To clip or not to clip that is not the question but .......How to clip?

[Sharona]

My local pet shop who are really good clipped Annie's wings when she was about 6wks old, Annie was our Eastern Rosella she followed me out the back door & is now i believe gone forever :-(
The first 5 of both wings were clipped she was about 6 wks old, after being clipped she flew to the top of their curtain rod!?!?
I then clipped 4 more a few weeks later, she could still fly really well after that! And now the rest is history!
When i bought Molly (Our Beautiful Sun Conure) about 2 weeks ago, aged 8-9weeks, I asked the breeder if she could cut her wings as i was petrified of loosing another bird!!
She did & she left the last three, I dont know why & i didnt question it!
She could still fly & fly well!
Yesterday i had her on her flight lead & she flew off me & with the wind she took off! Lucky she was attached to my arm!!!!
Today i took her to my pet shop so as they could clip the rest!
They told me there is no point as she will be the same & still be able to fly!
I need to wait till all the others grow back & start again!
Also i was told the last three were left for looks!
Would love to hear your views on clipping!
Thanks for listening to me babble on!
Sharon

[NotEnoughTime]

Conures are strong flyers. Short of clipping all primary and secondary feathers so that the bird plummets like a rock (which IMO is more dangerous) then a conure will develop enough muscle to overcome a clip.

You are right to be concerned!!

The best advice I can give is to follow the advice of gbird in To owners with FLIGHTED BIRDS...PLEASE READ **UPDATED** which is a sticky in the general discussion forum, and also perform "recall training" with your bird. Teach your bird "come" and "stay" - they will help in the home anyway.

Good luck!

[brdfvr]

Clipping isn't to prevent the bird from flying, but from gaining altitude (catching an air current doesn't count). My birds are all clipped (but growing out) and they can still cruise a good distance across the room. But I still haven't found any birds on the fan. Don't cut all of your sun's feathers, the first 6-7 should be sufficient to prevent them from gaining altitude. Can she still get up to her cage from the ground? If so then the clip was not done sufficiently. Perhaps her flight feathers were left too long. Can you get a picture of the wing?

They should still be able to fly, just not fly up.

[NotEnoughTime]

Originally Posted by brdfvr

Don't cut all of your sun's feathers, the first 6-7 should be sufficient to prevent them from gaining altitude.

IMO it only takes a couple of weeks for a conure to develop enough muscle to overcome a clip. They might not *show* you that they've overcome it - because they haven't tried... yet. But they can, if they fly at all, climb an amazing amount just a couple of weeks after a clip... This has nothing to do with feathers "growning out" but has everything to do with strength development.

After a few years my girl has learned that she only has to tolerate a couple of weeks of level flight after a clip and then she goes back to roaming the house at will... Her wing noise is much higher ('cause she has to flap harder) than when she's grown out her primaries... And she seems to move faster and with somewhat less control with her primaries cut... But she is not willing to *not* fly (if the double negative makes sense)... So I just live with a flighted bird and try to manage the risks.

[hollyhawkz]

Our boys are both strong flyers at best of times. (I can finally say that about Pepper) When we first got Pepper clipped, I had a friend who bread Parrotlets clip him. Well Parrotlets can fly totally clipped and being used to that she took all the flight feathers off instead of leaving three or so. It could have killed him a couple times because he hit the ground so hard. It can break the keel bone, which is very serious, or cause internal damage. A lesson well learned.

I don't think there is a perfect, "no flight" clip because of this. When we clip Wawa we only have 4 or 5 taken off. He can still fly, but not like a bullet, and he does not gain the altitude.

The average clip takes off 4 to six flight feathers.

All of this only applies to inside. If there is an updraft in the great outdoors, it does not matter how severe your bird is clipped.


Don't forget....

Competent assistant
Animal nail clippers
Towel

Consider carefully whether to take your parrot to the Vet to be clipped. They are better qualified and have the instruments to do the job. If you decide to do it yourself, then follow this outline.

Hold the bird, gently wrap it in a towel and hold it by the neck with the feet down. Never restrict the expansion of the chest, as the bird would suffocate. The head, feet and other wing must be restrained well to prevent damage to the bird or you. This part of the job is best done by an assistant that is familiar with the wing structure and terminology of the feathers.

Take out one wing at a time for clipping. Hold the wing so that if the bird flaps it will not injure its wing. Only trim a few feathers at a time. Then check and see if the bird can fly. You want to trim feathers until the bird can fly only a couple of feet.

Cut only the primary flight feathers of the parrot. You should cut them to slightly less than the length of the major coverts. This will keep the ends of the feathers from irritating the parrot and will help keep them from plucking their feathers. The feathers should never be trimmed below the first barb and first vein.

Avoid cutting a blood feather. This feather is still growing and so still receiving a blood supply from the body.
Give the bird a test flight to determine if you have clipped enough of the feathers to limit their flying capabilities.

here is a video to help..

How to clip parrot wings | Wonder How To

[Sharona]

Thankyou for all your great input!
Very much appreciated!
We will just have to be very, very watchful of her when going in & out the back door & i will also read up on the Recall Training! Thankyou.
When the time comes to clip her again i will get my vet or pet shop to do it, as i am not confident enough!
Thanks again.
Sharon & Molly..............Oh & Husband!

[hollyhawkz]

Originally Posted by Sharona

Thankyou for all your great input!
Very much appreciated!
We will just have to be very, very watchful of her when going in & out the back door & i will also read up on the Recall Training! Thankyou.
When the time comes to clip her again i will get my vet or pet shop to do it, as i am not confident enough!Thanks again.
Sharon & Molly..............Oh & Husband!

I know what you mean, with all the information I have saved right at my finger tips... I am way to chicken!

Besides, they can hold a grudge against the person(s) who towel and clip them so better the vet than me!