to clip or not to clip

[jasperk]

that is my question. should you clip your african grey?

give me your oppinion

[tarnold]

I personally will clip mine even though I wish I did not have to. My ceilings are very high in my home. I lost one of my cockatiels when he flew straight up hit the ceiling and came crashing to the tile floor . He was 8 years old. Now I keep my birds clipped for saftey reasons.

[jasperk]

im sorry about you cockatiels thats very sad {Feel-bad-00020072} but i can see why you would clip their wings

[Mel]

So sorry! Is that the same danger as crashing into a window? I'm working on solutions. I think I'm going to clip because of that and I'm afraid my family and others will not be conscientious opening doors even though I have signs on them.

[jasperk]

from what iv heard they can still fly a little after being clipped is this true? because i have cats and dont want the bird to get hurt

[jasperk]

from what iv heard they can still fly a little after being clipped is this true? because i have cats and dont want the bird to get hurt

[kittykittykitty]

Yes,at least Precious can, but it's rather like a floating down to the floor. That could be dangerous with a cat!

[lovemyGreys]

Here is a previous thread on clipping...

 

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

[danmcq]

This is a highly debated topic as you can see from the link Lovemygreys posted.

 

Each person must make that decision based on #1 safety of the bird, #2 the physical health of the bird #3 the confidence and coordination the bird will gain from being flighted or at least allowed to fully fledge.

 

Of course, most the safety issues depends upon the owner to ensure all mirrors, windows are covered and that doors etc. are kept closed or the bird caged when visitors arrive, especially children that do not think as they play and run out doors leaving them open. :-)

[Lauri]

I agree it's a personal decision. When I got my Macaw he was clipped as a baby because he started flying around the store when he was being fed. Since they didn't want to take any chances they clipped him moderately so he would be flapping, but not gaining altitude. Well, this was my first big bird so when I brought him to the vet he suggested that he make the clipping look pretty. Didn't really think twice about it and said OK. He proceeded to cut the feathers down to the quill. After that he fell like a rock when he slipped and my Husband and I had to towel him and pull numerous blood feathers. He was very clumsy as a youngster because his one foot is slightly crooked due to his Mother biting him. We let the wings grow out to give him confidence and it did, but unfortunately he then flew to me every chance he got so I couldn't sit down. It's nice to be loved but sometimes you just need a few minutes to yourself! LOL

 

Now the rescued Grey I just got (Nimbus) was fully flighted and intimidated his previous owner. If he got out of his cage it might take her a day or so to get him back in! Needless to say I had him clipped prior to bringing him home. We're still a work in progress but hopefully with time and patience he will turn around.

 

So after rambling on about my life...:blush: I just want to say make sure if you decide to clip that they get a good clip so that he can land softly and not crash to the floor and hurt himself.

[tarnold]

I keep my Tiel (Elvis) lightly clipped so that if he does take off he can gluide and not drop like a rock. I plan on doing the same with Hershey.

[tarnold]

I keep my Tiel (Elvis) lightly clipped so that if he does take off he can gluide and not drop like a rock. I plan on doing the same with Hershey.

[Christina]

Our blue and gold was clipped when we got him as a baby. We kept up that tradition for the first year of his life but then let his wings grow out. He flies everywhere now and has gone from a nervous nelly to a very confident bird. When he first started flying he huffed and puffed like crazy for the smallest distance. Now, he flies in circles around the room and doesn't huff at all. I think its a great thing if you are able to make a safe environment for them but like others have said here, its a big commitment. We have all the glass in the house either covered or it has something on it, all ceiling fans are off until the birds are in their cages. Loki (b&g) won't put on a harness yet so he can't go outside or on trips without his carrier. So, there are a lot of positive and negatives to each side. You need to decide for yourself which one outweighs the next. We don't have little children who forget to shut doors nor do we have alot of people in and out our house, so this works for us. Finnigan's (TAG) wings are growing out now and she will be allowed to fly. I don't think that decision is for everyone nor do I say I'll never clip their wings again. But for now it works for us and the change in attitude and health for Loki was for the better, so we will keep it this way for now. I know that this wasn't any concrete answer, but I don't think there is one. Good Luck with your decision.