Training a baby gcc

[Bskrobiak]

I just got a baby gcc, Kiwi. He's 2.5 months. He's doing great with step up. However, he looooves being out of the cage. He flies to anyone in the house. But he lands on shoulders, heads, faces. How do I teach him some manners? And putting him back in his cage is a struggle. Should I trim his wings until we get this under control?

 

[itzjbean]

You can clip his wings which will give you some control and keep him from landing randomly on people, (my Ember was clipped when I got him and its very convenient to keep him where I need him), or you can target train him to try to curb the behavior.

 

[LordTriggs]

I would avoid clipping wings as his heart, lungs and muscles aren't developed yet, and then when his flight feathers grow back he'll go back to bad behaviors all the while losing the thing that makes him special and keeps him able to have the flight part of the fight or flight response.

I would aim for target training him and also recall training him (teaching him to come when called) hopefully this should let him know that he only gets rewarded when he's asked to come and only when he lands on a finger

 

[Inger]

You’ve asked a hot-button question. People are passionate about their position on wing clipping, so keep that in mind as people answer you.

Bumble came to me 7 weeks old with a VERY light clip. It didn’t stop her from flying at all, and she’s now fully flighted. I hope I’m never in a position where taking her flight away seems like the best choice for her m. I love watching her fly. It AMAZES me when she does a 180 mid flight, and how she’s able to land on my finger while I’m moving. It’s also good exercise and will help keep her healthy. And she clearly loves doing it.

I would opt for target training, which can then turn into recall training-teaching birdy to come when called, which will also teach them where it’s okay to land. And I’d throw in a healthy dose of acceptance. Bumble knows perfectly well she’s supposed to land on my arm or finger, but landing on my head is a LOT more fun apparently.

If you do decide that you must clip, please please have it done by a certified avian vet (or their vet techs) so it’s done properly. A botched wing clip can cause permanent physical damage.


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[GaleriaGila]

I opted for extreme caution and containment while the Rb was learning safe flying tactics. But I had a quiet household and could do that.
If you do opt for clicker/target training, here is a link we often recommend...

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html

Good for you, for reaching out.

And good luck.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I am against clipping and I would always avoid it unless absolutely necessary. In this case, target training would be extremely helpful. You can target train your bird to fly to you on command, go back to his perch, stay put, and go into his cage. Please consider target training your GCC instead of clipping his wings, as birds are so much happier and healthier when allowed to fly.

 

[EllenD]

It needs to be YOUR CHOICE to clip your bird's wings, not anyone else...

My advice is that if you are sure you'll make a concerted-effort to train your bird every single day while his wings are clipped, and if you're only going to clip them once, so it's a temporary thing that will last for only, at the most, about 2 months, then it causes your bird no harm at all, and it does help in training them.

***It's important to know what to say to the person who clips your bird's wings, so that his wings will not only grow back completely in 2 months or less, but also so that your bird will still have enough wing-feathers to be able to glide to the ground in a controlled-fall, and not drop like a stone.

Make sure you tell whoever clips your bird's wings that you only want the outermost 4-5 Primary Flight Feathers clipped on each wing, and that's it! You don't want anymore than that cut. This will ensure he can safely glide to the floor, and that they will grow back in a month and a half to two months time.

****It's also important to know that clipping your bird's wings is not only completely temporary, but it also is completely painless. It causes no "harm" or "pain" to your bird, despite what people might say.

This is an individual choice that you and your family need to make. Some people opt to never clip their bird's wings, some people have no choice but to keep their bird's wings clipped all the time due to safety reasons, or due to a disability they might have that inhibits them from being able to get their birds to come back to them or their cage. Some people should never clip their bird's wings because they have another pet in the house that is a predator to their bird, such as a cat or a dog, and their bird needs to be able to get away from them. So the important thing is that you need to make the decision with your family, but also that you're do what's right for your bird at the same time. There are other options, such as Target Training, which usually also works well. It's all about what is right for you.

 

[Plasticgoat2012]

Here in singapore, we live in apartments and as such I have my crimson conure hybrid chicks wings clipped. I clipped them myself as I usually clip their parents flight feathers too. etc. Like ellenD had mentioned, you may clip them for safety reasons, celiling fan etc. I used to have a free flying sun conure, however one day it rained and he didnt make it back home. You got to weight the pros and cons and assessed your situation before you decide on which is better. Between if your aim is to teach it to land properly, how you gonna do that if you are gonna flip its flight feathers?..