That age old question of wing clipping...

An old and very controversial subject, for sure. I'm aware each situation warrants a different solution, so I'm not strongly advocating strongly for one team or the other. I'm well aware of the dialogue behind either party, however.

So Kermit’s wings have grown out and I’m at an uncomfortable crossroad. As a baby, I don’t think she was ever allowed to keep her feathers long enough to learn how to fly. I don’t know much on her upbringing, but even with a relatively light clip (5 feathers instead of up to 10), she could only ever cushion her fall. So I decided to let her grow out her feathers and learn how to fly, since I’ve read how essential it is for birds to learn how to do this for muscle and mental development. She usually prefers not to, but on occasion has been known to fly over to the person she wants to hang out with.

That said, the household Kermit lives in makes me uncomfortable. We have 5 sliding glass doors in our house and no AC, so often the doors are left open for airflow. I meticulously check the doors and fans before I take her out, but people are always walking in and out of the sliders when I have her out, and I’m so nervous she could take off at an inopportune time. On top of that we do have a terrier who, 95% of the time, is actually very good with the bird and trained to ignore her. The other 5% of the time she’s shown interest in her when she flies, though can be quickly snapped out of it with correction. Not clipping her wings would give Kermit the ability to get away if she needed to.

I’m well aware of the risks and it seems no matter what I choose to do, there will always be inherent risks. The house is small and it’s hard to send the dog outside for hours on end, as the dog would perceive this as a punishment I’m sure. Both are social animals and it’s hard to pick which one gets locked away so the other can get attention. I’m considering a light clip, but I’m not sure if that does me favors either. It just makes it more difficult for her to escape a dog, and still capable to escape out an open door.

On top of that, Kermit is a cocky little fluff and dive bombed the dog yesterday o.o Just for funsies, I guess.

This decision is really bumming me out. I’m not sure I can really win I'm not looking for a clear-cut answer, since I'm not sure there is one, but I'd love to hear how people made the decisions they did and experience in cohabitation of different animal species.

You're definitely in a situation. I would definitely try to keep Kermit in a separate room where you can shut the door to take him out. Having the wings is definitely a good thing and a bad thing in your situation. It seems like you have a lot of flying hazards but on the other hand it's definitely good to be able to fly in case the dog goes after him.

I personally don't clip wings but I also don't have the hazards that you have. For a green cheek you should definitely be clipping all of the feathers because even with only 5 being clipped it could potentially take off. If you do go the route of clipping all of the feathers just make sure you show Kermit that he can't fly in a room that's properly cushioned.

IndySE said:

We have 5 sliding glass doors in our house and no AC, so often the doors are left open for airflow. I meticulously check the doors and fans before I take her out, but people are always walking in and out of the sliders when I have her out, and I’m so nervous she could take off at an inopportune time.

This would also make me uncomfortable. A solution to this...have you considered putting screens on all the sliding doors? Would instantly solve that problem, and they keep out bugs, too!

we do have a terrier who, 95% of the time, is actually very good with the bird and trained to ignore her. The other 5% of the time she’s shown interest in her when she flies, though can be quickly snapped out of it with correction. Not clipping her wings would give Kermit the ability to get away if she needed to.

I’m well aware of the risks and it seems no matter what I choose to do, there will always be inherent risks. The house is small and it’s hard to send the dog outside for hours on end, as the dog would perceive this as a punishment I’m sure.

I, too, feel your struggle with this, as we have a Doberman and two cats. I take precautions though and make sure the cats are put away when the birds are out, they are not left out all day, it is generally safer for htem inside their cage.

Both are social animals and it’s hard to pick which one gets locked away so the other can get attention. I’m considering a light clip, but I’m not sure if that does me favors either. It just makes it more difficult for her to escape a dog, and still capable to escape out an open door.

On top of that, Kermit is a cocky little fluff and dive bombed the dog yesterday o.o Just for funsies, I guess.

This decision is really bumming me out. I’m not sure I can really win I'm not looking for a clear-cut answer, since I'm not sure there is one, but I'd love to hear how people made the decisions they did and experience in cohabitation of different animal species.

Click to expand...

I feel your frustration on this. I really do think putting in screen doors would at least eliminate the 'her taking off to her freedom' part of it, but it doesn't solve the puppy problem. The two will have to learn to co-exist. I think it is okay to have them both out at the same time, but ALWAYS make sure you are supervising them every single second. Take one with you to the bathroom if you must go do your business and leave them unattended for a moemnt(lol).

Thanks all for your kind responses.

We do actually have screen doors and we do use them. The issue is in the 2 seconds it takes for people to walk in and out of the door, which they do constantly. I don't get much warning when someone wants to walk inside, not enough to put away the bird anyways. Not to mention people are walking in and out a lot at some hours of the day, that it's almost not worth it to have the birdie out at all x__x; The best I can do is cup the bird in my hands so she feels secure and won't take off. I'm always paranoid that one of these days, those 2 seconds will be enough time to take off to freedom.

The dog is honestly super good, 95% of the time. She generally avoids the bird, because the bird thinks she's 60 grams of fury and has taken her on once or twice. It's only when the bird swoops low that it seems to trigger any kind of predator response. They are always closely supervised when out together and NEVER left alone, but it still makes me nervous.

I could keep Kermit in my room, but the reality of that scenario is no one would go up a flight of stairs to play with her. She lives in the family room so she can hang out with her people and be in almost constant presence of people. It's still something to consider, though.

I don't have the problem of multiple animals unless you count my outside pets, a few rabbits some chipmunks and a robin in my back deck rafters. I clip for Clark's safety but I make sure he can glide or rather flippy-flappy downwards so he doesn't go splat. Your right it is the third rail of parrot owning everyone has an opinion, but if you're doing it for the right quality of life reasons....either way, then I say in their situation they may know better and move on. I'm not on a campaign one way or the other. I like what makes me feel safe as my birds pet.

Id think itd be just as dangerous to have a clipped bird around cats/dogs as it would be having an unclipped bird with sliding glass doors.

Skittles used to fly into the windows when he got startled, so I put up venetian blinds and he doesn't do it anymore.

Personally, I think there are several options you could try- some that have already been mentioned.

I think clipping should be done as a last resort and always should be in the birds interest if need be and not the humans.

But you definitely are in a bind and I feel for you.

it sounds like her flying is going well. Having her flighted around your terrier is better than clipped for obvious escape reasons.

Now as for the door, she can get out and fly off even if clipped. sounds like the humans need training in this situation rather than the bird and let's be fair, humans are easier to train then a bird, due to their understanding of our spoken words. Maybe go by a system that whenever the sliding door is used it is locked after.

If there are doorways between where the bird is and where the sliders are, you might try one of those magnetic screens. They're like screen curtains with a magnetic closure. It might help to keep your dog separate, or to buy you time when someone's coming through the sliding doors, but it shouldn't impede the airflow.

Clipping is definitely a hard personal decision. I hope you find what works for you.

When my JoJo is out, I lock all doors and give everyone a verbal warning. Cats must be away, dogs too old to jump. JoJo is a skilled fighter pilot and is very fast!
Some dogs are quite skilled at snatching something from the air, my daughter's Shebas are a perfect example. I almost took one to help her out, but that 12 year old girl can leap three feet and catch a ball that is thrown across the room--with no warning!

Today I got Kermit clipped. I did a lot of reflection, and realized I'm actually a lot more scared of her getting out the slider than the dog pouncing on her. I can count on one hand the amount of instances the dog has shown even slight predatory interest. However, I'm nervous multiple times a day that the bird will fly out the door. I would like to argue that humans are actually worse to train, because at least a bird will usually listen once they understand what you want and if there's a treat involved... I can't really train my family to be as paranoid as I am x)

Technically it is only a partial clip. It's actually the exact amount of feathers clipped I bought her with. She couldn't fly with that clip as a baby, though she surprised me today by flying from the top of her cage to the sofa (about 7 feet away). I think that should be just enough feathers that she shouldn't be able to race out a slider, and I'll still treat her as though she is 100% flight capable. Because she is. I admit, I am proud of my girl of learning how to use her wings

Wow, what a coincidence! I also have a GCC named Kermit and do not believe in clipping. The breeder clipped 5 feathers on each wing (before I got him, not my choice) and he can still fly across the room, turn corners fairly well, and even fly from the floor to the top of his cage. My bird must be exceptionally strong, because he has the same number of feathers clipped and still has most of his flight capabilities. My cockatiel and budgie are fully flighted, and are excelllent fliers. While I understand that you're in a situation where it isn't safe for your bird, I think you should keep him in a separate room just like others advised. Birds are so much happier and healthier when allowed to fly. But if you're 100% sure that you can't in any way make it safe for him to fly, try the best you can, but it may come down to keeping him partially clipped.

It's a popular name, haha. Kermit is actually the name she was given at the petstore because she used to make these cute ribbit sounds... I liked the name too much to change it LOL.

She still can fly, though has lost most of the power. She used to be able to fly straight up to the top of our ceiling (about 10 feet up, since we have vaulted ceilings). Now she can only glide, as far as I can tell. Before Kermit I owned budgies and kept them fully flighted without issue. However, the birds weren't as tamed and didn't mind living more isolated in my room. Keeping her alone in my room, vs the constant companionship she is used to in the living room, I feel would be cruel to her I always said I'd prioritize her safety first, her social needs second, and her freedom third... once I realized that, the decision was a lot easier. Once I live on my own and I have more control over my household, I think I will allow her to be fully flighted again. She never actually loved flying like some birds, but would do it on occasion, so I really don't think she minds either way.

I was just going to pipe in on this question, I'm so glad you brought it up. This whole clipping thing is the bain of my existence. My birds came clipped (3 conures at once...don't ask). I immediately let them grow their wings out and they are out a good deal of the day, especially Pickles, the GCC. My HUSBAND (yes I am yelling) is "convinced" that she "loves us so much that she WON'T fly out". He never purposely leaves her in a dangerous situation but tends to leave a door cracked every now and then, big enough for her to get through.

We work out of our home so it is an all day everyday hazard. He is super conscientious about animals, to an insane degree (and we have a farm load). But deep down he believes (we are fighting about it as I type) that she will fly out the door and immediately turn around and come right back to us. Now this man is not stupid. He professionally trained horses for over 25 years and knows what a 1000 lb fleeing prey animal is like, so it is beyond me why he can't apply that same logic to our birds. If anyone ever gets out I will probably go crazy.

I really hate to clip their wings, their love of flying is insane, but I don't want to lose my babies. Any here know a good psychologist?