Travel and fumes!

[kellie]

Hey! I took Lukah on an outing today in his cage (the first one since I moved him to my apartment 3 months ago because I wanted him to feel secure first since he was moved around from owner to owner before I got him). It was just to drop my boyfriend off at his apartment and then back to mine- wanted to start off with a short trip! But I was wondering, I live in a city (Phoenix, AZ) and there are a lot of fumes here... plus car fumes! Is it dangerous to have him outside? Is taking him in the car not a good idea? Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated!

 

[Luke252]

I really would love to answer your question, however I honestly do not know. I live in Sydney Australia, and here it is probably not as crowded as over there. As far as car trips go, there is really no problem, so long as you have a stable well maintained car. Inside the car there should be no dangerous fumes that can affect the bird. Outside is a different story however. There really shouldn't be enough dangerous fumes that could cause harm to the bird, but as I said, have not really had much experience in extremely busy cities. I don't exactly know what the area where you live looks like, but I am kinda imagining it like New York, Manhattan. Is that right??

 

[MonicaMc]

I also live in the city and I've taken my birds with me on car rides.

The main thing with car rides is to make sure that they are secured in a cage or carrier during travel. Having a loose bird could be as dangerous as taking a clipped parrot outside and not expecting it to fly off.... you don't know when, or if, danger will come.


As far as fumes? Well, if it's not too bad, he'll probably be ok but if it smells bad probably to keep him indoor and away from fumes... then again, as per studies, the air inside our homes can be a lot worse than the air outdoors!

 

[kellie]

MonicaMC- When you say a clipped bird can fly while outside what exactly does that mean? Lukah's wings are clipped... he can barely flutter to the floor well and where I live it is barely ever super windy. So if he caught a gust of wind I don't feel like he could go very far. I've also heard that the whole clipped bird flying on a gust of wind thing really mostly applies to large parrots like Macaws because they have more strength in their wings?

 

[MonicaMc]

Nope.... the clipped birds flying typically applies to small parrots in particular because they are such light birds to begin with and much easier for a gust of wind to knock them over! That's not to say that a larger clipped parrot can't fly either when clipped, because they surely can!!!

As per a study in Europe about 50% of birds that were lost were clipped.... wish I could find that study!


It's not just a gust of wind though... a bird who is pumped up on adrenaline can beat their wings a lot harder and faster and that can be enough to get them in the air....


Although I'm *not* a fan of BirdTricks (they are sales people, not animal trainers), they do have some good articles!

Myth: Clipped Birds Can?t Fly
Thinking About Clipping Your Bird?

Not a big fan of this guy either, but he makes valid points in regards to clipping vs flight.

How to Trim Parrots Wing? Parrot Wing Clipping Alternatives Explained


And this article goes into some detail about the pros and cons of both (most people think about the cons of flight, not the cons of clipping)

Should you clip your parrot




I used to believe that parrots must be clipped for safety, but I've now since changed my tune and am very much pro-flight! I only believe that clipping should be done in special circumstances, and I don't consider training to be one of those!


But in the end, it's really up to you and whether or not you think that you could live with a flighted bird... I can only say that flighted birds tend to be healthier and fitter than birds who don't get adequate flight (not to say that unclipped birds are 'unhealthy', but that flight in itself is physically and mentally stimulating to birds! And may help solve some behavioral problems) and flighted hens are less likely to have egg-laying problems than hens that don't get adequate exercise.

And if you are interested, this is a great channel of an owner who keeps their flock flighted! Has some great tips for keeping and training flighted birds!!!

flychomperfly's channel - YouTube

 

[Luke252]

I used to believe that parrots must be clipped for safety, but I've now since changed my tune and am very much pro-flight! I only believe that clipping should be done in special circumstances, and I don't consider training to be one of those!

Thats the same with me. My bird Larry as you probably already know had that terrible endeavour and as I said is a very nervous bird, and so I really have no choice but to clip his wings due to his nervous nature. However, Charlie and Max I do not clip as they are alot more confident, and I am even thinking of teaching Charlie free flight.

 

[kellie]

Hi guys. Thank you for the advice. I had a fully flighted cocatiel when I was younger and loved him being fully flighted. However, he eventually got out through an open door and flew away. I've weighed the negatives and positives of Lukah being fully flighted and right now, living in a small apartment with a roommate who is not all that conscious or capable of the amount of attention and caution a fully flighted bird entails (keeping doors closed, ceiling fans off, guarding boiling pots of water etc) and the apartment being just so small that Lukah already is two feet away from the door outside and ten feet from the kitchen, it's not a reality right now. That being said, I also didn't choose to clip Lukah's wings, when I adopted him, his wings were already clipped.

Seeing as if he were fully flighted I would not have the courage (after my last bird) or the time to train him in free flight outside, nor do I trust harnesses with my bird's life, as my tiel broke out of one) he basically would only ever get to go outside clipped or in a cage. So I'm asking... if I live in a particularly not windy at all city and Lukah's wings are fully clipped, how big is the risk of taking him outside and him getting far enough away that I can't recover him?

I am not asking whether or not to clip him, which is what this conversation seems to turn to everytime I ask.

 

[MonicaMc]

Thats the same with me. My bird Larry as you probably already know had that terrible endeavour and as I said is a very nervous bird, and so I really have no choice but to clip his wings due to his nervous nature. However, Charlie and Max I do not clip as they are alot more confident, and I am even thinking of teaching Charlie free flight.

I did read about your experience, and am quite glad you got Larry back! Actually in such an amazing way, too!

I also have a very nervous bird, hates being on hands (she *won't* step up) and can be scared to leave her cage. She can't fly since she came to me clipped, and I feel that her being flighted would give her the confidence she needs.

It's hard to say whether or not clipping Larry would be good for him. Maybe it will, but I worry that it may make things worse, not better. I hope he gets more confident in time!

Hi guys. Thank you for the advice. I had a fully flighted cocatiel when I was younger and loved him being fully flighted. However, he eventually got out through an open door and flew away. I've weighed the negatives and positives of Lukah being fully flighted and right now, living in a small apartment with a roommate who is not all that conscious or capable of the amount of attention and caution a fully flighted bird entails (keeping doors closed, ceiling fans off, guarding boiling pots of water etc) and the apartment being just so small that Lukah already is two feet away from the door outside and ten feet from the kitchen, it's not a reality right now. That being said, I also didn't choose to clip Lukah's wings, when I adopted him, his wings were already clipped.

Seeing as if he were fully flighted I would not have the courage (after my last bird) or the time to train him in free flight outside, nor do I trust harnesses with my bird's life, as my tiel broke out of one) he basically would only ever get to go outside clipped or in a cage. So I'm asking... if I live in a particularly not windy at all city and Lukah's wings are fully clipped, how big is the risk of taking him outside and him getting far enough away that I can't recover him?

I am not asking whether or not to clip him, which is what this conversation seems to turn to everytime I ask.

I don't know if anyone can answer that. One owner took their bird outside for 7 years, and for 7 years the bird never flew off. Then one day, the bird got spooked, took filght, and was never seen again. I know two owners who have lost clipped parrots, one owner got their bird back, the other didn't... both are also now pro-flight. I've also lost a bird that was clipped, but he was growing back his flights so had had enough feathers for flight and I didn't even realize it.


You never know what might startle Lukah and make him take flight. IMO, it's not worth the risk. There are great carriers and "back packs" for carrying birds around as well as pet strollers which would increase his safety while still allowing him to enjoy the outside.