Another question to ponder...

[CRToon83]

So I've had Amira now since the beginning of July... she's about 7 months old now; just went through her second molt. However, I'm trying to figure out if I want to keep her wings clipped or not.

I've always been wanting to do a managed flight clip. But the past few weeks I've been going to class and leaving her cage door open so she can have free reign over the playstand on top of her cage and I have another playstand next to her cage, attached with a limb, that she can get on. She seems to be much happier when she's left out for the day to have fun.

She was fledged from the breeder before the clipping, and even though she can fly... I don't want bird droppings all over my place. The living room wouldn't bother me - it's all tile. But I have a really nice microfiber couch and a wool rug. Plus I don't want to bring a date over and have bird droppings on the table, ya know? lol.

But even now every time I come home, she's still on her cage or playstand. I have a connection to the floor so if she does flutter down she can get back up. Do you think maybe she would just stay on her plethora of play stands across the room?

Also, if she was clipped I wouldn't want to let her out when i'm not home quite simply because she could fly out the door when I get home.

What are y'all's opinions on this?

[Carbon]

Nara became somewhat potty trained, almost unintentionally from my part. She used to love flying and would fly laps around the room after her shower (I'm guessing to dry herself up lol). I want to give that back to her. As soon as she gets her flights, I'm going to potty train her all the way. I still wouldn't leave her out of the cage when I'm gone for the day though. I just feel it's safer to keep her in her cage in my absense (I may or may not be justified in this, and I'm going merely on gut instinct).

[Jag]

I wouldn't leave any of these yahoots out when I'm not here. I think there's too much that could happen. About the furniture, though.. you could cover it with a sheet or something. I think that flighted or not sooner or later she's going to explore everywhere she can possibly get to. Since they can only go about 2 minutes without going poo... I'd cover what you don't want wrecked. I've decided since Rico and Rayne have 'decorated' our lamp shades and wiping it off has left marks, too, that I'm going to get new lampshades and leave the plastic on or something. I have to have a better way of wiping them off than this. *Sigh*

There's something to be said about people not coming over, LOL! Not only do I have my living room full of parrot cages, but a playstand, things on top of the cages, and a big Jolly Ball hanging in the middle of the room from the ceiling! We place puppy pads around the living room in the spots they are 'most likely' to go.

[NotEnoughTime]

My girl, and all the birds I've had in the past, would stay out in the home if I'm gone for a short time. All were flighted. I never had any fly past me and out the door - Usually they flew to greet me at the door though so I could stipulate the possibility.

When I leave there are a few places my girl will go. She heads into one of the bathrooms to play on top of the medicine cabinet, or she stays at her living room perch, or she will go into the other bathroom to dance on the shower curtain rod. Rarely she will be somewhere else when I come back.

Poop is something I live with.

She knows to go at her perch - but she will accidently "let go" at other perch places. I've never found any issues with cleaning bird poop - but then I don't feed any artificial colours and there may be some issues with stains if artificial colours are used in food...

I would be a bit more worried about chewing. Parrots (and my girl) will chew on cloth items - so some of our chairs have pretty well chewed seams on the cloth or leather upholstery. If left her alone with a chair to chew on... Hmmmm.... Sounds a bit like conure heaven to me...