Very Important Question!!!!!!

[chip]

Ok well the other day Irish and I were outside and when I started to go back inside she flew away.
She flew into our neighbors tree about 30 or 40 feet up ...I think....anyways.
I stayed there and talked to her and snag hoping she would come down.
After about 15 minutes I think, I wasn't really sure it seemed like forever and I was just trying to stay calm.

Well after about 15 minutes or so, she started wanting to come back. She was shaking her wings like she usually does when she wants me to get her.
and after about 30 second of that she seemed to have enough courage to jump off the branch and fly back to me.

I was just wondering if this has happened to other people and what do you think I should do.
I don't clip her wings usually because we have cats and I like to let her out as much as I can so when she is out she can at least fly away from them if she wants.

I just know that I have seen vids on youtube of this family and their beautiful conure who go on trips and take him with them. He flies all over the place and always goes back.
I just don't know if I should let her outside again.

I just need someone elses opinion.
And it probably seems really stupid to let your bird fly around outside, but she IS a BIRD and birds fly.
well.....I really hope I can get some good feedback.

Thanks for reading!

Peace and Love.

[Lori~D]

I personally think that if your bird is not extensively recall trained or in a harness or clipped (and even clipped they can fly away) then it is irresponsible to take your bird outside. It is a rare case that handraised birds survive in the wild and you got seriously lucky your bird came back.

[chip]

Originally Posted by Lori~D

I personally think that if your bird is not extensively recall trained or in a harness or clipped (and even clipped they can fly away) then it is irresponsible to take your bird outside. It is a rare case that handraised birds survive in the wild and you got seriously lucky your bird came back.

I understand that.
But I take her outside alot and thats the first. I'm not exactly sure what to think.
but I do think harnesses are mean. I mean I can see why people use them. But to me they just don't seem very......bird friendly.
I just don't think i will take her out for a while.

how do you recall train them????

[Monica]

You *REALLY* need to recall train her inside before taking her outside. There are people who free-flight there birds outside, but this is with training.

Should you clip your bird?
The Flighted Birds wiki
Living with Flighted parrots
Carly Lu's Flight Blog: Parrot Training, Flight & Recall
Free Flight Training
Flyers - Home
Recalling Phoebe
February, 2005 - shanlung
Tinkerbell, a free flying CAG
Good Bird Inc. Companion Parrot Training Through Positive Reinforcement
Wings At Liberty - Avian Training & Flight Instruction
Bird-Click : Bird-Click
Parrotrecalltraining : Recall/Freeflight Training for Parrots
Freeflight : Freeflight
The Bird Man of Las Vegas

Here's free flight gone wrong.
YouTube - Tui parrot missing free flying - don't try this

[becca623]

I, too, like to let my birds fly but I don't take them outside without a harness on. Too many bad things can happen. A lot of people have lost birds that way. I would recommend letting her fly around inside the house. You could purchase a large aviary for her to fly in when outside. You can look into recall training if you are determined to let her fly outside. Or you can get an aviator harness and a flight line. The Parrot University makes and sells them. Steve, the owner, does recall training with some of his birds. There are groups on line dedicated to recall training. You may want to join some of them. I've seen several free flying parrots but it takes work and training on the part of both you and your bird.
My mom wanted to let her cockatoo fly freely outside but I threw a fit. I reminded her of a lady we met who let her amazon fly around outside while she cleaned his cage on the back porch. She did so for 11 years. Then one day instead of flying to his normal spot in a tree, he kept going. She never saw him again. Plus, there is the danger of prey animals. Hawks and other large birds will swoop down to snatch smaller birds. Cats, dogs, and wild animals, do not know the difference between your beloved baby and a wild bird.
Please do a lot of research and get the support of someone experienced in recall training before you do decide to let her fly outside.

[Tom Lawless]

I'm with Lori on this one. I've heard a lot of stories about people who thought their birds were deeply bonded to them and end up watching them take off. Sometimes they don't mean to. They may not know how to find their way home, they may get carried off in a gust of wind too strong for them to navigate, they may end up too high and not know how to get down, they might get startled and fly off, ...the list is endless. I've heard too many sad stories. If you keep him fully flighted I would make sure he is harnessed whenever you take him outside.

I'm glad your story had a happy ending.

[shosh]

You should consider yourself EXTREMELY LUCKY that your bird came back.
Don't push your luck, PLEASE!!!
Irish may not come back again....
Many times when you see people take their birds outside, their wings are clipped....even then, it can be risky because many birds can still fly with clipped wings...they may not get great elevation or distance, but they can certainly pump their way to a tree...or to the ground where there are cars and predators. There are also predators in trees (crows and hawks could take down a conure....)
If you take your bird outside, that's fine...but she MUST be under your control at all times. That is to say, you MUST keep her in a cage or, if you are handy and the weather is warm, you can always consider building her a lovely outside aviary where she can fly and enjoy the sun in total safety. Yes, you can harness train but that takes enormous time and patience and knowledge.

As for keeping her winged...there is nothing wrong with that. I love to see birds fly...that is one of the things which makes them so special. That being said, your bird and your cats SHOULD NEVER MIX! Just because your bird has its wings does not necessarily mean it will get away from a determined cat....trust me, my cats have brought in enough winged wild birds for me to know that to be true. Your cats should be kept AWAY from your bird....if the cats have run of the house, you might wish to find a room for Irish that is totally his ( and hopefully, it is a room where you a good deal of the time....) My birds are in my master bedroom where they all fly free ( when they are out of their cage) and it is a room where the cats ARE NOT ALLOWED...EVER! The door is always closed. Or if that is not possible, Irish should be allowed out ONLY when the cats are NOT in the room and your are there to make sure.

So? my advice? Be a hell of a lot more careful with your baby....or you will end up heartbroken....you got very, very lucky.....I see far too many ads for people whose birds fly away...and I'm sure many thought they were completely safe..but birds get spooked and one careless moment by you and you will have to live with the guilt. Don't mean to sound harsh, but you really need a good shake! and I'd hate to see you devasted and your bird dead.

[chip]

thank you for posting!!!
And for your thoughts.
And of course I am not going to take her out again anytime soon.
Even if I do I would probably put her inside my jacket or something.
I am really lucky she came back though.
I think she was nervous of the world or something.

Well......I will definately look into recall training.
and she does fly around my house.
Well not really around my house, she only flies to me if I put her somewhere else in the house.

But I think she also came back because the whole time she was up in the tree i was talking to her and singing her favorite songs i sing to her.
:p

Right now though she is safely in my room staring at me. I think she is trying to come over here. Ha silly Irish.

Well thanks Again!!!
times Abillion!!!!!

[chip]

Irish is Kept in my room as are the rest of my animals.
And as for who rules the house.....Well that's Irish Hahaha.
The cats,(well MY cats,my sisters have their own but they dont go in my room) stay very far away from Irish. And if they are in the room when she is out, Irish stays on my shoulder or in my lap.

But then I also got Tok and Irish at the same time when they were both babies, so maybe she just has learned to stay away.
But no I never trust the cats alone. EVER!

[Greymood]

Recall training is not foolproof. I have heard stories of people thinking their birds would come back and they didn't. Like you said, she is a bird and birds fly. As much as they love you, they would rather be free. If you must take her outside, take her in a small cage. They get startled by noises and fly away. You don't know how lucky you are to get her back. Don't press your luck.