To Clip or Not?

So this is my situation.

My yellow sided conure is a timid little guy and gets spooked pretty easily.

If my wife's GCC gets spooked he'll stand his ground and shriek out the alarm call at the top of his lungs maybe he'll fly away.

The problem is if my GCC is out and hears that alarm call he flat out panics.

Today he flew at full speed into the wall, took off and flew full speed into the back door before I could get him to step up and calm him down. How he didn't do any damage I don't know. He hit hard enough that I had to pick him up from the floor.

I don't really want to deprive him of his flight but I don't want to risk him killing himself either. He has these panic flights every few days but this was the worst one so far.

He is only young about 16 months so I'm hoping he'll outgrow it. Do I keep him clipped for the next 12 months and hope he outgrows it or do I keep him flighted? He's only been flying for the past few months as he was clipped when I got him.

I could use other points of view if anyone is willing.

Talven said:

So this is my situation.

My yellow sided conure is a timid little guy and gets spooked pretty easily.

If my wife's GCC gets spooked he'll stand his ground and shriek out the alarm call at the top of his lungs maybe he'll fly away.

The problem is if my GCC is out and hears that alarm call he flat out panics.

Today he flew at full speed into the wall, took off and flew full speed into the back door before I could get him to step up and calm him down. How he didn't do any damage I don't know. He hit hard enough that I had to pick him up from the floor.

I don't really want to deprive him of his flight but I don't want to risk him killing himself either. He has these panic flights every few days but this was the worst one so far.

He is only young about 16 months so I'm hoping he'll outgrow it. Do I keep him clipped for the next 12 months and hope he outgrows it or do I keep him flighted? He's only been flying for the past few months as he was clipped when I got him.

I could use other points of view if anyone is willing.

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Keep an eye on him as some injuries are not visible but progress over time, much like a concussion in a human.

I’d clip, personally. I’ve always heard that unclipped is preferred but when it comes to the safety of the bird, if clipped is safer than clipped is better. In my case, for example, I have a 4 year old at home who sometimes leaves certain things open that she shouldn’t or who does things like slam doors, screams, etc. and so I have opted for clipped for the time being.

Remember that clipped does not mean accidents won’t happen, or that things can’t go wrong. You’ll still have to be diligent and watch him, and work on reassuring him and helping him grow more comfortable around your other gcc. But, if it helps prevent injury while you’re working on all that, it’s probably a good idea IMO. That’s the route I would take, and then as I said, make sure you’re doing the work in the meantime to help him calm down.

The biggest issue really comes in when people see clipping as a cure rather than a safety tool/measure in certain situations. Some people get complacent/use it as a solution rather than one step in the bigger picture. The end goal should, in my opinion, always be to work back toward unclipped by taking necessary measures to teach them to be calmer & more confident in their environment - or whatever is necessary to the unique situation that owner & bird are in.

(In my case, for example, teaching my daughter the necessary precautions of living with a bird, and teaching the bird good manners as much as possible, too.)


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You know you are asking a loaded question. You need to do what is best for your situation. Best advice for you is it is really hard on them when they are flighted and then you suddenly clip them. Make sure you go to someone who knows what they are doing. I clipped two of mine when I added to my flock and the shop owner that came highly recommended over clipped. I was very concerned for their safety for months. That and their is an emotional toll on them as well. It took about three months for them to get back to themselves. They were very mopey and depressed for a long time.

What ever you chose to do will be fine. I have not clipped mine since and one smacked a giant mirror a couple of times. One time it really rung her clock. I have since put streamers in the window and walked them all around and knocked on the hard surfaces with them. No accidents since.

Good luck. I’m sure whatever you chose will be right for you and your situation.


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JWF1602 said:

it is really hard on them when they are flighted and then you suddenly clip them.

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This is why I am of two minds about clipping. Will taking his ability to fly make it harder on him if he gets spooked? Flight is the natural response for a bird if startled.

I have all flighted birds. Once they learn to fly well, there are no flights into things. Al least for my 6 there are less panic flight, and no panic crashing into things.

When Penny my rescue learned to fly, at first she did have panic flights. Now that she can fly well there aren't any panic flights.
Their brain has to learn to think on the wing. Their brains learn to think very quickly.
I believe this will hold try for your guy to.

To help take him around the house and tsp on on all walls and windows, do several trioscaroubdvtge house over several days

My Hawkhead gets a mild clip every spring because we go camping with her. Right now she is fully flighted and enjoying herself but once clipped her personality does not change. We have her clipped so that she can not gain altitude but can readily fly to the floor or from a higher perch to a lower one. It's not unusual for her to get about 30 feed on her clipped wings.

I would give a mild clip for safety. We leave Nike's 2 outermost flight feathers and then clip the next 5. This gives her the abilities I described above and also causes her pause when she is thinking about flying before she takes off, giving us time if there is any action we need to take as a result. She weighs about 196 grams and is a very strong flyer.

Don't feel guilty or be guilt-ed into a situation that you know is unsafe.

In this case it seem clipped would be much safer than leaving him unclipped. Just make sure you leave enough where he can glide down and not drop like a rock.

I would say that the more immediate danger for your bird is serious injury from crashes. My conure Kiwi is not and has never been a good flier, and I kept him clipped for the first few years because of accidents. He did glide however, usually quite successfully, but one day about 4 years ago, he had a bad landing and developed glaucoma in his right eye and a detached lens due to the trauma. The glaucoma has since resolved but he remains essentially blind in the eye. My 2 year old pineapple conure, Apple has always been a good flier, but I had to clip her at the new year because we were going on holiday and I had to board the birds. The boarding facility houses all kinds of animals, so to ensure their safety, I clipped. However, she is back to flying quite accurately now.
My vet has told me that clipped birds are more prone to atherosclerotic disease which could result in heart attacks, stroke and kidney problems because they don’t get the same exercise, however, I think you need to think of safety first in your situation. Perhaps once you can tame your bird and do some training, you can start to let flight happen in controlled settings. Good luck

Whether you choose to clip or to not clip, do not let yourself feel guilted about it.

I might clip my Jefferson again, temporarily, if there was need, even though he would be heartbroken about it. But my other two, Calliope and Sunny, with each clipping that was needed have taken less than a day to adjust. Your bird does Not sound like he would be heartbroken by clipping, and feathers grow back.

Safety is a Good reason to clip, IF that's what you decide. If so, just make sure you get it done by a professional; better to wait otherwise.

I would argue this is a perfect situation where not clipping is quite valuable.

Your answer isn’t clipping, it’s desensitization training. Teach the conure not everything requires a panic. By not clipping, throughout training the fly off is your cue you’ve pushed the envelope too far and need to scale back a bit.

If you have no interino to desensitize, then perhaps clip. Doesn’t fix the problem, but makes things a bit safer.

Thank you all for giving me your views. I've had Ari since he was only a couple of months old so he should be well and truly used to the enviroment here. I think the risk of injury or death is too high to leave him flighted if he is going to go into blind panic flights like that.