Judenmink Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 As I have just mentioned in a previous thread I have literally just picked up my baby CAG today. I asked the breeder to clip his wings for me and was surprised when he only clipped one side. I thought both needed to be the same so that the bird was not unbalanced? Wont just having one side make him even more clumsy? He has not flown at all yet. I know in an ideal world he should have flown a few times before being clipped. What I am wondering is should I clip the other wing to match what the breeder did to the first one? Many thanks for any comments. Jude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Having just one side clipped is dangerous. Both sides need to be clipped identical. This is so they can glide down from a height instead of spiraling out of control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 I don't know who your breeder is but he does not know much about greys if he clips only one wing because he will spiral instead of glide to the floor. And another thing the bird should have been allowed to master flight and landing before the wings were clipped in the first place. If I was you I wouldn't have much trust in this person if this is how they run their business. I definitely would not recommend this person to anyone else. Enough spouting off, I would match the clip on the other side and then allow the feathers to grow out, which won't happen until the next molt, and allow the bird to fly and land properly.:huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Wow! I've never heard of clipping one side only. I would make sure both sides are done, and done correctly. Then let them grow out so he can learn to fly for his own safety before clipping again. :dry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Any moron would know not to clip just one side. Birds need both wings to be the same for proper flight and if too many feathers are missing from one side they cannot fly or land correctly. That breeder should not be handling birds period.:angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 The guy that cleans the carpet at work told me to just clip one of Gina's wings to keep her from flying. Apparently, he used to do that with his cockatiels. I promptly corrected him. Idiot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Good for you Number6 thats telling him.:cheer: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Monique Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 I would clip the other wing to match and then would let him learn to fly when they grow out if you have such an environment you can make safe enough for him to do so in any way. Then if you wish to clip again you can do so evenly on both feathers. I believe that clipping one wing is how it was done "in the old days" when birds were less common as pets and people really did not know any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judenmink Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share Posted June 18, 2007 Thankyou for that everyone...I will be getting the scissors out today! I think my breeder was very loving and good with his birds but he is probably the 'old type' He has been doing things for years the same way and that is how he has always done it. He knew nothing of the online parrot community. I will even up Elmo's wings today. Jude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreyMiester Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 My breeder clipped only one wing and I made her clip the other one. She warned me that there is still the risk that my TAG can still fly away if he catch a draft of wind but there are two factors to consider. 1. a gust of wind is not constant unless there is some kind of wind storm, and if there is a storm, its likely you are not going to go out side anyway. 2. With clipped wings, the bird is not able to fly efficiently, therefore will not get very far if it does escape, unless the wings are clipped improperly, i.e. - not enough of the primary flight feathers cut. I would try to hold off on clipping until the bird is at least 2 years old if it's not to late. Much of the psychological development is tied in with learning to fly. I personally had my bird clipped, but I now regret doing this. Next molt, my TAG will remain unclipped. Post edited by: TheGreyMiester, at: 2007/06/19 15:46<br><br>Post edited by: TheGreyMiester, at: 2007/06/19 15:50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Judenmink, welcome to the forum Good to have you join us. You will clip his wing by yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardsmommy Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Clipping one wing sounds like a practical joke...like standing behind a tree and calling a blind dog. A book I have has a different take on how to clip the wings. They say to clip every other feather. This would give him enough flight to get out of the way of a cat, but would not allow him to fly far. I don't know about you, but it's all I can do to trim his feathers straight. It'd be difficult and dangerous for me to clip every other feather...and Richard is as calm as they come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeasarsDad Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Richardsmommy wrote: Clipping one wing sounds like a practical joke...like standing behind a tree and calling a blind dog. Yes indeed richardsmommy I agree with you 1000%.. I would NEVER do that to sny bird.. if you someone wants or needs to clip wings... it's both.. Not one.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caspersmum Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Hey all, When I got Casper's done I did alot of reading around on the internet, and found an article about a new clip - clipping the primaries from the outside - in the past a lot of people would leave the first 2 or 3 primaries in place to look prettier. I had this done on Casper - it's a good clip, if you're that way inclined, because there's no risk of birds damaging the two feathers left on the outside which have no support. You can also do it in stages to allow them some degree of flight - whatever suits you - gliding, but not able to gain height; gliding to the floor with a bit of flapping; or plumetting like a stone (only joking). Like everyone else has said, clipping just one wing is old school and pretty dumb! Julia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardsmommy Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Caspersmum, can you show us a picture of Casper's clip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richardsmommy Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Caspersmum, can you show us a picture of Casper's clip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judenmink Posted June 19, 2007 Author Share Posted June 19, 2007 Thanks for your input everyone. I did clip the other one to match the first and when he flaps it all looks even :-) I have an appointment with an avian vet Friday so I will get more advice on future clipping from him/her. We are hoping to let him grow his wings in time but with 4 dogs in the house I would rather he didnt fly until they are used to him and are not excited by the flapping. Jude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caspersmum Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Hi Richardsmommy and all, Casper's a bit shy about showing his wings off - you might catch a glimpse of them on the photos on his profile though! Essentially, they just look like slightly small wings - even when he's got them extended. I'll try to get some better pictures - maybe when he isn't paying attention! In the mean-time, I've re-found the article about clipping - here's the link. http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww25ev.htm Julia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tari Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I love the idea of the wing clip so they can glide. I hate when my birds plunk to the floor. It sounds so painfull. I'd like to give that a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 You never want them to plunk to the floor, they can damage their chest if they aren't able to glide, and yes that would be painful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judenmink Posted June 20, 2007 Author Share Posted June 20, 2007 So I have a question. If a bird was clipped from a fledgling would it eventually learn not to try and fly/jump? Would the awkward landings put it off the whole idea? Or is it an instinctive thing and it would always try regardless of crash landings? Jude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Talon was clipped when we got her at 8 1/2 weeks. She can fly, and learned how, as soon as her wings grew enough to try. I think it is, and always will be instinctive of them to try to fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Birds were made to fly and thats just what they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dblhelix Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 They will try to fly even if clipped. If they get injured due to severe clips (falling to the floor etc) they dont understand why and this can lead to phobia, feather picking and other emotional trouble. They are smart, but its just completely unnatural for them not to be able to fly, to trust their bodies to do what their instincts tell them to do, to do what they are designed to do. There is a lot of information now about wing clipping in general and its affects on the birds we keep. The topic often drums up pretty strong feelings from different people. Suffice it to say that if you keep your bird clipped there are right and wrong ways to do it. I urge all to really read up on the topic, educate yourselfes to make informed decisions in the best interest for you and your pet based on your living circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ma12cus504 Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 it look alot better if wing not clip, but can be dangerous for bird if fly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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