to clip or not to clip wings

[wastrox]

Hi --- We just got Cheerio, our 2 year-old TAG. He/she is getting used to her new home. She's doing pretty well with step-up practice but sometimes she flys off and into a window. We have tons of big picture windows and doors in our house. I'm afraid Cheerio is going to get hurt. I've considered clipping Cheerio's wings but am a little reluctant to limit her flying ability because we have cats and a dog. Do you think I should get them clipped a bit? Is there a way to ensure he can still fly to safety if needed? I never have him out unsupervised but I just want to make double sure he'll be safe.

[lovemyGreys]

Wastrox Only you can decide to clip your grey & yes there is certain clips that still allow some flight.Make sure you find a qualfied avian vet who knows the various clips available I have included a link for you to have a read through...

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/25408-the-african-grey-to-clip-or-not-to-clip.html

[shanlung]

Welcome to this world of living with parrot, especially a grey.

 

Since you are thinking seriously of allowing your Cheerio to be flighted, you should go into Tinkerbell webpage. She is my grey, flighted and would join me in the mountains and places in Taiwan.

 

How that was done, and the training are written in detail. This will show you a window into living with a flighted parrot.

 

http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9/

 

 

Please read this earlier thread here on wing clipping.

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/8152-wing-clipping.html

 

That thread will give you a lot of information for you to think about.

[Ozzy]

Although having a flighted bird can be fun and exciting for the bird, I don't think it is a good idea at all. I have had too many friends who have lost their beloved parrots by seeing them fly off into the distance. Yes, even the trained ones. I have also seen many found parrots who never have been reunited with their owners. Where you ask have I had this type of experience. Well, I am a volunteer for a bird rescue and these stories are REAL. I have three dogs and six cats which all live comfortably with my three parrots who are all clipped. I have a wonderful avian vet that knows how to clip them so that only the first five flight feathers are done. This way if they need to fly off for any reason they are afforded the ability to do so without too much height or lift. At the same time if they fall or slip off a perch they have the ability to gracefully land instead of crashing only a few feet from where they started. Please carefully consider clipping the wings of your beloved pet. It only takes one mishap when your flighted parrot is perched on your shoulder to become a lost pet in the sky. Just a simple task like letting the dogs out or answering the door for a delivery while he/she is on your shoulder and he/she is gone - possibly forever.

[Ozzy]

Although having a flighted bird can be fun and exciting for the bird, I don't think it is a good idea at all. I have had too many friends who have lost their beloved parrots by seeing them fly off into the distance. Yes, even the trained ones. I have also seen many found parrots who never have been reunited with their owners. Where you ask have I had this type of experience. Well, I am a volunteer for a bird rescue and these stories are REAL. I have three dogs and six cats which all live comfortably with my three parrots who are all clipped. I have a wonderful avian vet that knows how to clip them so that only the first five flight feathers are done. This way if they need to fly off for any reason they are afforded the ability to do so without too much height or lift. At the same time if they fall or slip off a perch they have the ability to gracefully land instead of crashing only a few feet from where they started. Please carefully consider clipping the wings of your beloved pet. It only takes one mishap when your flighted parrot is perched on your shoulder to become a lost pet in the sky. Just a simple task like letting the dogs out or answering the door for a delivery while he/she is on your shoulder and he/she is gone - possibly forever.

[shanlung]

Ozzy,

 

Saying that even 'trained' parrots fly off into the distance is indeed your right.

 

But it begs the question what kind of 'training' was done? If those 'training' was sound in the first place? And if the owner really understood what they should be doing instead of what they have done.

 

I repost below a letter posted here about a year ago.

It seems as relevent now as when I wrote it then.

 

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

 

 

 

 

More thoughts on wing clipping

A letter from http://www.greyforums.net/forums/limitstart/30/african-grey/8152-wing-clipping.html

 

Dave is an old friend from another forum that I met again in greyforums recently as MrSpock.

 

MrSpock wrote:

 

Proper wing clipping will allow a bird horozontal movement and the ability to glide downward to a floor. The ideal wing clip is one that allows a bird to fly about 8 ft before gliding down.

 

 

Hi Dave,

 

In an ideal world, what you say above may be right.

 

The other extreme will be extremely severe clipping of wings. When I was in Riyadh and in a parrot shop, this grey jumped off the top of cage about 5 feet from ground. The sound of him hitting down, the spray of blood around him, and the screaming of that poor guy hurt me crazy. I do not wish ever to have another keel bone broken even if not in front of me.

 

People clipped for a few key reasons.

 

1. They had been conditioned to that because of what they read or were told. This seemed to be peculiarly American. Tinkerbell wings were so nearly clipped by me at the beginning as the books I read all recommended that (all American books) as well as forums in 2002 when I first had Tinkerbell. I was lucky enough to bought a British parrot mag to give me second thoughts.

 

2. The sight of initial flights, the crashing into walls was extremely frightening and I thought my precious Tink was crazy in trying to fly through walls while I stumbled about chasing her with a pillow to cushion her falls after hitting the wall. Once again, I so nearly reached for that scissors and Tink the flyig grey of Taiwan so nearly did not exist. But that british mag persuaded me to let that continue for a few more days.

 

She then found her flying skills to turn, slow, hover and stopped banging into walls.

 

Folks, this episode is inevitable. Your birds may be natural fliers, but even so, they MUST develope their muscles , flying skills and sense of balance. But at this early stage, their speed will be very slow(even if it appeared fast to you) and chances of harm to them will be there.

 

You can minimise this by letting them fledge in a small room, with curtains or rope nets around the walls for them to fly to and cling too. Or you can run around like me with a cushion.

 

If you see a human toddler trying to walk and falling down, will you have fear for his/her safety and not ever let him discover balance and walk? Will you have him/her crawl for the rest of their life because you are afraid to see them fall?

 

This is same as your choice for your bird.

 

3 By clipping wings and thinking thus the clipped bird will never fly away. I need not repeat my earlier postings of clipped birds that flown away.

 

In what Dave said , that is true in an ideal world. Unfortunately, we live in the real world.

But most people then went on to extrapolate that then, their bird will never be able to fly away. That is where I draw that line.

 

So after you got that 'perfect clip' and your parrot then fly about 8 feet and not gaining height. But again, have that clip been tested under worse case condition? Such as a sudden blast of air horn , or a strange hat thrust in front to see if that parrot cannot gain height in a spook situation?

 

Can you bear to do a sudden spook, or allow others to do that to your parrot? To see if that clipped wings hold good in spook conditions? And with Murphy at your elbows, how about throwing in that gust of wind at the same time?

 

Can you ever guarantee such conditions will never ever occur to you?

 

People had thought so. Their parrot paid heavier price than they did.

Your choice again to see if you can beat those odds.

 

On a different note Dave, I tried to log in to your old forum to let you and other friends there know about my last trip to be with Tink in Nov last year. If you did know, fine. If not, you might like to read this

 

Tinkerbell Interlude photoset and videos, and start of next chapter of life. Also as to why I am now here in Brisbane , down under.

http://shanlung.livejournal.com/65169.html

 

 

Shanlung

 

http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9/

[mas]

If you decide to get wings clipped, make sure it is by someone who is fully qualified - an avian vet.

 

If you read my past posts, you'll see what can happen if you get someone who does not know what they are doing to clip you bird's wings. Our CAG had her wings initially clipped by the bird sitter -and it was an awful clip which resulted in her chewing at her wings due to discomfort - this week she had to go for some surgery to get the damaged feathers removed, and that was just heartbreaking for us, and pretty traumatic for her too. She's doing fine now, but it just goes to show the magnitude of damage that can be caused by a bad wing clip.

 

If you decide not to clip, you could maybe put some sheers over your windows so Cheerio realises that the windows are not something she can fly through.

 

We will probably get Zahzu's wings clipped again once the feathers grow back, because we have people coming in and out of our house all day, and I'm not skilled enough to be able to train her for free flight, so it's much too greater a risk.

 

Good luck in making your decision

-Sameera

[danmcq]

Wastrox,

 

As a continuation from your other post here in training room, regarding all your bay windows and your Grey flying into them. If you cannot bird-safe your windows, then clipping seems like a no brainer to me.

 

Though I prefer to keep my Parrots flighted, I have also made certain that they will not fly into an uncovered window or mirror and break their neck. I g can guarantee you that with dogs and other critters around, it is just a matter of time that your Grey will get spooked and fly as fast as he can through the first available exit from the threat. If that is an apparent open hole in your wall (window), he will fly full speed into it.

 

As others have stated, when getting your Grey clipped, make sure it is done by a Pro that clips so he can gracefully flap down at a 45 degree angle to the floor and land without busting his keel open.

 

Sorry if I sound a little too "in your face", but I do take the safety of our critters very seriously and do not wish to see anyone go through the pain of losing a loved one due to not being informed of serious dangers that exist. :-)

[di2008]

hi wastrox clipping is an individual choice from what i can see, but can't you have blinds or something up at these windows so that the bird will not fly into them?im having my grey in july but im trying to prepare my home in time for his homecoming, i too have very large picture windows, so im getting blinds and have 2 very large mirrors which i have moved to other rooms, but then i want a flighted bird and thats just my personal choice, i think whatever you decide to do people will not judge provided you get it done by a qualified vet

 

di

[Lyric]

The blinds or curtains are a good idea, also you can try walking your bird around the room and letting him tap on the window glass. Explain to him that it is a window and he cannot fly through it. You could also apply some temporary decals or stickers so the bird can see where the barrier is. Just some ideas to try. My TAG is not clipped and I can tell you that dealing with him takes a lot of patience. I am hesitant to clip his wings because he so enjoys his freedom and I think flying is very good exercise for him. I am very careful to always be aware of where he is and monitor any doors opening- there are two doors to go through before access to the outdoors so the risk of losing him is minimized. Good luck in your decision either way.