Should I cut my quakers wings?

Natti337

New member
Nov 25, 2019
24
2
Hi everyone,

I have a 1 year old quaker who hasn't had his wings cut since he's like 3 months old. He LOVES flying all over my apartment. I am extremely careful, don't have any other pets and im always watching him when he's roaming around. In January I will have to take a 2 week trip and he will be staying with his grandma. She doesn't want him flying around as she's afraid he might get into trouble or be a little harder to deal with. I feel horrible cutting his wings but I feel ever worse that he will spend 2 full weeks locked away if I don't. I'm afraid that if I cut his wings he will be depressed and im afraid that if I don't cut his wings he won't get any time out of his cage while I'm away and that will cause him to be depressed. He does have a big cage and a lot of toys so idk. He lovesssss being at grandmas house but the longest he has ever been there has been 3 days.

Can you guys please give me some advice. Thank you in advance!!
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
The thing is if you cut his wings, he will still think he can fly, but instead will crash.. it will take time for him to learn he can't fly, like weeks or longer...and it can take as long as two years for them to grow back
Can you compromise, and have him rolled into a bedroom for out of cage time?? And tge rest roll him into the main room for company.
In the mean time target train him to return to cage, so that will make things easier.

Its a hard call.
I've had to spend 3 weeks at my longest in the hospital, but also several 1 or 2 weeks times in the hospital due to my MG. I prefer my pet sitters dont let my birds out while I'm gone. Its definitely tuff.
 
OP
N

Natti337

New member
Nov 25, 2019
24
2
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Hi Laura,

Thank you for your response. Have your birds been ok when you were gone for that long and not being out the cage? My biggest fear is he will get depressed.

The thing is if you cut his wings, he will still think he can fly, but instead will crash.. it will take time for him to learn he can't fly, like weeks or longer...and it can take as long as two years for them to grow back
Can you compromise, and have him rolled into a bedroom for out of cage time?? And tge rest roll him into the main room for company.
In the mean time target train him to return to cage, so that will make things easier.

Its a hard call.
I've had to spend 3 weeks at my longest in the hospital, but also several 1 or 2 weeks times in the hospital due to my MG. I prefer my pet sitters dont let my birds out while I'm gone. Its definitely tuff.
 

LaManuka

Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Aug 29, 2018
25,548
Media
26
Albums
1
33,181
Queensland, Australia
Parrots
Fang ({ab}normal grey cockatiel), Valentino (budgie), Jem (cinnamon cockatiel), Lovejoy(varied lorikeet), Peach (princess parrot)
Perhaps the other thing to consider is, realistically how much out of cage time is your Quaker likely to get at his grandma's house anyway? How familiar is she with your bird? It's just that if you do clip you will be waiting a very long time for those feathers to regrow. Laurasea is quite right about the possibility of injury too, as your bird may take off and hit the floor hard. I hope you can find a solution that works for everyone!
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
sometimes they were fine, sometimes they were plenty passed at me when I got back, and I had to bribe with hand feeding treats ,
and lots if sweet talks.
We all got through it.
You van teach foraging, and plan for lits of neat foraging when you are gone. Target training, patterning to music.
I'm not telling you not to clip, just giving you info that it might not be the fix you are looking for, and there can be safety issues with a newly clipped bird ... you all have to decide what is safe and what works. If she can move the cage into a bedroom with closed door for daily cuddle, and get him back into the cage, thst woukd be my choice, but he could escape when she does food and water, depending on your bird, and her abilities
Its hard to hsve parrots and travel
 

ParrotGenie

Member
Jan 10, 2019
946
19
Indiana
Parrots
2 umbrella Cockatoos One male named Cooper and female named Baby 1 Little Corella male named Frankie and have 5 Cockatiels three named Male named Pepper, Fiesco for the female and female named Wylie.
Agree with what stated above.

Once a bird is use to flying, once clipped they will still try to fly and if you clip to much off they wonā€™t be able to glide and drop like a rock and injured themselves. It is better to let him fly. I drop my birds off at bird sitter when out of town and thankfully they are use to them flying around. Plus they have a cockatoo already.
 

fiddlejen

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2019
1,232
Media
11
1,156
New England
Parrots
Sunny the Sun Conure (sept '18, gotcha 3/'19). Mr Jefferson Budgie & Mrs Calliope Budgie (albino) (nov'18 & jan'19). Summer 2021 Baby Budgies: Riker (Green); Patchouli, Keye, & Tiny (blue greywings).
Just to check, because of the way you have worded it. IF IF you get the bird clipped, you will have it done by someone who is experienced at it, right? It almost reads like you are asking if YOU should cut your own bird's wings. That is not what you mean, is it?
 

Littleredbeak

Well-known member
May 27, 2020
622
870
Personally I think there is more damage on clipping your birds wings because his normal is flying. My RN crashes hard when she tries to fly. When she is out of her cage, I started lining the floor with comforter and pillows so the landing isnā€™t hard. If I was in your predicament Iā€™d have lots of toys on stand by to be interchanged, FaceTime and birdy YouTube for him. This is just me- you know your bird best.
 

plumsmum2005

New member
Nov 18, 2015
5,330
94
England, UK
Parrots
Lou, Ruby, and Sonu.
Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
I was on the fence re this issue until I got my RB2, she had been hacked, looks like had a few goes at her wings; some so short was unsure they'd actually grow out themselves or would need imping. Good news they have but she is a terrible flyer now. Please ensure your bird has lots of new and interesting toys in his cage prior and that Grandma can sit by his cage to talk to him and if she is up to it then some general in cage daftness can't hurt? The thing is he is safe in his cage, you won't have to worry he's got into mischief and possibly have the psychological aftermath of cutting his wings.
 

zERo

Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Dec 9, 2021
2,028
Media
2
5,058
Texas
Parrots
Tony-Green QP(M)
Tom-Pineapple GCC(M)
Milly- Sparrow (F)
I would just put his cage in a room with a door in your grandmas house so that he can fly around. If you clip his wings, he'll loose all of his breast muscles; one of my budgies ( I bought him with clipped wings) always fell like a rock because his wings were clipped too short, one day he fell off his cage and I picked him up to see if he was ok and there was a 3\4 inch cut in his chest; he had hit his cage on the way down, luckily he's fine now and flies very well. I'm against clipping parrots unless absolutely necessary.
 

Emeral

Well-known member
Sep 16, 2021
209
628
Parrots
Hanhs Macaw
What is his name? You will show us his photo, won't you? šŸ˜ƒ

I am glad he has you to keep him safe and happy. ā¤šŸ’ššŸ’™ Perhaps some one told you that wing clipping will keep him safe. And you are now concerned about his happiness. Well, though wing clipping is common, it is misunderstood. It create depression, accidents, dependency and lost of confidence in birds.

Wing clipping will fail him because of several reasons.....

1) Bad wing clipping
Quoted from one of our member
"Not all wing trimming are created equal"
This is an example case of depress bird from wing trimming.

.....I hope he will not get depressed from any wing clipping. It is already hard for him to miss you and living in a new place. There is no need to put wing clipping on top of it all.

2) Drop like stone
So if this wing trimming option turn out perfect, what could happen?

.....he drop like stone and have his flying accident while you are away? It may not happen but please have avian vet number ready for such accident.

3) New home routine
In New home, birds are kept in small cage to adjust to new surroundings and new people. They are not allowed to fly free, since the rooms have not been bird proof. The bird will also be afraid of new faces and new surroundings

4) he loves to fly
As you said that he loves to fly, so let him fly in his large cage.

Sadly, birds do not speak human. So we have to decide for him. Now suppose someone ask us the same question, stay in your room for 2 weeks or wear splints on both arms for one to two years, what would you choose?

In summary, to keep him safe and happy as you have so far, would be to let him fly in his large cage while you are away.
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top