My lovie is able to finally fly, but what now?

[SharFully]

A few months back, I decided to clip her wings and she got very unhappy. Not that she able to fly before I let her wings be clipped over. Seeing her so unhappy made me decide not to repeat this action as I want my sweet bird to be happy.

Yesterday she took off for the very first time. I accidently made a noise by closing the curtains and she flew over to the other pair of curtains she climbed in before. Realizing she could actually fly startled her and once returned to her cage she was quiet and stared into oblivion. Something she does when she is stepping out of her comfort zone. Silly birb.

Today she tried on her own, flying a small circle and then back to the top of her cage. She was as happy as I have ever seen her! Hopping around and rushing, running and just... She seems so happy! Not all her flight feathers have returned.

We're not bonded, but she is slowly warming up. Nibbling my nose (something I didn't let happen again because I don't know what she will do). She even preened my hair last week. She's still afraid though but there is progress.

Some say that keeping a bird flighted is dangerous for them... And surely it is. But one that can't fly is in danger as well. So it's a choice we have to make. For lovie's well being, I choose to not clip the wings. She is happier. I'm convinced that no matter what we choose, accidents are in small corners.

My question is tho. Now she's learning to fly, can she still bond with me? I want her to love me, just like I love her. But I decided that everything will be on her time. I just need to know if it's possible.

Also, we're moving soon to a bigger place. Where she will have a room to sleep and more space to fly. Of course I will take everything in consideration to prevent mistakes from happening. Now I live in a student home with 20m2. 5th of July I will get the keys of my new home. Living room / kitchen will be 28m2. I'm already making sure not to have any Teflon and by then make the place safe for her.

Look at her flighties! She's so beautiful!

 

[Hermesbird]

What a precious girl she is!

Now she's learning to fly, can she still bond with me? I want her to love me, just like I love her. But I decided that everything will be on her time. I just need to know if it's possible.

I must say now she has more confidence. The more time you spend with her I’m sure she will learn you are no harm. It’s tough when they are clipped because they lose their confidence. I think if she’s approaching your nose, pretty soon you will have a nice bonded bird. But just remember to keep it on her terms.

 

[SharFully]

What a precious girl she is!

I must say now she has more confidence. The more time you spend with her I’m sure she will learn you are no harm. It’s tough when they are clipped because they lose their confidence. I think if she’s approaching your nose, pretty soon you will have a nice bonded bird. But just remember to keep it on her terms.

Yes, always~ learned the hard way that is can't be forced.

She is my first bird and I was told many things before I learned the right way. Holding sessions, so forcing her to be held... Clipping wings is the other.

But yes, I learned from those mistakes.

 

[Tazlima]

Of course she can still bond with you! I have a cockatiel, Charlie, who spent seven years in a cage before coming to me. He was completely unsocialized and terrified of humans, particularly hands. About the only thing he had going for him was that, because he was never let out of his tiny cage, his family didn't clip his wings. If he found us frightening, he was free to move away and sit someplace high up and observe the household in a way that let him feel safe.

Eventually, he decided we were pretty okay, and now he flies TO us (he still hates hands, but he likes to sit on our heads and preen our hair). It's a nice feeling, and no clipping was required to achieve it. Your bird is starting from a much better place, and will undoubtedly thrive.

I understand why people say flight gives a bird "confidence," but I feel like it's not quite the right word. Confidence implies swagger and strength. I feel like "security" or "relaxation" is closer to what flight gives them, but that's not quite it either. I wish there was a bird-specific word for this exact scenario.

Imagine, for a moment, that you're standing in the middle of a road, and you see a car heading your way. Are you afraid of the car? Maybe. If you're tied up and can't move, you're liable to be terrified. But if you can move freely, all you have to do is step out of the road and you'll be safe. From the side, the car is no longer scary - it's just a regular old car going by. Would you describe this feeling as "confidence" though? I wouldn't. I've never felt like it took courage or confidence to stand on the sidewalk while cars go by.

This is how birds approach everything. If something spooks them, they fly away from the scary thing and sit high up where they can see but can't be reached. However, because they can fly away, the "scary" thing really isn't scary at all, is it? If it moves away or they decide it's not a threat, they'll fly back down, comfortable in the knowledge that they can always fly back to their safe space. The car has passed, so now you can step back into the street, like kids playing pick-up baseball.

Taking away flight is like leaving someone tied up in oncoming traffic. Suddenly those non-scary things become VERY scary, because there's no escape, no comfortable sense of "I can handle this situation simply by moving away at the first flush of nerves."

With Charlie, we always made sure he had an escape. If he wanted to move away from us, we didn't pursue. And at first he did. He spent a lot of time sitting on the (disconnected) ceiling fans, just watching us do our thing. When I train my birds, they're all able to quit at any time, simply by flying away. Occasionally one of them will avail themselves of that option, but generally speaking, the knowledge that they CAN leave at any time is all they need to feel comfortable enough to stay.

 

[SharFully]

Of course she can still bond with you! I have a cockatiel, Charlie, who spent seven years in a cage before coming to me. He was completely unsocialized and terrified of humans, particularly hands. About the only thing he had going for him was that, because he was never let out of his tiny cage, his family didn't clip his wings. If he found us frightening, he was free to move away and sit someplace high up and observe the household in a way that let him feel safe.

Eventually, he decided we were pretty okay, and now he flies TO us (he still hates hands, but he likes to sit on our heads and preen our hair). It's a nice feeling, and no clipping was required to achieve it. Your bird is starting from a much better place, and will undoubtedly thrive.

I understand why people say flight gives a bird "confidence," but I feel like it's not quite the right word. Confidence implies swagger and strength. I feel like "security" or "relaxation" is closer to what flight gives them, but that's not quite it either. I wish there was a bird-specific word for this exact scenario.

Imagine, for a moment, that you're standing in the middle of a road, and you see a car heading your way. Are you afraid of the car? Maybe. If you're tied up and can't move, you're liable to be terrified. But if you can move freely, all you have to do is step out of the road and you'll be safe. From the side, the car is no longer scary - it's just a regular old car going by. Would you describe this feeling as "confidence" though? I wouldn't. I've never felt like it took courage or confidence to stand on the sidewalk while cars go by.

This is how birds approach everything. If something spooks them, they fly away from the scary thing and sit high up where they can see but can't be reached. However, because they can fly away, the "scary" thing really isn't scary at all, is it? If it moves away or they decide it's not a threat, they'll fly back down, comfortable in the knowledge that they can always fly back to their safe space. The car has passed, so now you can step back into the street, like kids playing pick-up baseball.

Taking away flight is like leaving someone tied up in oncoming traffic. Suddenly those non-scary things become VERY scary, because there's no escape, no comfortable sense of "I can handle this situation simply by moving away at the first flush of nerves."

With Charlie, we always made sure he had an escape. If he wanted to move away from us, we didn't pursue. And at first he did. He spent a lot of time sitting on the (disconnected) ceiling fans, just watching us do our thing. When I train my birds, they're all able to quit at any time, simply by flying away. Occasionally one of them will avail themselves of that option, but generally speaking, the knowledge that they CAN leave at any time is all they need to feel comfortable enough to stay.

Thank you so much for this detailed explanation! It makes a lot of sense. I had people tell me that not clipping is dangerous... But I think it is selfish of us to do so. To make things easier for US not for the bird.

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

Short answer - absolutely she will love you!!! You're doing everything right.