Is it time to clip again?

[Wulfgeist]

Tico has been molting and now his gorgeous blue flights are back in. I don't have much of a problem with him flying (save for flying to the kitchen where the ceiling fan is and I have a tensionrod and material hung over the archway mostly covering that) though the house. What I notice is that his snottiness is growing with his independance. This is why I had him clipped before, the manager where I got Jasper suggested it. When it's time to put him to bed now he fights me and tries to bite when I close the cage door. Little monster, I really want to leave him flighted but I suppose he is just being a typical conure?

 

[DebsFlock]

I have not tried to maintain my birds flighted. However, my observation from being exposed to a fair number of people who do, is that if you choose to do it, you need to work a lot harder at both safety and training. Your bird needs a solid recall response, and solid handling responses that are thoroughly trained. Ideally you would also harness train.

I'm not a big fan of clipping in order to "subdue" a bird. There are people who argue equally vehemently that it is better to let the bird be flighted as then it may just fly away rather than biting if something is going on that it isn't comfortable with or doesn't want to do. You don't have to be as good at reading the early signs of discomfort, since the bird can just leave when it becomes uncomfortable. But then you have to work much harder at making it WANT to do what you want it to do. You can't just put a flighted bird where you want it to be and expect it to stay.

IMO safety is an even bigger concern. Unless you can bird-proof all the parts of the house he can get at, and you can supervise him whenever he's out, the chances of an accident seem much higher with a flighted bird. I maintain a trim on mine primarily for that reason.

 

[Wulfgeist]

He's not out unless Im home. Both cages are in here with me where I spend most of my free time. Sometimes he flies over to my shoulder, sometimes he takes off flying if something startles him, like if Jasper drops a toy. On one such flight he made a circle over my head and started towards Japer's cage. That freaked me out after what happened with Spiritbird's conure and grey. He veered at the last moment and went to his cage. He generally spends most of his time in his cage (freely with the door open) or on his playtop. I suppose it doesn't take but a second for an accident to happen.

Thanks for the input, this is definately something to think about. Part of the reason that I got him clipped this spring too was because he flew to my friend and landed on her coat as she was about to go out the door. :52:

 

[DebsFlock]

I do think the exercise from flying is probably a good thing. Scooter is constantly moving anyway, but the cockatiel is a perch potato and I need to try to find ways to get him to exercise. Flying would do it naturally.

 

[luvmytooo]

Both my TOOs are flighted. I do enjoy watching them fly around the room.
They stay on one floor which was three rooms made into one big one.
It has high rafters which I'm surprised they haven't landed on yet.
They land on the Java trees or their own cages or me
Rosie loves the java trees or my husband , lolol. My Yoshi boy lives for his momma
He will either land on his cage or me , never landed on the java trees for some reason :/
But to see them take flight for the pure joy of it is beautiful .
I can call to Yosi from anywhere and he will come and land on me . My little luv bug
I hope this training helps God forbid he gets outside somehow !!!!!!
Rosi does what Rosie wants to do , she will come to me after a while , but I wouldn't count on it if she got outside. She has just grew her flight feathers back and she is so enjoying her freedom to fly now , it would kill me to clip her now. The poor thing used to drop like a stone before
I'm afraid to clip my Yoshi's wings now since he has been flighted since I go him as a baby.
He came clipped and I just let him grow them back.
I'm afraid he might pluck or pick up another damaging habit from frustration because he can't fly and he won't understand why ......idk....I know it would be the safest thing I could do for them , but......