NOT want your babies wings clipped. Fledging and becoming food independent and confident go together like peas and carrots. Also you need to MAKE SURE you have some handfeeding formula and syringes or a bent spoon at your house when you bring you little one home. Even though the breeder will tell you your baby is weaned, when they go into a new enviornment they will regress and want handfeedings.

Abundant Weaning & Fledging

Ginger

 

[JLcribber]

It's critically important that you let your new baby fledge and learn to fly. Tell the breeder that you absolutely positively DO NOT want your babies wings clipped. Fledging and becoming food independent and confident go together like peas and carrots. Also you need to MAKE SURE you have some handfeeding formula and syringes or a bent spoon at your house when you bring you little one home. Even though the breeder will tell you your baby is weaned, when they go into a new enviornment they will regress and want handfeedings.

Abundant Weaning & Fledging

Ginger

What Ginger said.

Here are some great articles to give you more insight into why the bird needs to fly.

Wings. To clip or not to clip

Feathers, Flight and Parrot Keeping

Thinking on the wing

 

[jmfleish]

I just got an RB2 boy in August who was 4 months old. I wanted a bird who wasn't clipped but he did have the first two primaries on each of his wings clipped but was still more than able to fly. At 9 months, he's still learning to hone his flying skills.

If your breeder hasn't clipped your Catalina yet, I highly suggest you not clip the bird. It takes months for a baby bird to truly learn to fly...I know this by watching Kishka RB2. The idea that you can teach a bird boundaries better if they are clipped is probably not all that true. Yes, you have more control, but ultimately, you are making the bird do what you want and instilling dependency upon yourself. Something you definitely do not want in any bird.

 

[SaraR]

thank you all i do believe that i will keep my catalina flighted....any suggestions on teaching dino to fly?

 

[rikkitikki]

thank you all i do believe that i will keep my catalina flighted....any suggestions on teaching dino to fly?

great choice. Owning birds is definitely something that is being developed and learned. I think we're in the Industrial Revolution period for birds There are so many people out there that are set in old ways and will tell you that a bird must be clipped for various reasons. Of course it's difficult to argue because the reasons are sensible, however it doesn't always make them right. Same can be said for reasons to keep your bird flighted. Just remember how much you are giving your bird by allowing them to fly, even though it is certainly a sacrifice to you. Lots of people believe that clipping a bird's wings is like taking walking away from a human. It is hard to compare, but, well, you get the idea.
No birds here yet, so I don't have advice about teaching your other bird to fly.

 

[GypsyWitch]

When I got my GCC he had a "show clip", where he still had his primaries but most of his secondary feathers were clipped. He was allowed to fledge before being clipped. I was told it was for safety, but I'm beginning to think I'm going to allow all his fight feathers to grow back in and not clip him again. He's able to fly quite well right now usually when I call him. No buzzing yet...