Should I clip my parrot's wings?

Junho

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May 14, 2016
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I've had him for three days, and I can already tell how much he loves flying. He basically spends all his daily energy flying around in circles in my room like 1000 times and happily singing.

But today, he escaped my room and I had to look for him for 30 minutes everywhere. Just before I gave up looking for him indoors and started thinking about going outside to look for him, I found him on top of my ceiling light out of sight. I thought I was going to have a stroke.

Should I prevent him from flying around? Safety vs happiness? If I clip his wings, will he hate me forever?
 

brolie

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One thing to keep in mind is that the feathers will grow back. It's not like if you clip them once, he'll never fly again. But there is a safety issue i think. He could get hit by the ceiling fan and get seriously hurt and things like that. but clipping a bird's wings is like taking away what makes him a bird! it's an extremely debatable subject
 

Terry57

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If he is happy flying around, perhaps you could just make sure he doesn't get into trouble. I would not clip just because of one incident. What kind of parrot is he?
 

wrench13

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I think it depends on the individual situation. If he is only supposed to be in your room but he got out after this short amount of time, circumstances point to having him clipped. Parrolets are so tiny they can get into a lot of places bigger birds cant and if you have not bird proofed your house, he will eventually get hurt, or fly away because a door was left open. Remember, he does not know how small he is... they think they are macaws.
 

gracebowen

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If you do clip please please make sure he is not clipped too harshly. Will you do it yourself or take him somewhere and have it done?
 

BIRDIGIRL

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Bear in mind that there are dangers too in having him clipped like for instance if he did get out which can happen with clipped birds too he has no defence against preditors like cats or other preditors and cant fly away from them...also suppose a preditor got into your home without wings he is just a sitting target...just a few thoughts on some of the things that can go wrong when they are clipped properly too ...glad hes okay and safe
I have none of my birds clipped...it just takes a little training (of the parrot owner not the parrot) to ensure the bird is in a burd proof safe area ...screens on windows or otherwise closed...no fans on while the bird is out and cover all places where he can hide that might be dangerous. Parrotlets are small snd can get into all kinds of nooks and crannies so bear this in mind as you prepare the room and make it safe. Also it might be help ful to have an attractively placed perch somewhere that the little partotlet might like so that perhaps he views it as an interesting and safe perch to land on when he goes flying...I dont know a whole lot about parrotlet behaviour but the safe perch idea works with my budgies...never chase him though once he is on that perch make it interesting and to his advantage to come off that perch onto your hand...if you force him then you have lost the safe perch area as it will nolonger be viewed as safe and he will look for another perch or nook . Hope this helps
Im so glad you found him and that he is okay
 
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texsize

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clipping is a hot topic and emotions can run high. Only you can make that call.
At the very beginning of parrot ownership with my first (wild caught) bird I had him clipped. It made him easer to train and get use to being handled.
I stopped clipping after one incident of having someone do it that did not know what they were doing.
have not had any of my birds clipped in the better part of 30 years.
texsize
 
OP
J

Junho

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I think I'll leave him be for now. I can't get enough of him flying on my laptop, shoulder or head while I'm eating or when he's just flying around. It's kind of amusing.
 

Terry57

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I think I'll leave him be for now. I can't get enough of him flying on my laptop, shoulder or head while I'm eating or when he's just flying around. It's kind of amusing.

I'm so happy to hear you are enjoying him and his antics:)
 

BIRDIGIRL

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I think I'll leave him be for now. I can't get enough of him flying on my laptop, shoulder or head while I'm eating or when he's just flying around. It's kind of amusing.

Sounds like you and your parrotlet might be beginning to bond. Whats his name ? Do you have any pics of him. Make sure to parrot proof the room and adding a screen with a note pinned to it on the windows and on the inside of the door is a good idea to remind you to put him back in his cage before opening a window or a door...also make sure that he is not able to open the cage and let himself out...some of them have a go at opening the cage doors especially at the food bowl doors. Its nice to hear you are enjoying his company and that he is happy. You are doing a Great job :)
 

lplummer52

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I think parrots are too smart to fly into a ceiling fan. I live in FL and we have fans in every room of,the house. Never had a bird fly into one.
 

texsize

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There is nothing so amazing as lifting your hand and calling your bird and have him fly right to you because HE WANTS TO, not because he was trained to do it.
texsize
 

Allee

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I think parrots are too smart to fly into a ceiling fan. I live in FL and we have fans in every room of,the house. Never had a bird fly into one.

Sadly, they do fly into them and quite often, they seldom survive the encounter. Maybe your birds are smarter than most.
 

Scott

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I think parrots are too smart to fly into a ceiling fan. I live in FL and we have fans in every room of,the house. Never had a bird fly into one.

You have got to be kidding! That may be your experience, and likely on borrowed time. For the record and to alert other members, an operating ceiling fan is deadly dangerous to a bird. While some may instinctually fear the twirling blades, it may spook others into an uncontrollable flight response.

Please do not allow birds in proximity to operating ceiling fans!!!!!
 

AmyMyBlueFront

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And a Normal Grey Cockatiel named BB who came home with me on 5/20/2016.
I have had Amy for nearly 27 years now,got her when she was 14 weeks old,and every spring she gets clipped,just because she goes outside,or for rides in the car to visit or to a store ALOT. In the winter time I don't clip her,and I don't think she even knows she could fly. She prefers to walk,or ride on my shoulder.
Granted,a Blue Fronted Amazon is a monster compared to a parrolet,she can't hide or get stuck in any area of my house.

Now BB...my 'tiel...he still has his baby clothes on,and he was clipped when I got him at 14 weeks old, I can see he is going to be a flyer! He practices every day! run run run...FLAPFLAPFLAP!! he gets airborne about a foot high then lands..then tries again :rolleyes: I know for a fact that when he does start to fly,he will come to me when I call him,he already tries. And he is small enough to get into places that he shouldn't lol. Its going to be a wait and see thing with him.
If I think him buzzing around my house is going to be dangerous to his well being..he will get clipped.

Jim
 

MurkyWaters

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I wouldn't bother. They are such a small bird that even if clipped they can still fly really well. So I don't bother to do my little one. I always clipped the other bigger ones.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 

gracebowen

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Murky thats so true. My keet I used to have had all primary feathers cut. He still flew pretty good

As far as ceiling fans go. Please dont use. I miss my ceiling fan but id miss my birds more. Nowadays the only time it turns is when the fids land on it.

I dont even use it when they are put up for fear id forget its on and let them out.
 

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