the difference clipping can make on a bird.

[Rico_Tiel]

when I got my bird, the pet store had him clipped as most do. he was quiet, sad, uninterested in toys, unwilling to try or do anything, ate way less than he does now, chewed and barbered feathers, over preened them, plucked them out mildly (around the wrist area on the wing, near his crop, and very mildly under his left wing), and would sit around most days. he was so obviously depressed because he couldn't be a bird! and it broke my heart to see him drop like a rock with every flight attempt.

then, when he was beginning to grow in his flight feathers, I walked past a window and he leapt off, crashing into the window and falling on his leg. I immediately picked him up and saw he was not using his leg. I flipped him over and his right talon flopped to the side. it was freaking horrifying! I was swearing and cursing and I told my mom these exact words "mom, rico needs a vet like right now!" and I was mega-panicked! she was like "lee (not my actual name but my preferred name), what the *fudge* are you talking about?" I told her and we went to my room and showed her. she tried to tell me he was fine but I said "he isn't! look at his leg!" and I was on the verge of tears at this point. after about 20 minutes of arguing with my parents about whether he had to see a vet, they finally said "Okay, fine! we will see what they will do." and they walked out. I set up a hospital cage for him and put him in. there was 1 low rope perch, his food and water, and his favorite toy. fast forward a week of daily sobbing and the vet FINALLY drives here. I almost ran and slipped on the ice to them! help was here for him! he was gonna be saved! fast forward a month and a half to may 15th and he takes his last dose of meloxicam and flies from my hand to his cage! it was a miracle! the moment I hoped to see one day and the moment I awaited for 5 months had arrived and I witnessed it.

since then, he has been free and so happy! he is always playing, he sings almost daily, he loves his freedom and he is so much happier! his feathers used to have a bronzey brown/copper sheen to them and now he is off a seed diet and flies most days around my room with the prettiest feathers that look to be carved out of silver, obsidian, charcoal, marble, diamonds, and opals! no barbering, chewing, or plucking at all anymore, he is super curious about toys and most new foods, he is fascinated by many things like beetles, the tv remote (horizontal only), puzzles and more! I have never seen him happier and freer in my life and I love this version of him. also, seeing him fly is just stunning! especially in slo-mo! never clip a bird unless they have a disability that prevents flight or makes it dangerous. there is no other excuse.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

when I got my bird, the pet store had him clipped as most do. he was quiet, sad, uninterested in toys, unwilling to try or do anything, ate way less than he does now, chewed and barbered feathers, over preened them, plucked them out mildly (around the wrist area on the wing, near his crop, and very mildly under his left wing), and would sit around most days. he was so obviously depressed because he couldn't be a bird! and it broke my heart to see him drop like a rock with every flight attempt.

then, when he was beginning to grow in his flight feathers, I walked past a window and he leapt off, crashing into the window and falling on his leg. I immediately picked him up and saw he was not using his leg. I flipped him over and his right talon flopped to the side. it was freaking horrifying! I was swearing and cursing and I told my mom these exact words "mom, rico needs a vet like right now!" and I was mega-panicked! she was like "lee (not my actual name but my preferred name), what the *fudge* are you talking about?" I told her and we went to my room and showed her. she tried to tell me he was fine but I said "he isn't! look at his leg!" and I was on the verge of tears at this point. after about 20 minutes of arguing with my parents about whether he had to see a vet, they finally said "Okay, fine! we will see what they will do." and they walked out. I set up a hospital cage for him and put him in. there was 1 low rope perch, his food and water, and his favorite toy. fast forward a week of daily sobbing and the vet FINALLY drives here. I almost ran and slipped on the ice to them! help was here for him! he was gonna be saved! fast forward a month and a half to may 15th and he takes his last dose of meloxicam and flies from my hand to his cage! it was a miracle! the moment I hoped to see one day and the moment I awaited for 5 months had arrived and I witnessed it.

since then, he has been free and so happy! he is always playing, he sings almost daily, he loves his freedom and he is so much happier! his feathers used to have a bronzey brown/copper sheen to them and now he is off a seed diet and flies most days around my room with the prettiest feathers that look to be carved out of silver, obsidian, charcoal, marble, diamonds, and opals! no barbering, chewing, or plucking at all anymore, he is super curious about toys and most new foods, he is fascinated by many things like beetles, the tv remote (horizontal only), puzzles and more! I have never seen him happier and freer in my life and I love this version of him. also, seeing him fly is just stunning! especially in slo-mo! never clip a bird unless they have a disability that prevents flight or makes it dangerous. there is no other excuse.

My beloved budgie Rocky can fly very well from any place in my living room to me, my husband, his cage, the tops of the three other cages of budgies in the room to anywhere he wants to go, EXCEPT, he can't fly up into the cupola 16 feet overhead or into or onto the ceiling fan 11 feet overhead (I always turn it off when he's out). He also can't fly fast enough to slam into anything and kill himself and if he managed to fly out an open door (unlikely due to location of door) or window (we seldom open windows). Rocky is very happy and healthy and constantly plays with toys (everything in the room is a toy) and flies from place to place exploring everything. He eats anything and we give him a complete varied diet. I trimmed Rocky's primary flight feathers so they are even with his secondaries two days after he taught himself how to fly at six weeks old to prevent him from injuring himself to ensure he was safe. When done correctly and conservatively wing trimming will NOT ground and frustrate your bird or make him sad and depressed and could very well save his precious life! Birds in captivity that live indoors with humans do not need 100% flight capability to be happy.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

My beloved budgie Rocky can fly very well from any place in my living room to me, my husband, his cage, the tops of the three other cages of budgies in the room to anywhere he wants to go, EXCEPT, he can't fly up into the cupola 16 feet overhead or into or onto the ceiling fan 11 feet overhead (I always turn it off when he's out). He also can't fly fast enough to slam into anything and kill himself and if he managed to fly out an open door (unlikely due to location of door) or window (we seldom open windows). Rocky is very happy and healthy and constantly plays with toys (everything in the room is a toy) and flies from place to place exploring everything. He eats anything and we give him a complete varied diet. I trimmed Rocky's primary flight feathers so they are even with his secondaries two days after he taught himself how to fly at six weeks old to prevent him from injuring himself to ensure he was safe. When done correctly and conservatively wing trimming will NOT ground and frustrate your bird or make him sad and depressed and could very well save his precious life! Birds in captivity that live indoors with humans do not need 100% flight capability to be happy.

I just looked up diagrams of how to clip a bird's wings and thats not how I do it. I DO agree that the "recommended" clips are way too severe and butcher a poor bird's wings with sad results. The bird drops like a rock and is at risk for getting injured in a fall, especially for a larger, heavier bird. Worst of all is when someone clips only one wing- the poor bird tries to fly and immediately veers off course, crashing into objects! I don't see the point of frustrating a bird like that. When I trim my budgies' wings I often don't even stretch the wing out to trim it- I just put my hand over the bird to restrain him and snip some length off the long primaries so they don't extend past the secondaries. My birds can still fly but can't get too much lift or fly too far.

 

[Terry57]

Clipping is a much debated topic, and everyone does what they think is best for their birds.
A bird should not be clipped so that it drops like a rock, instead it should still be able to glide so that injuries won't occur.
I also don't believe in clipping until a baby has fully fledged as that can cause life-long issues.

It definitely can affect some birds as it did Rico_Tiel's bird, especially if it was a hard clip. I've found that all birds don't react the same, and some are fine with a light clip if the parront feels it's necessary.

These threads can become heated, so let's keep it civil as it has been so a meaningful discussion can be had

 

[Cottonoid]

Throughout the history of animal husbandry there have been practices implemented by humans that evolve over time. I would never personally dock my dog's tail or ears, for example, but it's still fairly common in the US. We do surgery to humans before the age of consent that wasn't common or recommended where I lived before, but in the state where I live now is still done routinely.

I haven't had parrots for very long, but I've met a variety of species and have had five different species in my home with different levels of clipping when they arrived.

My opinion is that yes, it alters a bird's natural function, so I would like to see the practice of automatically clipping birds when young go away, or clipping without first seeing how a bird does in its environment. But I do think there are exceptions where clipping can be beneficial for a particular parrot and their family.

And maybe a different way to look at it is that the act of parrot keeping itself is not a natural thing. Parrots aren't domesticated; even those that are multiple generations bred for the pet trade. I would guess that even hand tame parrots would flourish in an aviary setting. But they also do well and are measurably happy as pets! So we know parrots are wildly adaptable and resilient to a variety of circumstances. Birds that are properly clipped, then, probably adjust to the change in flight similar to during a heavy molt, and can be just as happy 😊

For my own birds, it's not something I would choose to do because I don't find it necessary with their personalities or my home setup. Although Cotton clips himself

 

[Rico_Tiel]

My beloved budgie Rocky can fly very well from any place in my living room to me, my husband, his cage, the tops of the three other cages of budgies in the room to anywhere he wants to go, EXCEPT, he can't fly up into the cupola 16 feet overhead or into or onto the ceiling fan 11 feet overhead (I always turn it off when he's out). He also can't fly fast enough to slam into anything and kill himself and if he managed to fly out an open door (unlikely due to location of door) or window (we seldom open windows). Rocky is very happy and healthy and constantly plays with toys (everything in the room is a toy) and flies from place to place exploring everything. He eats anything and we give him a complete varied diet. I trimmed Rocky's primary flight feathers so they are even with his secondaries two days after he taught himself how to fly at six weeks old to prevent him from injuring himself to ensure he was safe. When done correctly and conservatively wing trimming will NOT ground and frustrate your bird or make him sad and depressed and could very well save his precious life! Birds in captivity that live indoors with humans do not need 100% flight capability to be happy.

that sounds like a proper clip as opposed to whatever the heck petco calls a clip. all primaries and half the secondaries were just ✨gone✨ it was like a reverse show clip which is so odd to me. while I personally do not believe in butchering a bird's wings just as petco did to him, I believe if the bird can still fly around well, then it would be okay.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

that sounds like a proper clip as opposed to whatever the heck petco calls a clip. all primaries and half the secondaries were just ✨gone✨ it was like a reverse show clip which is so odd to me. while I personally do not believe in butchering a bird's wings just as petco did to him, I believe if the bird can still fly around well, then it would be okay.

Thank God they grow back in a few months. Then, if you want to trim them you can do it yourself very lightly- just enough for safely.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

I just looked up diagrams of how to clip a bird's wings and thats not how I do it. I DO agree that the "recommended" clips are way too severe and butcher a poor bird's wings with sad results. The bird drops like a rock and is at risk for getting injured in a fall, especially for a larger, heavier bird. Worst of all is when someone clips only one wing- the poor bird tries to fly and immediately veers off course, crashing into objects! I don't see the point of frustrating a bird like that. When I trim my budgies' wings I often don't even stretch the wing out to trim it- I just put my hand over the bird to restrain him and snip some length off the long primaries so they don't extend past the secondaries. My birds can still fly but can't get too much lift or fly too far.

this exactly! rico had broken his leg as a result of his temporary wing butchering. and now because he flies I am mega cautious of everything in existence. window? open no more than a half inch without the screen. door? NEVER open when he is out of the cage. fan? NEVER on unless he is in the cage.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Thank God they grow back in a few months. Then, if you want to trim them you can do it yourself very lightly- just enough for safely.

I honestly wouldn't trim him unless it was absolutely needed. I love seeing his freedom tbh

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Clipping is a much debated topic, and everyone does what they think is best for their birds.
A bird should not be clipped so that it drops like a rock, instead it should still be able to glide so that injuries won't occur.
I also don't believe in clipping until a baby has fully fledged as that can cause life-long issues.

It definitely can affect some birds as it did Rico_Tiel's bird, especially if it was a hard clip. I've found that all birds don't react the same, and some are fine with a light clip if the parront feels it's necessary.

These threads can become heated, so let's keep it civil as it has been so a meaningful discussion can be had

yes, I know how these can get very heated. boiling hot infact! thank god the people here are super kind! reddit is just uhm... how do I say this? a bit nutty at times? yeah that's about right.

 

[Alexx]

My bird was clipped when i got him and i wanted to give him a chance to be able to fly. The first couple months I got him were warm enough to go out and have walks with him. He LOVES going out on walks, he tolerates the aviator harness but he really dont ''enjoy his time outside'' as much with it. He started to fly inside and it was frightening. I dont know if its because he never flew or, probably, houses being the size they are, not sure its a good size to fly in for an amazon. He was not able to navigate and would have a hard time not crashing, I got scared he would break a bone or his neck going in a wall, and going out was not as much as an option as it was before. So i had them clip again, i just wanna make sure he is safe and he can enjoy himself when we go out. Dont hate pls.

 

[Terry57]

My bird was clipped when i got him and i wanted to give him a chance to be able to fly. The first couple months I got him were warm enough to go out and have walks with him. He LOVES going out on walks, he tolerates the aviator harness but he really dont ''enjoy his time outside'' as much with it. He started to fly inside and it was frightening. I dont know if its because he never flew or, probably, houses being the size they are, not sure its a good size to fly in for an amazon. He was not able to navigate and would have a hard time not crashing, I got scared he would break a bone or his neck going in a wall, and going out was not as much as an option as it was before. So i had them clip again, i just wanna make sure he is safe and he can enjoy himself when we go out. Dont hate pls.

No hate here, only understanding. We all make the decision about clipping based on what we feel is best for our birds, and no one should be made to feel bad about that.

If a bird is clipped correctly they will still be able to fly short distances, so I'd advise still being careful taking him outside without a harness.

It can definitely be scary when they start to fly inside, and it sounds as if your bird may never have fledged properly. Most do get better at it with time and training, though

 

[DonnaBudgie]

No hate here, only understanding. We all make the decision about clipping based on what we feel is best for our birds, and no one should be made to feel bad about that.

If a bird is clipped correctly they will still be able to fly short distances, so I'd advise still being careful taking him outside without a harness.

It can definitely be scary when they start to fly inside, and it sounds as if your bird may never have fledged properly. Most do get better at it with time and training, though

 

[DonnaBudgie]

No hate here, only understanding. We all make the decision about clipping based on what we feel is best for our birds, and no one should be made to feel bad about that.

If a bird is clipped correctly they will still be able to fly short distances, so I'd advise still being careful taking him outside without a harness.

It can definitely be scary when they start to fly inside, and it sounds as if your bird may never have fledged properly. Most do get better at it with time and training, though

When I was handfeeding Rocky my budgie I was concerned about how he would learn how to fly because he didn't have bird parents or nestmates to teach him. I wondered if I was supposed to toss him up in the air (above a bed) to force him to learn or if he would just learn on his own and how long it would take for him to figure it out himself. Turns out I worried unnecessarily because at about six weeks old he just took off like a shot and it only took him a day or two to perfect a coordinated landing. He began flapping furiously while he was hand feeding and Suppose

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I suppose he was instinctively strengthening his wing muscles in preparation for the big event. I also worried that I would have to hand feed him "forever" because he had no parent or siblings to learn from but again I worried unnecessarily because at around six weeks he suddenly began rejecting his hand feedings and within days he was eating very small pellets on his own. Apparently baby birds are hardwired to fly and feed themselves as soon as they are developed enough to do so. I also suppose that if a baby bird missed its opportunity to learn how to learn to fly because its wings were clipped before he took his first

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I suppose he was instinctively strengthening his wing muscles in preparation for the big event. I also worried that I would have to hand feed him "forever" because he had no parent or siblings to learn from but again I worried unnecessarily because at around six weeks he suddenly began rejecting his hand feedings and within days he was eating very small pellets on his own. Apparently baby birds are hardwired to fly and feed themselves as soon as they are developed enough to do so. I also suppose that if a baby bird missed its opportunity to learn how to learn to fly because its wings were clipped before he took his first

If clipped before he took his first flight he may be forever behind with his flight skills from missing that instinctual period when learning to fly came naturally. Does this make sense?

 

[Birdmom2a2]

I had a Goffin's cockatoo whose wings were clipped when I got him (3 mos old). I continued to have his wings clipped because I thought that was what I was supposed to do. (This was at the time when the internet was young and it was hard to find information on birds.) He was clumsy and constantly fell. My gut told me he had never fledged. When he was maybe 2 or 3, I decided to let his wings grow out, thinking he could learn to use them for stabilization, and he did. With a lot of encouragment, two years later he learned to fly. When he did, he was so much more confident and stable and much happier. After that, I have not clipped my birds' wings. (I have no children at home and keep a sign on the front door for visitors that says "Where's the bird?"). I've never had any problems.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

My bird was clipped when i got him and i wanted to give him a chance to be able to fly. The first couple months I got him were warm enough to go out and have walks with him. He LOVES going out on walks, he tolerates the aviator harness but he really dont ''enjoy his time outside'' as much with it. He started to fly inside and it was frightening. I dont know if its because he never flew or, probably, houses being the size they are, not sure its a good size to fly in for an amazon. He was not able to navigate and would have a hard time not crashing, I got scared he would break a bone or his neck going in a wall, and going out was not as much as an option as it was before. So i had them clip again, i just wanna make sure he is safe and he can enjoy himself when we go out. Dont hate pls.

no hate here, took a bit for me to respond as I'm not very bright. but hey, if it's done right and you feel it's best, you do you

 

[Rico_Tiel]

I had a Goffin's cockatoo whose wings were clipped when I got him (3 mos old). I continued to have his wings clipped because I thought that was what I was supposed to do. (This was at the time when the internet was young and it was hard to find information on birds.) He was clumsy and constantly fell. My gut told me he had never fledged. When he was maybe 2 or 3, I decided to let his wings grow out, thinking he could learn to use them for stabilization, and he did. With a lot of encouragment, two years later he learned to fly. When he did, he was so much more confident and stable and much happier. After that, I have not clipped my birds' wings. (I have no children at home and keep a sign on the front door for visitors that says "Where's the bird?"). I've never had any problems.

yo, where did ya get the sign? I may need it to remind my family to be extra careful with my bird when he's doing his flight times since apparently it's not common knowledge to not open a door when a flighted bird is in the living room. they are super dense on so many levels but at least they know not to keep a cat near him.