Arguments for & against clipping

[Tycos_mom]

This is true to each his own but our Greys are very smart and can learn very quick if there is a barrier there or not even if that barrier is glass all it takes is a little reminder once in awhile I also have a sun room with many large windows init the ceiling isn't glass but the walls are pretty much and my birds have been taught from day one about the glass and ia week we do the same lesson just as a refresher. when they fly that room is the biggest to fly in and they know exactly when to turn and exactly where to land they will go as close as 2inches from the glass and then turn and fly the other way its amazing to me sometimes just how much control they have birds can be taught anything if the owners are willing to take the time. I had a cockateil many years ago when I was young and that bird would fly out my balcony window and go out 10 ft and fly back in again he new where he lived and which apartment out of all of them was his. I had him for 18 years he never flew away. birds can do and learn what is taught if your willing to teach them.

[nanmadpad]

thank you christina.i stated my reasons for clipping my Zimba and felt mistyparrot was a attack on my personal choice. I also vacation at least 3x a yr. and my avian vet takes care of Zimba while i am gone and she likes him lighty clipped and does it for me, My dog would also seriously injure him. anyway were not all fortunate enough to have the facilaties that mistyparrot has.

[Kili]

I don't have a CAG yet, but I'm reading everything I can, so that I can care for him/her the best that I can. I have a sun conure that was clipped when I got her and she hasn't started to grow her flight feathers back yet, so it hasn't been a decision I've had to make. My problem with allowing her to fly or my grey when I get one is that I live in Hawaii and the back of our house is left open all the time. We don't close doors to the lanai because it's on the second floor and we need the ocean breezes. Also every room including our closests have ceiling fans. That alone scares me. My conure is only in her cage for sleeping and if I can't take her with me somewhere. I'm a teacher and she goes with me to school every day. She also goes with me nearly everywhere except the beach. Grocery stores and other places haven't had a problem with her being on my shoulder. She seems very happy. My husband works from home, so I thought when I do get my grey that we would alternate who goes to work with me and who stays with him. I also have two dogs and 2 cats. The animals all get along well, but I know the cats would get her if I wasn't watching.

 

So, I guess my question is, how would it be possible to allow my birds to fly and not have them get lost? I would really love to allow flight, I'm just really concerned about how I could keep them safe.

 

Any ideas?

 

Mahalo

Kili

[Dave007]

I have a perfect example of a bird that made a 180 degree personality and confidence change. I was given a bird who was totally featherless. Many others here have seen that bird from start to finish. The bird was 3 when I got him and is now 7. The bird never learned how to fly. How could he fly when he had nothing to use to fly ( feathers)with? The bird was kept in a cage for those 3 yrs. The bird was alone for most of those 3 yrs. The plucking went way past the stage of normal plucking. He had no feathers anywhere. It took 3 1/2 yrs to get his full set of feathers in. Eventually, he was left out of his cage here and the long term wonderful experience stopped him from further plucking. He now has a full set of flights and he flys, not as well as my others but most importantly he flys. More than likely he never will fly as well as the others. He wasn't coordinated after learning how to fly but he did improve quite a bit. Had he been able to fly as a youngster, none of this would have happened. Besides learning how to fly he needed to build up body strength. That also took quite a while. Even with a full set of wings, he had his crashes but it was those new set of flight feathers, those crashes weren't seruious. When he grew his tail feathers in he had the normal ability to use the tail feathers as a rudder which is what tail feathers are all about. He doesn't crash anymore. He has upward and downward mobility. I trained him to fly to me and/or my wife. He can now go from one room to another without banging off of things. He can now make a U-turn and go back to a stand on his own without landing on the floor. Fortunately, I was blessed with a bird who was able to get back what should have been his from when he was a baby although he had plucking relapses. His whole personality and acceptance of things can be attributed to his ability of accepting or not accepting things because his wings have given him that ability to do it volunterily. Because of his bad situation, many people would havekept this bird clipped after flight feathers finally grew in. With this bird that would have be regression into a bad time in his life.

 

 

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/05/05 20:52

[danmcq]

I love this story that was 2 1/2 years in the making.

 

Thanks for posting it and with the photo evidence of when you got him and after you nursed him back to being a full fledged bird once again that is happy and flighted.

 

Karma to you Dave!! :-)

[Mistyparrot]

Dave, What a wonderful story. :) :)

Karma indeed.

 

Steve n Misty

[Raposa]

Dave,

 

You have a very lucky bird, to have been "found" by you and your wife. Quite a touching story of a very extreme situation.

[Azzie]

Wow Dave that is wonderful. Bless you and your wife for having such big hearts and patience.

[Jane08]

Jesus Dave, you have done amazing things. I really hope people read your post and take note