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Flight for Birds - Knowledge

Leih

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Yoshi was clipped before we bought him. Every single fibre in him wants to fly. So much that he often jumps off his cage madly flapping and always ends up on the ground or crashing into walls/windows as he has no control.

He is in WAY more danger with his wings clipped and it drives me insane that I cant do anything about it. It shatters my heart in to a million pieces. :sad3::darkcloud:
Galahad is the same way, except he doesn't jump very often. Landing on my hardwood floors freaks me out so he's pretty good about waiting for me. He has lost 4 of his clipped primaries, though, I'm really excited for him to start to fly soon. All of my birds came to me clipped :( My two linnies are flying now, I'm so excited for them! So Galahad is the last to become flighted. I 100% agree, clipping is more dangerous. Those crash landings can be deadly.
 

Leih

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When Aoife, my lovebird, became flighted, I honestly considered having her clipped again, and it was entirely because I found her to be a handful. But seeing how happy she is flying, I couldn't take that away and now I want the rest of my birds flighted too. My Emrys was so shy and scared but once he started to fly, he's really grown in confidence. I agree with Zara about birds with disabilities, etc, but I generally don't like it. I think a lot of education is needed for the public to understand that clipping is harmful. It's kind of like declawing cats. Because more people have cats, I think?, the public sees and understands it's mutilation and so it is stopping and becoming illegal in some states. I hope clipping will soon follow suit.
 

Monica

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Interestingly, I have come across someone who says they have a bird that is completely blind and also 100% flighted! And somehow manages to fly around despite being blind.

Many FB groups with high numbers of North American's also have a high number of people who clip and most often they'll say it's do to safety. Sometimes, that safety is because when the bird was flighted, they were flying into things! Do these birds have experience flying? No. So of course if they are inexperienced and don't know how to fly, they're going to hurt themselves! But that's enough reason to keep them clipped! Others, they may have lost a flighted bird. It might be a bird that spooked and flew into a wall/window/mirror and died within 24 hours, or a bird who flew outside never to be seen again.... or if they did find the bird again, well, they're still clipping! Rather than thinking that it was their fault and that they should take better precautions, they choose to clip instead.

I recall one person asking about a vet that does wing clipping. I asked what about taking safety precautions to allow the bird to have flight? I received a snarky comment about the poster not asking for a suggestion like that... I didn't see any harm in suggesting it, if they would at least consider it... I didn't ridicule the person, put them down, anything... just offered a suggestion. Ah well...


Wing clipping however will never be viewed as mutilation because feathers grow back. Your knuckles do not. Yeah, sure, feathers grow back.... and the scissors come back out to trim them back down!
 

Zara

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Interestingly, I have come across someone who says they have a bird that is completely blind and also 100% flighted! And somehow manages to fly around despite being blind.
Wow, that is incredible!!!


Wing clipping however will never be viewed as mutilation because feathers grow back.
I agree. It will never be classed as abuse or anything like that because some bird owners have clipped birds and have large clean cages, toys, love affection, a bird companion, good diet, vet check ups.
 

Beasley

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Wing clipping however will never be viewed as mutilation because feathers grow back.
I still consider it mutilation, what else could it be called? A bird is forcibly handicapped and stripped of their primary mode of movement by cutting off parts of their wings. The bird’s body is mutilated, and when the feathers do grow back, they are often butchered again.

I find the whole practice barbaric. Just the other day I was discussing a tiel that had gotten loose and the woman I was talking to said, “that bird had no business being flighted.” That comment speaks to the general mentality on clipping...pet birds have no right to flight.
 

finchly

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Just the other day I was discussing a tiel that had gotten loose and the woman I was talking to said, “that bird had no business being flighted.” That comment speaks to the general mentality on clipping...pet birds have no right to flight.
Yet mine that flew away had been clipped that morning...


Aint that the truth!!! :rofl: Trying to help someone train their puppy. She's almost 4 months old and didn't get much socialization when she was younger (human too paranoid about parvo...) so she's nervous with strangers. It's his first dog (technically) and has been doing great - overall, but still needs work in some areas. There idea of socializing her is forcing her to hold still then having the stranger come up and pet her. I keep telling them that *NO* that's bad! That can result in increased anxiety and fear. She needs to go up to them, not the other way around.

She also jumps on people... and my dog was blamed for her bad behavior... as if it's somehow my dog's responsibility to train her! Nope!
Oh good grief. My dog is very reserved. We have a neighbor who insisted on trying to give her treats as a puppy. He’d ask her to sit— well actually demand it. Pointing finger ay her and all that. Very loud voice. Dog was scared to death.

once he even tried to get the leash from hubby to “show” him.

People always try to pet her, she’s so cute. But that one man ruined her for strangers.
 

Appolosmom

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Yet mine that flew away had been clipped that morning...



Oh good grief. My dog is very reserved. We have a neighbor who insisted on trying to give her treats as a puppy. He’d ask her to sit— well actually demand it. Pointing finger ay her and all that. Very loud voice. Dog was scared to death.

once he even tried to get the leash from hubby to “show” him.

People always try to pet her, she’s so cute. But that one man ruined her for strangers.
I understand, had a mini daschund, actually my son's. He had her outside on a long leash, well here came the mailman, sprayed her with maze. After that she thought everyone was the enemy, had to walk her @ night when no one was out and about.
 

Leih

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I still consider it mutilation, what else could it be called? A bird is forcibly handicapped and stripped of their primary mode of movement by cutting off parts of their wings. The bird’s body is mutilated, and when the feathers do grow back, they are often butchered again.

I find the whole practice barbaric. Just the other day I was discussing a tiel that had gotten loose and the woman I was talking to said, “that bird had no business being flighted.” That comment speaks to the general mentality on clipping...pet birds have no right to flight.
"No business being flighted" to which I say it's a BIRD! They've evolved over millennia to fly, it is literally in their DNA, how does a bird have no business flying? I know I'm preaching to the choir here but I don't think I could stay silent with such a comment. I admit my linnies are not the best flyers and it may be kind of dangerous for them as they're learning, but I'm willing to take that risk in favor of them doing what they should be doing. They're totally different birds now, it's incredible.
 

Monica

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Some would argue that they are in captivity, not the wild. How our homes are full of danger for them. Obviously, it somehow makes more sense to clip them than make our homes safer. Can't have them flighted, we have fans. So turn the fans off or cover them [fans] in a cage or get that one from Home Depot where the fans are not exposed! They live in a rental, so they can't modify the home... well, you could still build a safety catch on the inside or outside of a door! They have people coming in and out of the door at all times. Lock the door, teach them to knock, put a sign up, or re: safety catch! Bird flies up high where they can't reach them. Teach the bird to fly to you on command!

Think outside of the box to make your home safer.
 

Rain Bow

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When I got Buddy he wasn't flying. I realized a few things early on. He had to learn to fly & he was malnurished (seed diet). My Dad kept him "in feet" from the front door & was clipped young. I got the diet fixed, started excersising his legs. Then onto flying. It too time patience & some creativity but between my husband & I we got him to go. However that all being said my 1st vet clipped him when I was asking about it... Buddy launched & spazzily flew thru the house, panicked & flew hard into a wall. So hard he bruised his beak. Luckily it did no other damage. That clipping made a new life & new to flying, very uncoordinated. I hope he never needs it for health issues...

Now, that being said, he's around 27 (young for a Zon), Atrophy & some kind of bone growth in his wings causes him pain. He tells me in his own way, as a good day to fly or not. A good indicator also is my arthritis, if I hurt, he really hurts, I don't make him. He now flys when he wants, or occasionally when commanded, or when vaccuuming is happening near his cage. I'm happy he's able to live a bird life finally (being in captivity) I love my floof & he shows me every day, how he loves me. I know for that it's worth all the noise, extra work & $ to keep him fed, chewing & healthy.

I'm only a fan of clipping when it's a health issue to that bird or if a bird is divebombing other birds or kids. There can be exceptions to this fan based comment but I haven't found many acceptable to the inner me yet.
 
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