Should I get her wings clipped?

[Courtzrocks]

I have one of both. my tiel has never been a good flier and would injure himself pretty much everytime he did so he is clipped for his safety. Matches is a great flier and will fly back to us or to her cage when she does fly so she is flighted. Just what is best for the safety of the bird and what makes you comfortable.

[4HAND]

If you get her wings clipped make sure the person clipping does it properly.Trim only the outermost five [or six] primary feathers and only as short as the secondaries.An improper trim can make a bird really uncomfortable an even start them plucking.Don't assume a vet will do it this way. Some on this board have had their bird's wings really butchered by a vet that should have known better.I do it myself because I don't trust anyone else to do it right.
Tena

[jjones1719]

Baseballa, I too advise to have their wings clipped but only after they can fly well. You don't want to clip so that the little girl or guy crashes to the floor. Clipping the wings also keeps the bond that you have strong as you little friend depends on you to take care of them and they look forward to having you around. My Male Eclectus sometimes can get into a mood and then I know it's time to clip the wings. I alway take my Eclectus to the Vet to have this done as well as his claws. Just to advise, don't let a Vet or anyone else shape their beaks, if you Eclectus has wood toys, they will chew enough, to keep their beaks in great shape. If your Eclectus is not chewing, try toys that make them work for their food, this too makes an Eclectus chew when they really don't want to. Good Luck with your little friend. Great PIcs. JJones1719

[joni7]

I agree with Hyancithlove, I think its much better to leave birds fully flighted if you are taking the proper precautions at home. My B&G loves flying all over, actually calls out in delight as he flys around. I am considering an eclectus as a 2nd bird and would do the same thing let him have free flight.

[joni7]

I agree with Hyancithlove, I think its much better to leave birds fully flighted if you are taking the proper precautions at home. My B&G loves flying all over, actually calls out in delight as he flys around. I am considering an eclectus as a 2nd bird and would do the same thing let him have free flight.

[JulieF]

I just joined this forum yesterday, and I'm on the wait list for my first bird, a male eclectus. I did TONS of research on flighted vs clipped birds, and came to the conclusion that I would keep my bird flighted, despite all the literature and vet advice that says that keeping a flighted bird is irresponsible. It seemed to me that he would be happier, and lead more of a "birdy" life that he was made for.
Having read this post, I am happy to be reassured that keeping my prospective bird flighted is not the most horrible thing in the world to do to him, and that others are keeping their birds flighted with some success, given the precautions that one must take. So thank you all for your posts; they were very informative and make me glad that I joined this forum! :)
An interesting fact that I came across: while in North America it is customary to clip parrots' wings, in Europe almost nobody clips; most pet birds are flighted over there! So that just goes to show that if done properly, there is nothing wrong with it.

[jenseits]

IF you decide (and that has to be a decision only you can make) to clip her wings after she's used to flying, which she should be if she's fully fledged, I think it would be best to cut only one or two flights one each side at a time, gradually working up to 5 flight feathers each side..

I think (and I'm no expert) that it would be really traumatic to be able to fly one day, and the next day you're crashing into the floor... without any idea as to what's happening. A clipped bird doesn't have a lot of options as to where they land, and most birds find the floor a little scary. And if she's clipped all at once she won't have any idea how hard she needs to flap in order to break her fall, resulting in possible injury.

I'd want to introduce the concept of "hey, no more flying" gradually. That way it gets harder and harder and eventually it's just easier/better to be picked up and carried around.

I've never tried this in practice so I'm only guessing it would be better that way, but it makes intuitive sense doesn't it?

FWIW, my sun conure used to be clipped, now has 3 flights on each side, and is flying pretty well. I've decided not to reclip for now because he doesn't seem to be courting trouble. Basically he flies between his cage and his playstand, and when he's startled (then he just flies in a circle and lands where he was before). If he starts flying places he's not supposed to I'll reconsider. All I'm saying is that a bird who can fly isn't necessarily going to get into trouble. Just make sure they are ALWAYS supervised (and never off-harness if you go outside)

[jenseits]

sorry for double posting

[jenseits]

whoopsie, or triple posting. hiccup in the software.

[svolk]

Originally Posted by JulieF

I just joined this forum yesterday, and I'm on the wait list for my first bird, a male eclectus. I did TONS of research on flighted vs clipped birds, and came to the conclusion that I would keep my bird flighted, despite all the literature and vet advice that says that keeping a flighted bird is irresponsible. It seemed to me that he would be happier, and lead more of a "birdy" life that he was made for.
Having read this post, I am happy to be reassured that keeping my prospective bird flighted is not the most horrible thing in the world to do to him, and that others are keeping their birds flighted with some success, given the precautions that one must take. So thank you all for your posts; they were very informative and make me glad that I joined this forum! :)
An interesting fact that I came across: while in North America it is customary to clip parrots' wings, in Europe almost nobody clips; most pet birds are flighted over there! So that just goes to show that if done properly, there is nothing wrong with it.

I think you'll find many of us who choose to keep our birds flighted for their benefit. When I started out on these boards 2.5 years ago I have already noticed how many more people speak up on the benefits of full flight (and the responsibilities that come with full flight). And you are right - if done properly there is nothing wrong with flight, there are only great benefits!