Can't get her out of the tree!!

[JayInTheJungle]

So everything I read said don't clip until they learn to fly. So I was sticking with that. Up to this point she had only been taking tiny flapping hops. Well yesterday she started with just a little hop flap down from a stool and something clicked, she went right out and up into a tall tree. Then she didn't know what to do, I could tell she wanted to come to me but was scared to. So she stayed up all night. I camped out nearby the tree all night too just incase something tried to get her in the night. This morning she finally decided to go for it, she started flying back to the house then panicked about coming in low and took off back up again and just kept going. I don't know where she went, I checked several lots over and couldn't find her. I was about to send out a drone to look for her when around midday I heard her in a tree by the house! She had come back! Problem is it is a huge tree! And once again she wants to come down but is scared. No idea how to get her down! Really worried because it's been almost 20 hours since her last feed now!!! I liked the idea of free flight but after this I think I am solidly in the clipping camp now.

 

[ravvlet]

Oh no! Can you contact anyone local to get a ladder? Or maybe someone has equipment to climb it? That’s really hard. Part of flight training is teaching them how to fly DOWN. It’s really important as a lot of birds are uncomfortable doing it, especially when they are scared!

Also, and I know this probably isn’t possible for you - it’s usually best to only free flight outdoors in areas where there are not a lot of tall trees.

I hope you can get her down soon. If you do, could you possibly leave her flighted but keep your doors & windows closed so she can’t get out?

 

[JayInTheJungle]

Oh no! Can you contact anyone local to get a ladder? Or maybe someone has equipment to climb it? That’s really hard. Part of flight training is teaching them how to fly DOWN. It’s really important as a lot of birds are uncomfortable doing it, especially when they are scared!

Also, and I know this probably isn’t possible for you - it’s usually best to only free flight outdoors in areas where there are not a lot of tall trees.

I hope you can get her down soon. If you do, could you possibly leave her flighted but keep your doors & windows closed so she can’t get out?

Yeah I have a about the tallest ladder you can get around here and it isn't tall enough. I'm out in the middle of nowhere but I've been asking around for climbing equipment. Yeah I wasn't planning on having her free fly like that yet!! I've tried standing on my roof to see if she'll come. She also doesn't like to take off if there is the tiniest branch in her way so it's really hard to get a clean line for her. I am thinking of building an aviary outdoors eventually. Is it considered okay to clip for now but then let her grow her flight feathers back when I have an aviary? That is if I ever get her down. How long can then go without food? She has to be starving!

 

[T00tsyd]

Could you put obvious food out as an enticement? Or her cage if it's her safe space? She needs an incentive before she gets weak.

 

[Laurasea]

when learning to fly they have a huge fear of flying down.
Get on top of your roof and try to get her to fly to you there. She should be comfortable
Oh darn see you tried that ..

Go out lateral and see if she will do more of an angle than down.

But yes getting as high yourself as can should help

Do not act fearful. Be very joyful happy excited

 

[Laurasea]

offer applesauce when you get her to rehydrate. Its being without water thsts harder on them than the food.
Do not syringe water, huge choke hazard. If wants to drink water that's fine.
Make first days feedings more wet than had been. Can go back to normal the following day.

 

[JayInTheJungle]

Thanks for the tips, trying everything. Left a bowl of food on the roof. Been trying putting the ladder in different trees and sitting up there hoping she'll come to a lower tree. Unfortunately hard for her to get a clean line of flight

 

[ravvlet]

That sounds so stressful for both of you. Do your best to stay calm, I know it’s impossible in this situation! Hopefully someone will come up with some climbing equipment or something you can use, or she will get brave enough to come down on her own.

 

[JayInTheJungle]

Oh no! Can you contact anyone local to get a ladder? Or maybe someone has equipment to climb it? That’s really hard. Part of flight training is teaching them how to fly DOWN. It’s really important as a lot of birds are uncomfortable doing it, especially when they are scared!

Also, and I know this probably isn’t possible for you - it’s usually best to only free flight outdoors in areas where there are not a lot of tall trees.

I hope you can get her down soon. If you do, could you possibly leave her flighted but keep your doors & windows closed so she can’t get out?

offer applesauce when you get her to rehydrate. Its being without water thsts harder on them than the food.
Do not syringe water, huge choke hazard. If wants to drink water that's fine.
Make first days feedings more wet than had been. Can go back to normal the following day.

Could you put obvious food out as an enticement? Or her cage if it's her safe space? She needs an incentive before she gets weak.

After 25 hours the drama finally came to an end. She tried so many times to return but just panicked every time she made a pass at me and couldn't find the right angle. She kept landing on tall trees. It was starting to get dark and she was getting desperate. One pass she made right over the road which usually never has traffic but today there was a car and just missed her. Finally, as the sun was going down, she made one more circle and managed to stick the landing on my shoulder while I was up on the roof. She gobbled up so much food and for the first time after I fed her she was eating on her own too and at least playing with water. after getting food in her, she is looking a bit thin but back to her normal self (and squawking my ear off about her day). Talk about relief. After that its going to be really hard to not clip.

 

[Laurasea]

Oh thank goodness!!!!!!!!!
Ecstatic to hear this!!!
And stuck a shoulder landing?! Wow!!!!

 

[Cottonoid]

Oh my gosh what a scary ordeal for both of you!!

And wow, she's got some flying skill already for such a wee juvenile!

There are many opinions about clipping and I'm sure you can find lots of research both ways. And do keep in mind she will likely still be able to fly if she's clipped, especially if outdoors and wind is right (Most of the parrots lost in my city neighborhood are clipped).

But I also think that your emotional state affects hers, so if you know you are going to be an anxious wreck every day if she's not clipped, and you know you'd be calmer if she is, that is a variable to consider too.

I'm SO GLAD you got her back safely and that she's doing so great letting you take care of her!

 

[ravvlet]

I don’t think any of us are going to judge you if you think it best to clip at this point, as this was quite a harrowing ordeal!

Maybe sleep on it, and also Cotton is right about parrots being able to fly clipped. It’d have to be a particularly barbarous clip to prevent them from gaining lift; and if you do that you risk injury to the bird when it falls like a stone off of things.

 

[Laurasea]

The biggest thing is flying down..you can have her practice that inside. Bring in the latter and put her on top and have her practice flying down to you. This is the best age to practice recall flying, again inside.

Id love pictures once you can! Love to see how she is growing up.

 

[Ria.345]

After 25 hours the drama finally came to an end. She tried so many times to return but just panicked every time she made a pass at me and couldn't find the right angle. She kept landing on tall trees. It was starting to get dark and she was getting desperate. One pass she made right over the road which usually never has traffic but today there was a car and just missed her. Finally, as the sun was going down, she made one more circle and managed to stick the landing on my shoulder while I was up on the roof. She gobbled up so much food and for the first time after I fed her she was eating on her own too and at least playing with water. after getting food in her, she is looking a bit thin but back to her normal self (and squawking my ear off about her day). Talk about relief. After that its going to be really hard to not clip.

I am so so so glad she's okay now and back in her loving home!
However... It is totally up to you if you wish to clip or not, after all, this is your bird and you know what's best.
But even after such a scary experience of her getting stuck in a tree for so long, I'd refrain from clipping in general. I know I know, I'm crazyyy.
But clipping juvenile birds and even adult birds can really do a lot of physical and psychological damage. For one, their chest and flight muscles will not be able to properly develop the way that unclipped birds would.
Secondly, it can really affect psychological changes in a bird and they can somewhat lose their trust ORRR if not, they will just continuously depend on you as transportation around places in the home. Even if they have ladders and such accomodations, clipping can be pretty depressing for them even if they don't understand it.
And lastly, and I'm probably gonna be hated for this, it's just morally wrong.
Birds were meant to fly always, that's how they were created. Whether it be free in the open sky or our homes.
It creates less dependency issues, creates a more confident bird, and they physically build muscle that's really important for them.
Imho I think a bird should be clipped only for medical reasons.
But I definitely don't go around bashing people because they choose to clip their birds wings. It's up to them and it's their decision that I respect. Including yours.
I just think we as humans that take on these birds should be able to alter our lifestyles or homes in such ways that better suits our birds rather than change THEM and THEIR bodies just for our mere convenience. (I'm sorry guys hehe)
Again, I know it was scary but there are things you can do that can help to avoid these scary situations in the future such as closing windows and doors when your bird is out, turning off stoves and ceiling fans around them or opt for enclosed fans, or even taking your birds flying ability and teaching them ways to maneuver their flight so they don't crash into things. You could even teach your bird recall and teach them to fly DOWN areas so that this could be avoided in the future.
Saying this all out of love for birds and respect for you.
And trust me. I've clipped before but have never done it since 3 years ago because I just realized it was wrong and flawed in so many ways. (Just my personal opinion don't worry)
So yeah. That's all I had to say about it. We will never judge someone for clipping and I wouldn't either. Your bird, your choice, and lastly, your peace of mind.

 

[Ria.345]

I am so so so glad she's okay now and back in her loving home!
However... It is totally up to you if you wish to clip or not, after all, this is your bird and you know what's best.
But even after such a scary experience of her getting stuck in a tree for so long, I'd refrain from clipping in general. I know I know, I'm crazyyy.
But clipping juvenile birds and even adult birds can really do a lot of physical and psychological damage. For one, their chest and flight muscles will not be able to properly develop the way that unclipped birds would.
Secondly, it can really affect psychological changes in a bird and they can somewhat lose their trust ORRR if not, they will just continuously depend on you as transportation around places in the home. Even if they have ladders and such accomodations, clipping can be pretty depressing for them even if they don't understand it.
And lastly, and I'm probably gonna be hated for this, it's just morally wrong.
Birds were meant to fly always, that's how they were created. Whether it be free in the open sky or our homes.
It creates less dependency issues, creates a more confident bird, and they physically build muscle that's really important for them.
Imho I think a bird should be clipped only for medical reasons.
But I definitely don't go around bashing people because they choose to clip their birds wings. It's up to them and it's their decision that I respect. Including yours.
I just think we as humans that take on these birds should be able to alter our lifestyles or homes in such ways that better suits our birds rather than change THEM and THEIR bodies just for our mere convenience. (I'm sorry guys hehe)
Again, I know it was scary but there are things you can do that can help to avoid these scary situations in the future such as closing windows and doors when your bird is out, turning off stoves and ceiling fans around them or opt for enclosed fans, or even taking your birds flying ability and teaching them ways to maneuver their flight so they don't crash into things. You could even teach your bird recall and teach them to fly DOWN areas so that this could be avoided in the future.
Saying this all out of love for birds and respect for you.
And trust me. I've clipped before but have never done it since 3 years ago because I just realized it was wrong and flawed in so many ways. (Just my personal opinion don't worry)
So yeah. That's all I had to say about it. We will never judge someone for clipping and I wouldn't either. Your bird, your choice, and lastly, your peace of mind.

And I hope it didn't come off in the wrong way. If it did please let me know so I could fix it. The reason I wrote this is so you can have more info available to you to make your decision.

 

[JayInTheJungle]

Oh thank goodness!!!!!!!!!
Ecstatic to hear this!!!
And stuck a shoulder landing?! Wow!!!!

Yeah I was on the roof expecting a roof landing but she totally stuck the shoulder!

 

[JayInTheJungle]

And I hope it didn't come off in the wrong way. If it did please let me know so I could fix it. The reason I wrote this is so you can have more info available to you to make your decision.

No I totally hear you and I appreciate your tone in sharing your opinions. So many people get angry about their perspectives and just start yelling. Deep down I agree, I never like the idea of clipping. Kind of like de-clawing cats. I'd love for her to be able to fly around, but then there are also so many predators around here! She attracted a lot of attention today, I've never seen so many raptors around my place in one day, then again I might have been extra sensitive to it today, but they were definitely eyeing her. One even went in really close still I started yelling and throwing stuff! Then we have all kinds of wildcats and such. Just really traumatized by todays experience. Makes you realize how attached you are! I've worked with a lot of animals over the years but few have a bonded to like Rosemary! She needs to make it with me till I'm old and on my death bed! Really torn for sure. Like others have said with a proper clip she would still be able to fly to a degree and keep up muscle tone right? I really need to build that aviary. With macaws the bond is pretty strong to come back right? Once she learns how to fly down better. I was impressed she found her way back today! She really took off far at one point, beyond my lot and the neighbors lot into the totally wild forest (18 acre plots where I am) but came back a few hours later (thought she was gone for good at that point).

 

[Laurasea]

we totally understand the love!!!!

 

[JayInTheJungle]

The biggest thing is flying down..you can have her practice that inside. Bring in the latter and put her on top and have her practice flying down to you. This is the best age to practice recall flying, again inside.

Id love pictures once you can! Love to see how she is growing up.

Here she is on her return enjoying whatever she wants. She really went for the Papaya.

 

[HeatherG]

Here she is on her return enjoying whatever she wants. She really went for the Papaya.

What a beautiful baby macaw! I’m so glad you got her back.