wing clipping do or dont??

[MahaSarah]

Personally, I think birds should fly as that is what they are known for. The only reason I would say clipping a bird's feathers is okay is if they are aggressive and fly to attack you and clipping their feathers helps to tame them, or if the bird has physical problems that prevent them from flying properly and when they do fly they crash into things and hurt themselves.

Other than that I don't really see why you would clip a birds feathers.

As for birds escaping through open doors or windows... You just need to be more vigilant and make sure everything is closed and secure. After all, it is your responsibility not the bird's.

In my personal experience;

All my lovebirds are unclipped except my stunted little baby. She cannot fly properly and when she does she crashes into walls and bangs her head on the roof and it was awful. So I clipped a few of her feathers, about three on each wing so she can still kinda fly around her cage but not hurt herself when she is out of her cage.

My Amazon parrot was clipped when we bought her back in 2006 and just recently her feathers grew back in and I will not be clipping her again.

I think flight is essential for a bird's physical and phycological health and they should be able to fly.

 

[Mizzely]

My mother in law had a really badly clipped cockatiel. Like...dropped like a rock, no fluttering to the ground. She let the dog in one day and he got out the door, swept up into the wind and he was recovered, dead, several miles away. So anyone who has clipped birds and thinks that protects them from escaping, it doesn't.

 

[painesgrey]

To add to my previous post:

All three of my birds came to me at least partially clipped. I clipped Pippin for the first year I had him due to my living situation: I lived with people who were not as responsible or mindful of doors and windows in an open-plan home, so containment was a real concern.

Since moving into a more suitable living environment, he has been fully flighted for many years and has suffered no detriment to his flying ability for having been clipped.

That being said, I honestly think that clipping often lulls owners into a false sense of security. Even fully clipped, Pippin was capable of short bursts of flight that could carry him into other rooms. The regrettable partial clip made this even more possible, and I had to be just as careful about where he was, what was around him, and the potential dangers as I have to be now that he's fully flighted.

As another example: Piper. She was found out in the wild. A kind-hearted local noticed a not-so-local bird that was keen on people (or knew that people=food) and managed to get her into a cage. She clearly had been clipped - the majority of her flight feathers were still clipped, but she had 2-3 intact primaries on each wing that allowed her to fly. Obviously her previous owners were either complacent with her clipped status and figured she'd not get out, neglected to notice the newly-grown flight feathers and adjust accordingly, or simply released her into the wild to fend for herself.

I truly believe there are justifiable reasons for clipping birds, but I also think that too many people who clip their birds think that it is a fix-all solution when it's not. Piper is lucky that she survived in the wild and was rescued, but the vast majority of birds aren't.

 

[Garet]

Thank you all so much for the information and yes I agree you should not have to make the animal fit your home you should adjust your home to what is needed for the animals to be who they were intended to be whether it's a dog cat bird fish whatever and yes having a flighted bird may make it a little tricky with training and all that but I want to do what's healthy for my bird not just for my convenience she seems to be a little stressed that she can't fly so I hope her wings grow out soon and we can see her enjoy a little more confidence

Imho, clipping doesn't really help with training.
Goku- Came with a really weird partial clip, still very much unwilling to engage in training. Will accept help if needed.
Freddie Mercury- Came with a clip, avoids all human contact, even if he needs the help getting up from the floor.
Krem- Clipped to the point where he was forced to rely on me for help and hated it. I now have to work on earning his trust now that his feathers are growing back in. If I had gotten him without a clip, I could have started earning his trust months ago.
Mimikyu- Was clipped before I got her, took months to learn to trust humans and only came around after regaining her flight.
Ciri- Never came around.

 

[Mark & Da Boyz]

Every bird is different and has to be taken for themselves. I like my birds flighted and DA Tielish Ones are all flighted and have been for most of their life. Mister Cheddar is going to be clipped for a bit while he and I (plus the rest of the crew) come to an understanding here, might take him down a notch or two. Then we'll see how it works. Riti is clipped for her own safety. She gets into too many bad places and I worry she will get in over her head one day. I had a long hard time with myself about clipping her. But I knew it was for the best in her case AT THE TIME. I am not a NEVER CLIP THEM or a YOU HAVE TO CLIP type. I do what I have to to keep them out of trouble and safe.

Now Streak, my Parrotlet who passed away last year, was never clipped. Why try? I told people I could cut off his wings and duct tape him to a bowling ball and he'd still fly by flapping his eyebrows! The only time he was clipped he still flew and gained altitude...and flew straight into the wall because he couldn't turn.

But you have to make your on choice depending on the bird and home.

 

[Begone]

Every bird is different and has to be taken for themselves.

Yes they are both individual and different, but one thing they all have in common is that they are born with wings and flying is their natural way of both transport themselves but also to get rid of excess energy.

IMHO, clipping doesn't really help with training.

The only thing it does is to learn the bird what helplessness is. That is the saddest training ever.

 

[Garet]

@Eloy imho, it's not just helplessness. Most of my clipped birds are afraid. I think it teaches birds to be afraid of hands.

Sure, not all birds will learn to fear hands, but that's what I noticed. Krem was helpless for a while and I often had to grab him in spite of his very clear warnings. I can still pick him up, but it took quite a while for him to learn that I wasn't out to just grab him.

 

[Mizzely]

Remember too that in some countries it is considered an act of cruelty and in others it is actually illegal to clip birds' wings. We're ahead on some things but behind in others

 

[Sylvester]

It depends. I have known people who have birds that have become aggressive so a light clipping made sense. They can still fly with a light clipping.

 

[Begone]

I have known people who have birds that have become aggressive

But to cut wings is not taking away that problem. Isn't it better to ask why the parrot has become aggressive, and find a solution for that.

 

[Sylvester]

But to cut wings is not taking away that problem. Isn't it better to ask why the parrot has become aggressive, and find a solution for that.

No, not really. I have seen people come dangerously close to getting their eye taken out.

 

[Begone]

No, not really.

Sad, really sad..

 

[Sylvester]

Sad, really sad..

LOL! So glad you processed the last part of my reply. Did you not get the part where people were dangerously close to losing an eye, or is it that you just don't care? And by the way, lightly clipped birds can fly.

 

[Barbara jasko]

Just because someone wants a bird doesn't mean they are powerless over their impulse to aquire it. If someone cannot provide a bird all that it needs to live a happy, healthy, stress-free life, then they shouldn't get a bird. None of us are entitled to own a bird. It's not a right. And if for any reason, we cannot provide what they need, we shouldn't modify them to make it easier on us. We should start looking for another pet that does suit our lifestyle.

That statement could apply to any living creature. Cats, dogs, children.... Only in a perfect world.

 

[sezii]

I'm getting a little concerned about my conures tail feathers she seems to be curving them and it seems to be when she tries to fly and can't get lift that she starts pulling on her wings and tail feathers when I bought her the were nice and straight now they look like this

 

[Mizzely]

Baby tail feathers usually look awful! It can either be caused by rubbing tail feathers on the cage bars (as in a small cage or simply a favorite perch too close to the cage side) or from learning to fly. The feathers get damaged, and they preen immediately after attempts to try to keep them healthy as long as possible so they can continue to try

 

[sezii]

Ok she pulls on them ALOT after her flying attempts I try to discourage long distances but she seems pretty dead set on attempting them she has pretty good aim so far and since I'm hoping to keep her unclipped I want her to know it's good to try but I also want her safe so I don't leave too far from the cage when it's open and I do my best to have something there to catch her if it's not me she LOVES the kitchen

 

[Mark & Da Boyz]

Every Baby bird I've had, other that Streak my P'let, broke their tail feathers and they look like a bunch of ducks until they molted.

 

[Barbara jasko]

Is her cage big enough and the perches spaced properly that her tail feathers are not being bent by the cage bars? Cannot tell if the tail feathers are broken at the bent spots.

 

[taxidermynerd]

Ok she pulls on them ALOT after her flying attempts I try to discourage long distances but she seems pretty dead set on attempting them she has pretty good aim so far and since I'm hoping to keep her unclipped I want her to know it's good to try but I also want her safe so I don't leave too far from the cage when it's open and I do my best to have something there to catch her if it's not me she LOVES the kitchen

If you have a room that's smaller, I'd start out in that. For me, I started with our bathroom (which is teeny). And then once my budgie had some more confidence we moved to the bedroom for out time. I try to keep him there but sometimes he'll slip out into the livingroom/dining room. Chirp broke a lot of feathers on the way to being fully flighted (and a decent flyer.) Get ready to deal with blood feathers, you'll probably have to deal with a broken one at least once.

Is her cage big enough and the perches spaced properly that her tail feathers are not being bent by the cage bars? Cannot tell if the tail feathers are broken at the bent spots.

Something I'd like to throw in, sometimes that happens to my budgie's tail feathers too, and I think it's because he likes to climb everywhere/ hang out on the bars. He has loads of perches, the ability to leave the cage at any time, a large cage (flight cage) and full flight, but he just prefers to climb everywhere. Something to keep in mind, that can result in bent (but usually not broken) feathers