Wing Clipping

[CA Birdlady]

To clip or not to clip? This is always the question. I once found an African Grey because its wings weren't clipped. I suggest you do clip, especially with the bigger birds. You can do a clip that will still allow for flight, but not liftoff. Check with your vet, breeder, or pet shop.

Michelle

[BigBird]

I think it depends on circumstances. I had a superb parrot not long ago and left him unclipped. My brother in law walked into the house and didnt shut any doors and before we knew it bird was gone. I now have an eclectus I got her before she took her first flight and have left her unclipped. Iwas always determined to make sure she fledged properly and learnt how to fly and it aids their growth and balance as well not to clip too soon. But I have resisted clipping her now several months later, she doesnt have the same curiosity that barnaby did and I guess I am more cautious of what she's up to. With barney i left him out of his cage all day, unsupervised, this will never happen with alexis. Im so scared of losing another one that I am much more diligent and wary of what she's up to and whos in the house.

But I see nothing wrong with clipping. If there are other animals in the house it is in their best interest to be free flighted, but if its not the most bird friendly house then clip them. Its good for bonding at the beginning, once they grow out then reassess the situation.

[oONightFireOo]

I think that this question really depends on the situation...

None of my babies are clipped. However, when I first got our first cockatiel (Pikachu) I did clip her wings one time. I think that both methods have good and bad points about them...

I personally do not clip anyone's wings because they enjoy flying, and I believe that it is good exercise. I have also worked with all of them - and they have free-flight in the house. But first, all fans are turned off, and I make sure that things are out of their way.

However, there are some positives about clipping wings... When there are open doors or windows birds can escape. They can drown in sinks and toilets - and clipping their wings can help to decrease these risks...

I really don't clip mine because I love watching them fly around - and they are safe. They seem to have a blast - and I don't want to do anything that would inhibit that fun. When we got LeMonjello - his wings were clipped - and he honestly acted a little down when the others would be flying around. But now he has molted and can fly - and he is a happy little boy...which also makes me happy!!

~Kevin

[truelove]

I STRONGLY feel it is absolutely 100% Safe! I lost a cockatiel due to feeling that clipping his wings isn't right. Then, he flew away. I told myself if I ever get another one (which i have 3 tiels now) I would cut them and I wouldn't feel bad about it! Yes, they're birds and "are meant to fly" but they're domesticated! I'm not going to risk loosing my baby just because "they're a bird." I went through that heartbreak once with Zazu, and I Can not go through that again. It is safe for your bird and for yourself.

[wildirish]

I agree, it really depends on you, your hme, lifestyle and the birds. Accidents happen. All of ours are full flight, though some do not seem to know it yet even after 4 years. We have enough open space to fly, so I let it go. I also have no kids opening doors and it is just DH and I and not much company as our non bird family and friends think they are too loud LOL!

Everyone has to do what they are comfortable with. I do have one, Ginger our M2, that will most likely be getting clipped as the attitude is through the roof right now, plus she won't wear a harness for beans! Ginger is a boy (misnamed) and is now 12 and a brat LOL! She loves to "visit" Lowes and other places, but will eat through a harness too quickly to without having her wings clipped.

There will always be debates with good arguements for both sides of the clipping issue, I still feel that each person needs to do what they are comfortable with. Some want and can live with full flighted birds, others can't. I don't think there is a truely wrong or right answer for this.

[kimikk]

Its a good choice if you plan on not harness training or feather teather training. The B & G will be a home alot and not out and about. Then you should. So he/she does not hurt themselves around the home. Its bad if plan on taking this B & G outside in public or camping etc; You don't have to do a full clip either. 3 to 4 is a "light" clip, but if outside and not harnessed, the bird could get in a tree, if windy or spooked. Five is a clip that allows them only get so far of the ground a "glide" clip if you will.But again if windy or spooked, could get away. And 6 to 7 feathers is a full clip that their is no flight, except if the bird is a strong flyer, cockatiel and some other kinds of birds can fly on a 7 feather clip. You have a few choices. And please allow them to fledge for a awhile until you decide. The Aviator Harness is a wonderful thing and start this as soon as the macaw starts to fledge. You can use this even if you do a full clip too. It comes with a Dvd on how to use it, more for the older ones to get used to it. But babies don't seem to mind it! Hope this helps :)

[loyallyroyal]

I think not clipping can be very rewarding, but it simply takes more work on your part.

It's great exercise, they enjoy it, and they can freely fly from their cage, to their play stand to you, and its good for them mentally. To me it’s the same as walking for us, you can take away my ability to walk and I can still exercise, and be carried around, but it’s not the same as walking. So I still feel you are taking something away from the bird and that’s why I choose not to clip, but I am also willing to go the extra mile to keep my bird safe.

IF you don’t clip your birds wings use some common sense, don’t take your bird outside without a crate or harness, when you are cooking put your bird back in the cage, shut the bathroom doors when the bird is out, turn off your ceiling fans when the bird is out, make sure your bird knows the layout of the house and where all the windows and mirrors are, and train a reliable come in case of emergencies, when you don’t have time to properly supervise your bird put it back in its cage, bird proof your home to keep your bird out of anything you don’t want it into.
Don’t let people in and out of the house while the bird is out, have a closed door/window policy.

If you can’t do the above and put your flighted birds safety above what you are doing at the time, then yes clip them, there is no reason for your bird to get out and possibly die for your negligence.

So in conclusion, is unclipped good for the birds yes, does it take more work on your part yes, if you are not willing to put the time and effort in keeping your bird safe them PLEASE clip your bird.

[jenseits]

There are more responses to your question (both pro and con clipping) in this previous poll: Poll: How Many People Clip Their Birds?

I think setting the choice as "bad" vs. "good" really oversimplifies the question. It's not a question of good or bad, but one of "is it appropriate?" It is neither inherently good or bad; and without knowing the circumstances, it's impossible to say whether it's appropriate. There are a lot of nuances to the question, and in order to make the best decision, you should keep a very open mind when doing your research.

[SisterBlue]

I have always clipped my birds, and I've had birds for almost 30 years. It's a personal choice, it works for us, and I've never seen any emotional issues with my birds.

However - I will caution you that a clipped bird can still fly, so harnesses are a *must* when a bird is outside. Here's my story:

I grew up with a beautiful B&G Macaw named Rocky. He was already a mature bird when my parents got him, but he was a total lover. They used to bring him outside all the time and let him hang out in the trees in the front yard, supervised.

I was home on break from college and before I left to drive back to school, I told my mom "Make sure you clip Rocky before you bring him outside again, I noticed he has some flight feathers coming back in." Do you think they clipped him? Nope. I got a panicked call in my dorm room a few days later from my mom, who told me that she had Rocky outside, and a car went by and startled him. He instinctively took off, and she watched him soar over the trees.

They did get him back - more than a week later and almost 15 miles from home. He was banded so they could identify him...and thank goodness the people whose yard he finally landed in, exhausted, checked the paper for lost bird ads and called my parents.

He was physically OK, but lost quite a bit of confidence from the ordeal, and wasn't too keen on coming out of his cage for quite some time after he came back home.

So...yes, I advocate clipping, but it is definitely not the "be all and end all" of bird safety.

-SB

[perrinda]

I really believe wing clipping is best for several reasons. The first and foremost is related to the number of pet parrots that accidentally get out and fly off. I could not handle loosing my African grey because he was not clipped. He did take off once because I didn't realize he had become full-flighted. He had never flown before and something spooked him and off he went. Twelve hours and seven people later we found Riley in the top of a 100 foot tree. We had to actually climb the tree to scare him down because he was not going to try this flying thing again. Another good reason for clipping a bird is that many parrots take on an aggressive attitude when they know they can escape and fly away from you. My vote is definitely for clipping a bird....Deb