To Clip or Not to Clip

[Christina]

I know this is a very personal decision and it has been discussed before but, with Tink's escape and subsequent return, I thought it was timely to bring up again. What does everyone think about flighted v. clipped? I belong to a macaw forum and the "experts" there, are all in favor of clipped. We started letting our b&g's wings grow out, and his confidence grows each day, he can make flights now without being winded that before would exhaust him. It seems to be very good for him on a physical and mental level...but I do worry about him "flying away". Shalung and Tink had such a good relationship and even she, when presented with freedom, chose that over her "flock". Was it on purpose? Was she just too frightened to come back? Was she just confused? What are the pros and cons?

[chapala]

Same answer I just gave yesterday - in my opinion, the safety of the bird in your own situation is the critical factor. If you can keep your bird safe from both hazards and from escaping, then yes, I do believe it's better for birds to be flighted. They are designed to fly.

 

I would love to let my Grey's wings grow out, but in our situation, cannot do it safely. I would rather clip him, than lose him.

Reta

[Christina]

Okay, well, just ignore this post....I should have read more before posting. Sorry!

[chapala]

No problem at all! Questions are good. I just felt like I was repeating myself, not at all critical of the question!

Reta

[dblhelix]

Regarding the question about Tink. If you read the blog it is pretty clear she flew out of fright (car crash or some loud noise near by). Once spooked she was probably disoriented and confused. I dont know for sure of course...I am not Tink, was not there etc. Bottom line, clipped or not accidents of one sort can and will happen. To think your bird is "safer" clipped is in my opinion a false sense of security. To me the pros of flight to the birds physical and mental health outweigh the cons. No doubt there is some risk in keeping a flighted bird, but the majority of that risk exists with a clipped bird as well. Many a clipped bird has flown away and been lost forever to the owners amazement. Many a clipped bird has managed to fly into a window and break its neck. Many a clipped bird could not escape danger (eg fly up) and suffered. Flight proficient birds rarely fly into things or go anywhere other than where they intend. But remember, flight is a learned skill. Flight proficient birds need to be properly fledged and go through a period where they crash land, fly into things etc :blink: Any accident is terrible, but they are accidents. There is no guarantee about safety no matter how you decide to go. You really need to study the experiences, advantages, disadvantages etc and then decide what you think is right for you and your pet given your lifestyle.

 

If you think about it, taking flight from a bird is arguably taking the essence of their being away. A bird is flight, almost everthing about them is geared for it. Feathers, bones, cardiouvascular system, brain...Its beautiful and amazing and you can see they love it. I think there is some tendency for people to incorrectly assume the bird is more prone to injury if flighted, perhaps because flight is foreign to us. But that is not true. A bird that cannot fly in the wild is a dead bird. They know it and even if kept captive many become phobic, distrust their bodies, have other physical and mental problems much of which can be attributed to the clipped state. No boubt many many people keep healthy happy clipped birds. I am not saying its 100% one way or the other. But in general, I think it is healthier for the bird to be kept flighted.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/01/17 17:11

[Hannah_Rae]

Is there any site or other resource that talks about how to begin flight training your bird?

[Makena]

Makena is clipped, but we are planning to grow his feathers out.

 

Yesterday we took Makena on a walk. We walked along a beach path that runs along quite a few resorts. As we were walking by one resort they were stacking lounge chairs. Right as we walked by they threw a big stack of chairs down and spooked Makena... He took off with incredible flight!!! We were amazed. Luckily we had him in a harness so Andrew just ran with him, rather than pull the tether and he made a safe landing. Granted he may not have gotten far due to his clipped wings... But he could have...

 

So if the risk is there anyways, might as well grow them out! We just have to be very careful about shutting the doors and making sure he always has his harness when going outside.