views on free flight?

[ghostsparrow]

I've been looking into free flight because I really find it fascinating. I've watched some videos and I do think that the birds might be missing out if they never get to fly. Their bodies are made for flight. I don't have a bird yet, but I'm looking into getting a green cheek conure... and I've been toying around with the idea of letting him/her be flighted.

Here are my issues:
I live in an apartment complex, and I live with two other girls- they have a cat and a dog. The bird will be kept in my room, the animals are not allowed in my room.
I live in GA, and I think there are a lot of hawks here.
I'm a student, so I don't have copious amounts of time to train.

Would it be safer for the bird and I if we left it clipped? Or could I possibly still flight train it?

 

[MaraWentz]

If you train it it's fine, letting it fly around untrained isn't the brightest idea though. Go for it!

 

[MonicaMc]

Then what about allowing flight only inside? Free-flight typically means allowing the parrot to fly around outside - trained, but that doesn't mean that you have to clip the bird! Just means you need to take extra precautions with a flighted bird indoors.

A bird that can fly has a better chance of getting away from a cat or dog than one that's been clipped.


http://www.flyingparrotsinside.com/

 

[Thingamagigs]

A GCC is small enough to satisfy ALL its flying needs within the house, even just within your bedroom Your room should be perfectly big enough. GCC are tiny birds, wait until you get one and you will see! lol
They are also fabulous fliers, Colada turns swiftly in mid air and is awe inspiring to watch. But they only fly inside the house and thats plenty! They arent too much bigger than a big budgie really! Excellent choice for species though They are fantastic birds and there is no better "beginner parrot" for a unit situation. They are quieter than budgies and cockatiels... have more personality and are so heartbreakingly adorable.

Some recommendations...

1. get a magnetic door cover or those streamer door things or some hippie beads... it will deter your GCC from flying straight through the door if you leave for a second or if someone opens the door up to come in while he is out and about. They are very fast and Colada has no qualms about flying straight through an unknown door lol In fact its her goal in life to see what lurks beyond the door.

2. Get a cage and play gym with a big seed skirt. They are one of the messiest species I have ever owned... you might also need splash covers for your wall behind the cage... they flick their heads when they eat fruit and vege LOL so you end up with little food splatters near where ever they eat. Colada flies around with food in her mouth LOL and will try to share it with me.

Definitely don't clip! You will love having your GCC fly around. Colada toilet trained herself and will fly off me to the stand next to the computer to poop I love GCC!

 

[Kiwibird]

Hi. Free flight is literally being able to let your bird fly around outside, and said bird being well trained enough to come back. I've heard it's an amazingly difficult, and years long process to train a bird for free flight. Plus, there will always be risks you have to be willing to accept, such as a hawk grabbing the bird, the bird becoming frighted then flying off and not being able to find it's way back, injuries to the bird ect... As you can imagine, giving your bird a toss outside will likely mean they won't return. You haven't yet experienced how difficult it can be just to train your bird to get on your hand or to do a simple trick, let alone how difficult it must be to get them to return on command. It took over 2 years using multiple techniques to fully train our bird to signal us he needed to go potty (as opposed to going on the floor/couch/chair ect...). Not every bird is a genius either, some may never fully grasp a concept. So if your going to train for free flight you need to have serious dedication and already have moved past basic training, forming a strong bond with your bird along the way. I think you may be getting a little ahead of yourself as a brand new bird owner to even consider free flight.

That said, flighting your bird (for indoors, where he/she cannot fly off and become lost, is a good way to bond with your bird. And since flying is instinctual for them, it's not all that difficult to teach them. Since you will be entirely new to birds, I think you should take one step at a time in regards to training, and more focus on finding the right species for now. Beginners need to stick to smaller species, and do ALOT of research. Look into the more pressing things you will need to start training/doing as soon as your bird comes home (stepping up, volume control, daily routine, forming a bond ect...). 99% of the time, a parrot comes as a untamed feathery creature you have trouble understanding (they aren't like other pets such as dogs/cats). It's a process to form a strong bond with your bird, and getting them used to doing your bidding :09: Once you have trained and bonded with your bird, if your still interested in free flight, then start researching techniques on how to train them. Kiwi can't fly, so I've never looked that much into free flight (but my parents have flighted parrots) but I did really want to potty train him. It took 2 years just to "tame him" (he was 10 y/o, never been handled and a real challenge). After he was stepping up consistently, on a schedule and eating his new diet, his potty training became my priority. It took about 2 years to figure out how to teach him to signal by raising his foot. We have not had a single accident for almost a year, and while it took some dedication and serious time, for the next 40+ years we have this creature he will not be pooping all over the house/us! If you are really committed, you can teach a parrot just about anything, but you have to start small & simple in the beginning. Best of luck to you!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Inside flight can be safe and fun, make sure to teach your bird to avoid windows and mirrors. You can hang bed sheets in front of them to pad the impact(hang them so they hang a foot in front of the window and weight the bottom). Flying is the best exercise a bird can get

Free flight is a amazing thing, it's fun and beneficial to your parrot if done correctly. It is always risky though, my friends dad free flew his African raven every single day(rain or shine except in extreme weather) for 2-3 years, he had bad interactions with coopers hawks and other birds mobbing him but always returned. One day a flock of wild ravens chased him and he never returned. Although it's fun, you have to come to terms with the fact that one day you might loose your bird

 

[Thingamagigs]

Inside flight can be safe and fun, make sure to teach your bird to avoid windows and mirrors. You can hang bed sheets in front of them to pad the impact(hang them so they hang a foot in front of the window and weight the bottom). Flying is the best exercise a bird can get

Free flight is a amazing thing, it's fun and beneficial to your parrot if done correctly. It is always risky though, my friends dad free flew his African raven every single day(rain or shine except in extreme weather) for 2-3 years, he had bad interactions with coopers hawks and other birds mobbing him but always returned. One day a flock of wild ravens chased him and he never returned. Although it's fun, you have to come to terms with the fact that one day you might loose your bird

Oh god I would be devastated! D: I won't free fly my birds... I have an aviator harness and a large outdoor enclosed patio... that will do. I couldnt take the heart break of losing a bird. Its incredibly risky with a small bird as well.

 

[ghostsparrow]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm actually not 100% new to birds. I used to have 3 cockatiels a long time ago, and I really loved them. I'm also used to messy animals. I used to have sugar gliders. They throw their food around all the time.

I'll definitely look into keeping his/her wings unclipped! I was nervous that my room was just too small for a bird to fly around in. But a flighted bird does also have a better chance of escaping from a cat ahaha. Good point!

 

[khaiqha]

I agree that the bird is better not clipped, but keep in mind that flying triggers every predatory instinct in cats and dogs. Even really calm dogs might just want to "play" with what to them is a crazy flying object.

 

[Evanskiver]

I honestly will never allow my birds free flight. Even after years of training it takes just 1 scare and you possible have lost that bird, and even worse, your poor bird that depends on you for food/shelter/love is now out in the wild with predators and with no idea how to survive.

I cannot imagine the guilt of losing a family member because I wanted to push my boundaries. Now with that said, I respect everyones feelings and beliefs on this matter, however if you lose you bird because you allowed them to fly around outside without a harness, then do not expect sympathy. Honestly I am more inclined to be really ticked off that you put that bird who does not know better in a extreamely dangerous and possibly fatal situation.

As for clipping the bird, I do not do so with my birds as I want them to not only have the happiness that seems to come with being able to fly around the room, but it is much safer so long as you are responsible and know exactly where your birds are at when you open a door/window. Being flighted allows them to avoid dangers such as cats and also allows them to greatly control any accident they have like falling. Currently Tyrael flies around all over the place and is happy to share her attitude with everyone in the room, however, Holly (the grey we just purchased) was clipped when we got her and has had many crashes due to not being able to control her falls.

Anyways, I don't recommend free flight outside, yes it is cool to see and I imagine it feels wonderful when that bird has the freedom to fly away and they come back to you instead, however, it is not you who has the risk in that situation, it is you bird who may get hurt or lost.

Just my $.02

 

[Oedipussrex]

i always intended on leaving pickle flighted so he could fly around the house, but i know i would have been paranoid and cautious and only ever taken him outside on a harness. with the right precautions you can have a flighted bird without actual 'free flight'.

IMO (coming from someone who really looked forward to teaching my fid to fly, but i dont get the choice anymore) i can appreciate the reasons, but i dont fully understand people who clip their birds by choice, without a really good reason (depending on circumstances obviously) - i dont have anything against them, i just cant see myself ever doing it.

Watching pickles awkward little way of climbing around - while it makes me happy that he is still happy, it makes me sad every day that we missed out on that. I feel like we missed a crucial moment of him growing up (im young and dont have kids so forgive the comparison) but i feel like a parent who never got to see their toddler take their first steps, and never will. because he will never fly.

 

[crimson]

my cockatiel Num Num who is 6 months old, has free flight in our bedroom on & off thru out the day, along with my other 2 cockatiels and lovebird. One day I was in our bedroom, Num Num had been out for a few hours already, flying here and there.
I was hand feeding my baby lovebirds when I heard 'slam!'...I turned around and he had flown right into our dresser mirror. If you knew Num Num, like any cockatiel they are consumate flyers, their precision is amazing. I couldn't figure out why he flew into a mirror that has always been there. I went over to him immediately to check on him, he was holding his shoulder away from his body....he had hurt himself.
At that point I did not know to what extent, so I put him in his cage to rest and assess him.
The next day he was not flying, and did not seem interested to do so. I was concerned, but he was eating, pooping, and moving within the cage fine. I assumed he had sprained his wing, and would eventually heal. It took three weeks for him to fly 95% effectively, and he's back to his old self.

I pieced together why he flew into the mirror, somehow he must have injured his wing, and when he tried to fly, he flew directly into the mirror, injuring himself further.
None of my birds wings are clipped and always remain in our bedroom behind closed doors, we own four cats and three dogs. we do this for safety reasons only.

I've seen birds crash into walls, mirrors & doors because their wings are clipped, now I've had a bird injure his wing further because his wings were not clipped. I guess no matter what you do, you just never know.