Before I got my budgies, I just assumed I would get them clipped. While still preparing, I held a little guy at the pet store and the bird expert was telling me how clipping lets them get safe to the floor but prevents them from going getting lift and going UP. The little guy in my hand then promptly flew up (a little) and over three shelves before landing on the floor. The guy took him away to "take off a little more".
I was terrified then of how easy it would be to lose a bird that was not fully clipped. He could have gone anywhere in the store! He could have been stepped on!
My guys ended up coming from a breeder who lets them fully fledge and learn to fly while weaning, but does put them in a glide clip before sending them home so they can be safer while learning their new environment.
I'd looked into how wing clipping is done before, when we were planning on raising chickens, and again when I decided to get the birds - but I didn't really "get it". I couldn't tell the difference by sight. Looking at the birds in the store, they just looked normal to me.
Looking at my birds, they just looked normal to me. The last fully flighted bird I held was over 20 years ago. I knew the concept of clipping and how to do it, but I from lack of expose had never actually been able to SEE the difference.
After the budgies settled into their cage and seemed okay with stepping on my finger, assuming I had safely and expertly clipped birds, I started bringing them out freely.
Turns out they were just still more shy than I thought After a week, when they were *actually* comfortable with me, they took off.
And they landed on the top of our projector screen, just one inch lower than the ceiling. Nine feet up. The single most inconvenient (and possibly unsafe, because its really hard to clean up there) place in the house.
"No lift" ..hah!
I examined them more thoroughly after that and I *did* see cut ends on at least one wing feather each side, but it was mild and subtle and obviously it wasn't enough to stop my boys.
I thought I would probably have to have the vet "take a little more off" for their safety, and my peace of mind.
But the thing is - covid lockdown hit THE DAY I brought them home.
And I hadn't been sure what day I was getting them, so I hadn't already made an initial checkup appointment. And she was now only taking emergency appointments. At the time we thought covid lockdown was going to be 2, maybe 4 weeks? I was going to have to tough it out.
I put their play gym on top of a bookcase near the projector screen. I got a broom (don't worry) and a step stool ready.
When they went on the projector screen I stuck millet in the hole on the tip of the broom stick, told them to "go to your perch!" and lured them to step onto the end of the broom. Then I gently moved them toward the playstand, which was also strug with millet, and they would gladly flutter over there because who wants to be sitting on a moving broom handle!
Every day. Sometimes every five minutes. "Get off, go to your perch".
And then I had to do the same with the mirror over the fireplace.. a good 8 feet up and behind the couch, so also not a great place. I suction cupped a perch to the edge of the mirror and they naturally found that much more appealing to perch on.
After 2 months I was able to get them to the vet. She offered to clip them. At this point they were free-flying all day, rotating between their cage top and three play stands.. NEVER went on the projector anymore.. sometimes it was a little hard to get them back in their cage, but I felt a pain in my heart when I thought about clipping them when they were so used to flying now. I said I needed to think about it.
I've since watched Citrine over-bathe himself once, and get his feathers so soaked he couldnt fly. But he kept trying so hard it broke my heart.
I've since walked into a pet store and suddenly I could SEE the clipped wings. They look so odd - like half the bird is missing, or like severed fingers.
Sometimes I do catch myself wishing they had been more fully clipped so they had bonded with me more at the beginning, but then I feel guilty for being so selfish. They don't sit on my shoulder for rides (because they dont need to). They don't cutely walk around on my desk or my furniture (because they have plenty of their own furniture), and I worked really hard to get the bond we have.
But they fly around and chase each other in a tornado above my head and are SO HAPPY.
I get it, why people do it. And if mine had been "properly" clipped to begin with, I might have stuck with it.
But I am so glad they weren't.
I was terrified then of how easy it would be to lose a bird that was not fully clipped. He could have gone anywhere in the store! He could have been stepped on!
My guys ended up coming from a breeder who lets them fully fledge and learn to fly while weaning, but does put them in a glide clip before sending them home so they can be safer while learning their new environment.
I'd looked into how wing clipping is done before, when we were planning on raising chickens, and again when I decided to get the birds - but I didn't really "get it". I couldn't tell the difference by sight. Looking at the birds in the store, they just looked normal to me.
Looking at my birds, they just looked normal to me. The last fully flighted bird I held was over 20 years ago. I knew the concept of clipping and how to do it, but I from lack of expose had never actually been able to SEE the difference.
After the budgies settled into their cage and seemed okay with stepping on my finger, assuming I had safely and expertly clipped birds, I started bringing them out freely.
Turns out they were just still more shy than I thought After a week, when they were *actually* comfortable with me, they took off.
And they landed on the top of our projector screen, just one inch lower than the ceiling. Nine feet up. The single most inconvenient (and possibly unsafe, because its really hard to clean up there) place in the house.
"No lift" ..hah!
I examined them more thoroughly after that and I *did* see cut ends on at least one wing feather each side, but it was mild and subtle and obviously it wasn't enough to stop my boys.
I thought I would probably have to have the vet "take a little more off" for their safety, and my peace of mind.
But the thing is - covid lockdown hit THE DAY I brought them home.
And I hadn't been sure what day I was getting them, so I hadn't already made an initial checkup appointment. And she was now only taking emergency appointments. At the time we thought covid lockdown was going to be 2, maybe 4 weeks? I was going to have to tough it out.
I put their play gym on top of a bookcase near the projector screen. I got a broom (don't worry) and a step stool ready.
When they went on the projector screen I stuck millet in the hole on the tip of the broom stick, told them to "go to your perch!" and lured them to step onto the end of the broom. Then I gently moved them toward the playstand, which was also strug with millet, and they would gladly flutter over there because who wants to be sitting on a moving broom handle!
Every day. Sometimes every five minutes. "Get off, go to your perch".
And then I had to do the same with the mirror over the fireplace.. a good 8 feet up and behind the couch, so also not a great place. I suction cupped a perch to the edge of the mirror and they naturally found that much more appealing to perch on.
After 2 months I was able to get them to the vet. She offered to clip them. At this point they were free-flying all day, rotating between their cage top and three play stands.. NEVER went on the projector anymore.. sometimes it was a little hard to get them back in their cage, but I felt a pain in my heart when I thought about clipping them when they were so used to flying now. I said I needed to think about it.
I've since watched Citrine over-bathe himself once, and get his feathers so soaked he couldnt fly. But he kept trying so hard it broke my heart.
I've since walked into a pet store and suddenly I could SEE the clipped wings. They look so odd - like half the bird is missing, or like severed fingers.
Sometimes I do catch myself wishing they had been more fully clipped so they had bonded with me more at the beginning, but then I feel guilty for being so selfish. They don't sit on my shoulder for rides (because they dont need to). They don't cutely walk around on my desk or my furniture (because they have plenty of their own furniture), and I worked really hard to get the bond we have.
But they fly around and chase each other in a tornado above my head and are SO HAPPY.
I get it, why people do it. And if mine had been "properly" clipped to begin with, I might have stuck with it.
But I am so glad they weren't.