WingClipping---Part 4--Objective/Neutral

[Dave007]

Taking Responsibility for the Clipped Parrot

 

 

 

The decision to clip a parrot should be freely made, rather than imposed by present social customs. While much of the literature in print today regarding parrots would have you believe that it is irresponsible not to clip a parrot's wings, the fact that clipping wings is seen in other countries as almost akin to a form of abuse allows us to understand that there are no "have to's" about this issue. Each parrot is an individual, as is each owner. For some, the decision to keep the companion parrot flighted will be the best one. For others, such as homes where small children are likely to leave doors open, one of the residents tends to be absent minded, or the parrot is very territorial, it may be a very good decision to keep the companion parrot's wings clipped.

 

If we do choose to keep our parrots clipped, then is it imperative that we take responsibility for doing so. We must learn about and come to understand the process of molting, and teach the parrot to allow an examination of his wings so that we can tell when he does need grooming and that has to do with someone else dealing with clipping. In order to prevent a "bad" wing clip, be prepared to act assertively with the groomer and specify the number of flight feathers that should be removed, because it is your bird that's being dealt with. A person who decides to do their own clipping may find that your parrot will hold it against you if you clip his wings yourself. That happens frequently and causes distrust and increases the chance of being bitten when doing it and also in the future when dealing with some other type of situation. That's when the phrase--**A grey never forgets** comes into play. And, lastly, hard work needs to be implemented to make up for the fact that the parrot can not fly. We should move him from perch to perch throughout the day, so that he has some variety, and strive to provide him with a varied number of activities through which he can exercise both his mental and physical abilities.

 

In this situation it's possible to explore the "gray" areas of flight. For some parrots, it might be a good idea to allow the parrot a few weeks of full flight each year after the annual molt if it does have a set of wings during that molting time, before clipping him back very gradually. This should help to keep him physically fit but others don't feel that way.

[Birdnut]

Thanks, Dave. These discussions of flighted vs. non-flighted parrots are really thoughtful and informative posts. They have given me some ideas I hadn't thought of before.

[Loki'sMinion]

Thank You Dave!

 

These are all great and I appreciate you taking the time to write them up and post them

[Jayd]

Once again, Thank You Dave......Jayd, Maggie, Spock and the Flock!

[danmcq]

Excellent series of articles Dave and very well written. Thank You!!!!

[Luvparrots]

This is great and informative information. Thank you for taking the time to post this much needed information for us Dave. I have already made these Four Threads each a Sticky and if there are no objections and with Dave's permission will at some point lock these threads to stand alone. Thank you so much Dr. Flock!!!!