free range

[Masamune Jan]

We have not clipped our grey`s wing and he has the rule of the roost at home. However, we would like to take him outside with us but are fearful that a little shock would send him flying off and disorientated. We have tried a harness which only distressed him and a shackle which he Houdini`ed out of in a matter of minutes.

[AndyJG]

Parrots allowed free range of the house have drowned in toilets, flown into windows and broke their necks, and were killed by ceiling fans. Greys are strong flyers, even with clipped wings. Taking the bird outside exposes it to cats, dogs, hawks, etc. I assume that you paid a good price for your bird. Are you prepared to pay that amount again for a replacement bird?

[sweetleaf]

You WILL loose your bird if you take it outside without clipped wings.

[Tlynx]

activity that can potentially save someone`s dear CAG here.

Do not take take your bird on `walks`. We naively did the same thing...guess what....for FIVE years. Never a problem, always fun, fun, fun. Zoe was clipped, trained (yeah, right), and perched on our hand with another hand gently covering her feet. Even *that* didn`t seem necessary, at the time because she just never got spooked and seemed to enjoy and behave.

One day, for seemingly no reason at all she flew away. Straight as an arrow, like she`d been doing this her whole life. *She flew high, straight, fast and far out of sight.* We looked and called for her for hours...almost the whole afternoon, in fact. We pounded on doors in the entire neighborhood asking if anyone had seen our precious bird. We searched every tree carefully until I finally heard her identifying call to me. (More about that sometime) There she was, in someone`s backyard, sitting deep in a tree with dogs barking at her. Thankgod, she was okay.

We were stupid and naive to have ever chanced taking her on walks, or for that matter, taking her anywhere where she is not securely double-locked in her traveling cage.

Now she is almost eight. She loves her outings and talks all the time about going to visit people or taking a ride in the car. However, she`s always caged. It`s a larger size cage, btw, not the typical smallish ones you may see. Bulky, but it`s worth the extra size so she gets a really good view from inside it.

I believe it was on this group, a number of years ago, that someone came on to grieve about the loss of his Grey. He was walking along the beach with his bird, like he had done for years and years. One day, the bird simply flew away. He found the poor thing dead, washed up along the shore. I only remember this because after our near disaster I did some research. Maybe you should, too. And, I say this in the most kind way because I know just how we felt--*our* bird was trained and predictable and, gee..such fun it was on these walks.

Now for the last three years Zoe still talks about that incident. Almost every day...it`s a whole litany of phrases about flying up that tree, dogs, barking, etc. I swear, I don`t encourage this conversion but since she insists I do pay attention and let her vent.

A sense of supervised "free range" for our dear birds, I believe, is important. Zoe does not stay in lock-up while I`m here at home. She`s got several perches and swings around the house where there is more than enough to keep her interested (and interesting, too.). If, by chance, she gets spooked by something, she has on occasion, flown off but we have her clipped on a regular basis by our Vet and she basically just flys to the ground. If, however, she was doing this alot, she`d be inside her cage, but she`s not, never has. Personally, I would not have a bird or any pet that was caged all the time.

About the harness thing...some people claim success but I wonder how that keeps potential prey away? Where I live now we have very aggressive hawks and eagles and, of course, dogs, as well. I wouldn`t risk it. Zoe would freak out, for sure, if I tried attaching anything to her, that I know, for sure.

Well..best of luck and good times with your bird.

[Tlynx]

Yes...this bears repeating.

[younger]

Not one of my parrots is wing clipped and not one has gone into the bathroom as I keep the door close, nor has one ever flown into a wall or window or anything else. PLease stop perpetuating the myth that parrots all over the world, but especially in America it seems, fly into walls and windows and drown in toilets on a daily basis if their wings aren`t clipped.

[maj]

This says a lot about you as a birdkeeper. All it would take is for you to forget to shut the bathroom door one time and your beloved pet would be gone. How can you justify the risk, no matter how small? It`s not like we are talking about an insignificant danger, such as Teflon poisoning. This a real risk! Shame on you.

-Rob (Remove "stop-spam" to send e-mail)

[habakuk]

I know when I was on crutches - a totally unnatural way to get from one place to another - I used to stumble and trip and run into things too. My birds have never once hit anything since they`ve had their ability to fly returned to them a year ago. In fact, it`s still a source of amazement to me how well they maneuver around, over, and under things compared to their former (clipped) clumsiness. It`s only after wing feathers are altered and they`re trying to do what comes naturally under unnatural circumstances that they have trouble. Never had a bird fly into water, into a window, against a wall since they`ve been allowed to get about normally - however did have a few minor accidents as they tried to get around when they were "hobbled". That stole their grace, maneuverability, confidence, and balance so of course they were clumsy.

[johns13]

getting used to, but now she knows that when we get her "coat," she`s going for a trip. She`s tried to get out of it, but has never been successful. There`s a little D-ring on a tag, and she spends a lot of time chewing on that. Sometimes she flies in circles at the end of the leash. If you`re going to try to leash train your bird, you`ll need lots of patience, but it can be done.

[PanamaRed]

I have to agree with everyone. You must understand no matter how well you feel you have trained your grey, instinct is stronger than your training. Your grey WILL fly away. That I promise you.

As far as wing clipping, I am an advocate of it; all of our 4 birds have theirs clipped, but as they are growing out, yes, they will be clumsy and fly into things if we are not careful. Especially if you have a large picture window.

Please......do not allow your bird on outings if they can fly. I agree with the earlier posting ...it was wonderful...in that their bird goes on all kinds of outings but is CAGED. In fact, there are several companies now that allow you to purchase a backpack of sorts with a huge view window for your bird and with a perch inside as well. Even if your bird`s wings are clipped...when they are growing out, they can fly a little bit and if they get startled, they can fly up in a tree...rest....then fly again to another tree. This happened last 2 years ago with our Jenday Conure. We were ignorant enough to think we could take him outside. Thankfully, we found him. That was the last of his "outside forays" without a cage.

I have never tried the harness.......best of luck with your decision.

[younger]

been shutting the door for over 30 years and it is as natural as breathing to me.Just as it was when I shut it to stop my then small child from getting in there and drowning in the toilet or getting into the meds cabinet.

[maj]

Just like any one who uses Teflon makes sure not to leave the pan unattended, right? Oh, but wait, wasn`t it you who said that anyone who cares about their bird(s) should not us Teflon because they could make a mistake? In fact, you reported that:

"Bloke comes home from the pub, decided to make some chips, puts the chip pan on the cooker and falls asleep. Result, one dead parrot."

You then stated, "Personally I am not prepared to risk the lives of *my* birds . . ."

I guess what you are really saying is that you are willing to risk the lives of your birds when it suits you.

Let`s face it, you are a hypocrite.

Have a good day. :-)

-Rob (Remove "stop-spam" to send e-mail)

[younger]

Hey folks, it seems I have an admirer :0) He *must* be an admirer cos he follows me around and reads every word I write. SHame the silly man don`t take note or understand what I write though. Ah well,he *is* only a bloke after all. Been a while since I was stalked though.I`m flattered.

[barabbas]

into a ceiling fan about 13 years ago and it damn near killed him. Thankfully he survived intact and I keep his wings clipped at all times now. And also keep both AGs wings clipped.

[younger]

the same time?????????? Well if that isn`t just the daftest thing. Don`t blame unlipped birds, blame careless owners.

[Shastar25]

Even when clipped, our grey HAS flown into our ceiling fan. Happened a couple of years ago. It was running at a good speed and I thought it would kill him, but he seems to be resilient and somehow survived it without injury. I no longer run the fan while the bird is out of his cage.

He has also flown into windows and walls. Clipped or not, greys are clutzy flyers.

In a park in my neighborhood, I have seen a guy walking his dog with two mccaws perched on its back. Everyone gets a big kick out of it, but it seems risky to me. I frequently see people walking through parking lots going to Petsmart with birds on their shoulders.

Ron Kershaw Phoenix, AZ

[barabbas]

didn`t even realize the ceiling fan was on, much less that they owned one. He was sitting on my arm and flew right into the blasted thing.

This is just to point out that you might know WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT, but might not realize what you might encounter when visiting someone. I didn`t now know the dangers of a ceiling fan, and would never had thought about it because HE NEVER FLEW OFF MY ARM BEFORE until he flew into the fan. Nice to know that birds and owners are so perfect where you come from.

[younger]

off ceiling fans if I had them, and then I do not take my birds visiting as the risks of catching something or flying off, or getting spooked are too great, plus I don`t beleive I ought to inflict my pets on my friends, however much I love my pets.

[rl75]

I know I`m responding to this late... but THANK YOU for such a well told and important story. I couldn`t even imagine the fear you must have felt when your Zoe flew away. I am SO glad your story had a happy ending. I understand the pros and cons of BOTH sides of this issue...but I`d rather be safe than sorry...I do everything in my power to be a responsible bird owner, but I`m human and I`m not exempt from making mistakes (and my bird has a mind of her own too)... I choose to clip my bird`s wings.

I also choose to not use teflon...My parents think I`m nuts about how protective I am, and how paranoid I can get when it comes to the health of my bird. The choices I make are to protect my bird...and for NO other reason.

And that`s just my personal opinion...and me and my bird are both safe and happy... THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS!!

[Tlynx]

Reading your post over reminds me that most of us take care of our birds the same as we do children. Choices we make regarding our dear birds, unless blatently abusive, shouldn`t be criticized as much as they sometimes are. For example, the teflon argument is so old it gives me gray hairs just `thinking` about it~~

On the other hand, I do think it`s important to listen and keep an open mind. That`s why this group and other resources are so great. And, I definitely have made changes regarding my care and nourishment of Zoe because of it.

Very best to you and your bird!