Need ideas on kennel travel

[HarLEYsDAD]

Originally Posted by CaptainGentleGiant

Harley'sdad,
How long does it take to grow out the flight feathers? I am not sure what to do. But, don't want to lose Captain when I have to take him outside.

If I decide to clip...I will remember your story and watch carefully that she only cuts a few inches.

What they sadi def applies but...

I know Harley does not know how to fly and never has show a desire to try or learn. Know your bird is a good thing too.

Harley and I have been going outside in my yard unrestrained for a year now. He got spooked once and popped up in the air about two feet and floated right back down. (A tree branch broke and fell about 20 yards away from us.)

THat is the extent of his flight. I was getting him to try but now with the feathers gone we will have to wait for spring or summer to resume.

As for the feathers growing...I can see that a couple of them have grown an inch or two since the clipping but maybe you mean molt?

He should start another good mold this spring. We just finished a mini one that seemed like a continuation of the srping one. After that he will get new flights and be able to at least float back to me. I am going to try and continue his lessons.

Again I lucked out. Harley is a good bird. I took him to a pet festival a couple weeks ago and I got a a harness on him and he was ok the first day but next day he was so distracted I took it off him and he felt much better. He still allowed strangers to come pet. I was extremely worried about that but he surprised me.

I digress but if you are worried at all then a slight clip and harness is what you should do. No matter what is said you would regret losing your friend and he would not be happy without you.

And I just cut a slit in the front side of my large dog kennel and can put a perch if needed. Easy squeezy.

[kellywess]

Originally Posted by jenseits

How are you planning on taking him outside? I would not recommend taking even a clipped macaw outside without some sort of restraint (unless you've already done a ton of free-flight prep). Macaws are strong flyers... even clipped, they could easily take to the air and be out of your reach within the blink of an eye.

You don't clip a bird in order to take it outside unrestrained. I'd hazard to guess that's the #1 way that people lose their birds to flyoffs (i.e., taking it outside because they think it can't fly).

If you're going to clip, I would advise starting by clipping the outside 5 flight feathers and seeing how that affects his flight skills inside the house. If he can still fly around easily, clip a few more. Do not cut any secondary feathers of the coverts. I also don't recommend leave the outside feathers intact (show clip).

It'll take a full molt cycle to regrow all the flight feathers (the come in one at a time; you can't cut blood feathers and you should avoid allowing blood feathers come in unprotected, so don't cut the neighboring feathers either). That usually means there's a short period of time where feathers are coming in during a molt where he could regain some of his flight strength. Don't underestimate how well a macaw can fly with just a partial clip (i.e., don't take him outside without a harness or a carrier).

VERY TRUE... I used to clip my birds. Even FULLY clipped my Yellow Collared Macaw and my Hahns could fly just as good as if I never clipped them. My Camelot is the only bird clipped right now because she is new and in bringing her home I had to clip her to keep her from flying away from me in a strange house. A month and a half later... shes comfi in her new digs now, she lets me know wings or not she can still fly. HARNESS! If you are going to be taking the bird in and out frequently, I would suggest a clip "AND" the harness. Once they build up those muscles, wings do not really matter too much. $30.00 bucks for wings and nails? That is steep. My AV Vet does it for $17.00.

[Haniyya]

When I first brought ROMIE home (march 08).... I went and purchased a dog carrier/kennel at Pet Smart. I think it's a Petmate...?? I made sure it was long enough to make room for his tail (cost me $100)... then I bought a rope perch and made the openings on the sides of the carrier wide enough to fit the ends (the perch is up towards the front). It came with a food dish that hooks to the door... so I would put some treats in the dish and just let him sit on the carrier... climb all over it to get used to it. He would look in... bite the rope... then come out. After doing that for a day, I attempted to put him in... and it did take a bit, he was NOT HAPPY.. lol. But after the second time, he wasn't so afraid. Once he was in there sitting on the perch, with treats in front of him, he was ok. I used it to take him to the vet (was also getting his wings done at that time, and also some bloodwork... he had only been with me a couple months). It's only used to go to the vet (he has a perch I made to hook to the bars of the headrests in my car, so he never uses it any other time).

The carrier/kennel works very well!!

(I only had the vet clip his wings the first time.... hubby and I have done it ever since... but I swear she charged me $80. I'm located in Canada.)

[Lori~D]

Is important to take your bird to "fun" places in the new crate before taking him to the vet in it for stuff. So he doesnt associate the crate with only the bad stuff.
Oh and Incidently: I know someone who lost their Macaw to a full flight out of nowhere. A bird that supposedly "never flew or showed any desire to fly ever" just flew off one day. Buh Bye!

[chinniechantel]

I use a huge petmate dog carrier that works great. I do not have a perch in there yet but that is my next project. I am just going to drill a hole and put a regular perch in there. I have read few times now though, that birds are more likely to get hurt with a perch in the carrier during car rides, and that they should be just standing in the carrier. What do you guys/ladies think?

[silvercb67]

$30.00 is steep. I only get charge $10.00 for both wing & nails.

[TAGyourIT]

I use a wire dog crate. It works great and I can put the perches in there without having to do anything... :-)

[CaptainGentleGiant]

I was so happy before reading Genesits post. I clipped Captain's wings last saturday. He has been with me outside. It was so nice. Now, I will be fearful again!

[CaptainGentleGiant]

Great idea TagYourIt! Thanks for the picture with your beautiful bird!

[teenab]

Captain - I wouldn't suggest taking him outside without a harness. Like Lori said - you just never know. I have a 17 year timneh rescue that I was told absolutely can not fly. He was horribly clipped when we brought him home but has since grown out. Guess what I caught him doing the other day?! ALL OVER THE HOUSE like a little pro. I personally don't clip because my house is set up so that I can close doors to my kitchen but the birds still have plenty of safe places to fly. They usually only fly when startled tho. I also limit who is out of their cages at specific times so that my more aggressive birds can't hurt my friendlier ones. Now having said that...since mine are all rehomes - I did give them moderate clips when I first brought them home because I have found fully flighted birds to be more aggressive then clipped birds. I needed to work with them & not be put in a position where they could easily escape or bully me. I will also clip if they start getting aggressive with me...my B&G's have bonded & sometimes need to be trimmed to remind them who the boss is! I usually only do that if they start launching off their cages to lunge at me tho. I normally can tell when it's safe to try handling them & when it's not safe - I leave them alone. I do need to safely clean cages & feed them tho. It is a personal choice & reasons for clipping or not clipping can be made for a variety of reasons. The birds safety should always be the main reason IMHO.