Bwell79 Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 That is the question! How many of you experienced owners clip flight wings and how many dont? Please share some pros and cons with me and maybe a story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillyBeanz Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I shall restrain my answer as this is something I feel very strongly about! Harvey is fully flighted - he is a bird. They fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
she Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I would only clip wings under very special circumstances. Both my birds are fully flighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bwell79 Posted January 12, 2010 Author Share Posted January 12, 2010 Ok, I understand that it may be a touchy subject based on the replies. How does your Grey do flying in the house ie. windows etc. Do you take your Grey outdoors for walks/flights? Does it fly freely, and does it come back? I understand some people have trained birds to recall to certain commands, how well does it work. I would not want my Grey flying into windows in the house and risk injury, let alone flying away outdoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 My companion is just under 2 yrs old. When we first got him he had already had his wings clipped. I was wary at first about letting him be fully flighted in the house but wanted to give him the opportunity to see if he could live with us in the house fully flighted and be safe more than anything. We have let his flight feathers grow back and after much training he fly's in the house no problem. It's probably the best decision I have ever made, he fly's with such co ordination that sometimes he astounds me as to how he does it. But most of all he love's it! He fly's to me on command, if need's be and knows where to fly to and where not, it takes a couple of months of training but is well worth it. I have never had any issues with windows but this may be due to spending an extensive amount of time tapping the windows with Jackson sitting on the window sills to show him it's a solid object, so much so on occasion he flys to the window sills and taps the window to show me :lol: if he is flying towards a window he automatically diverts without myself saying anything. At the end of the day I would not criticise another owners decision as everyone has different issues but when you see the enjoyment they have a lot of peoples views would change and spending the extra time training them is well worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiesmum Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 My baby Is still only learning to fly (bless him) And at first When I brought him home he crashed into walls and windows and even flew too high and crashed into the ceiling. He also couldn't get the whole turning thing :laugh: But now even tho he's still not great at flying he doesn't crash into things anymore as he has got used to the layout of the house. Birds are very clever and yours to will have a few bumps here and there but he/she will get used to your house layout and know where to fly and not to fly. Use little stickers on your bigger windows so they know you cant fly through them. limit the amount of mirrors as these are a hazzard. My little Jenday Is fully flighted and he flys really fast all over the house and never flies into anything. When i got him first he had the odd knock tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearllyn Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I agree with JillyBeanz absolutely! I'm not what I would call an experienced owner, but I have had a few experiences (make sense?) Alfie has never been clipped. When we first brought her home, she was 12 weeks and flying within the week. The first thing I did was walk around with her on my hand and show her all the windows and mirrors, let her get close enough to them so she could touch them with her beak. we have 5 windows in the space where she lives. When she did start to fly around she never flew into the same window twice! These birds are very intelligent and can learn very quickly! I must stress that when she flew into the window, she did not hurt herself, maybe her pride a little! She was still very young and had not yet the skill or strength to fly fast and do damage. When Alfie was around a year she chewed her left wing feathers so badly she lost the power of flight completely, she could crash to the ground somewhat gracefully, but couldn't get any lift. When she realised she was flightless, I can honestly say she became very quiet and withdrawn - almost depressed. Looking at it from a birds point of view it's a no brainer - these birds were born to fly. There are some who free fly their birds, but personally speaking, I would never risk it! Even the most well trained bird who is absolutely bonded with their owner can get a fright out in the open - game over! Just ask anyone who has ever lost a bird through free flying if they would ever try it again. Alfie has an Aviator Harness and enjoys coming out for walks with the dogs in the summer! And out in the open can have a good fly around. She also does a lot of flying in the house and it's just awesome to watch her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
particle77 Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 I've also had no problems with flying in the house, or on the aviator harness. In my opinion, outdoor free flight training should only be attempted under the guidance of a professional trainer with significant experience. I also would not judge people who do choose to clip wings. I know someone who lost a cockatiel that had been flighted for many years without problem, because something scared him, and he crashed into a window in a moment of panic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bwell79 Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 Thank you all for the great feed back, I am still undecided whether to clip or not. I have just under 2 months to decide. I will research the aviator harness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittykittykitty Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 My two cents worth- my husband's boyhood parrot did not fly; Sammy did not fly while he was with us, but he was already clipped. I was too ignorant when Precious came into our lives. I had her clipped. Now she is flighted. It has taken her quite some time to learn to fly. We are still concerned about her hurting herself, but I am unwilling to clipp her again. And there are too many examples of clipped birds who have been frightened and flown, not to be recovered. I cannot imagine EVER taking my bird out of doors without a harness, clipped or unclipped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaxtersMom Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Why do you feel you have only 2 months to decide? Why is there a dead line on the decision? My suggestion to you would be to keep your grey fully flighted and let him or her learn to fly if it wishes. There is a great chance that it will not be any problem at all. If a problem should arise with having a flighted parrot then you can decide if it is in the best interest to clip or not to clip. I do believe it is in the parrots best interest not to be clipped but I do not hold it against those who clip their birds either. I have 5 parrots. My grey, conure and eclectus are not clipped and never have been nor do I plan to ever have them clipped. My amazon is clipped(~my husbands decision) and our newest Meyer parrot we just brought home was clipped at the pet store but I intend to let his wings grow back out. Is your grey a baby that has never flown...is it an older bird with unclipped wings that already knows how to fly? Can you tell us more about your grey and why you think or feel you should or should not clip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 First, of course, clipping is a personal choice. My grey, Ana Grey, was clipped when I got her at 4 months old. She tried everyday to fly and it broke my heart to watch her try. She is headstrong and very independent. It took a year, for her to get her flight feathers back and I worked/helped her to fly by "launching" her everyday. She is fully flighted now and loves to zip around the house looking for me. She has perches and boings all around the house and it is a delight to watch her fly around. I also feel so much better about her safety for now that she can perch up higher I don't have to worry about stepping on her. From the very beginning I have always seen that she knew where she could land and where she couldn't. Greys are very smart, she only lands on her perches and boings and knows my woodwork and drapery rods, etc. are off limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearllyn Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 My breeder also told me that leaving a bird unclipped is important to it's physical development - underdeveloped muscles can cause breathing problems later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerlily Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 when i got tigerlily i must admit i didn't really know what i was letting myself in for:P i took her straight to the vets for a check up and asked her to clip her wings, i thought that was normal. she said it would be best to leave it for a while as she would be stressed out enough with the new home and to see how she did not being clipped but if being flighted was a problem she'd be happy to clip them. I AM SO GLAD SHE DIDNT CLIP THEM i feel strongly that a birds wings shouldn't be clipped althoug i do understand why some people do and respect their decision. whilst learning tigerlily did crash into windows and mirrors and the floor but she soon got the hang of it and realised that she couldn't go through windows and mirrors and learnt how to land. but of course by learning to fly she has become good at it and can be a pain in the backside B) she LOVES flying onto places shes not alowed ie picture frames and tops of doors i'm yet to find a way of stopping the flying onto picture frames which means SHES verry good at saying "tigerlily, get down" you do also have to be careful with open windows and doors, the front door never gets open unless the living room door is shut, ive heard a lot of stories about birds being lost that way and am very cautious about opening windows. saying all that you cant beat the feeling of calling your pet and them flying to you and saying hello when they land. i also know that she likes where she is in the room otherwise she'd just move. i think the only reason to clip wings is if there are too many dangers around the house which cant b solved anyother way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaxtersMom Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Tigerlily, I thought the same thing when I brought Baxter home. I thought step 1 was get a parrot, step 2 was cut the wings. I guess because when ever I went into pet stores they all had clipped wings so I thought it was normal, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambert58 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Our TIMGO, Cleo, is fully flighted and loves it. Willow had one wing clipped (4 flight feathers) at the pet store before we got her, so she's partially flighted. It takes her a lot of effort but she can get wherever Cleo can, just not as gracefully. We plan to let her moult those clipped feathers out and be fully flighted. They both know that the windows are solid, and we have no problems with them. We never, EVER use the front door or back yard sliding doors when they're out: we'll go through the garage which adds a layer of safety. Some folks had advised me to get Willow's other wing trimmed to match, but she's gotten so used to it and I refuse to take the freedom that she has away from her. I think it would lead to an unsafe situation where she'd try to fly and would get hurt.<br><br>Post edited by: Lambert58, at: 2010/01/13 01:01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Misty was clipped when he came to me five years ago. Of course I let his flights come back. I have never regretted it and as for Misty I am certain he would not have become the happy smart fellow he is had he not been able to be the bird nature intended. His flying has never been a problem. he is expert in controleing his flying and he clearly would be devastated if I was to clip him. He hates me touching his wings and I respect his wishes. When his flights grew back I helped him to re-learn flying by launching him a few yards to his cage top with the words "Fly misty. Now often when he flies he will say "Fly Misty" or "Fly baby" when he lands. Clipping should never be done except as a last resort. I cannot imagine why I would ever want to clip Misty. Steve n Misty .<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2010/01/13 02:13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 B) Spock here, There's 19 in my flock right now, only one that can't fly and that's because he was abused so bad! It's only logical that a bird flies...Type "clipped wings" into search for good pros and cons... Spock Live Long and Prosper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janfromboone Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Tobie was clipped when I bought him. They allowed him one flight (probebly one day of flight) and then clipped him. It has (I think) been the cause of his feather chewing behavior as his feathers would molt. He didn't chew feathers until he began to molt and the new feathers coming in one by one would grow beyond the length of the clipped feathers and either break off or get chewed off. I am trying to get his wings fully grown out so he can stop falling and injuring himself. If I knew what a profound effect the clipping of his wings would have had, I might have tried to find a unclipped baby. That's stupid though because then I wouldn't have Tobie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtreme575 Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 I have to agree, Paco wasn't supposed to come to me, he was intended to go to a woman who had an accident, and, to my good fortune, I got Paco. The lady had requested that he be clipped, so I got a clipped baby. I'm going to let him grow out. Paco also chews his feathers on his chest, I really believe it is related to his frustration at not being able to fly, even though he really tries. Don't be hasty in your decision, it's a long process to have the feathers grow back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhorje Posted January 13, 2010 Share Posted January 13, 2010 Birds are born to fly so I leave Cocoa that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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