Wing clip

[Sasha]

What are your views on wing clipping at the moment my bird has his full feathers not sure whether to get him clipped or not does it make a lot of diff and in what way.

 

[gracebowen]

Mine are clipped but they are going to be fully flighted. Clipping or not can be a hot topic. A clipped bird is easier to tame but many say birds are meant to fly. If you do clip please make sure they do t get clipped to bad. They should be able to glide to the ground if they fall or jump off of your hand or etc.

 

[RavensGryf]

This is one of the MOST controversial topics here, and one which comes up OFTEN.
I have included below some recent links that have info on this topic, and different circumstances that lead people to ask about this. You'll find a variety of opinions and answers to help you make your decision.

ALSO - if you look under the Search tab near the top of the page, you can find countless threads on this very topic. Hope this helps!

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/51221-pros-cons-clipping-wings-2.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/50574-wings-clip-not-clip.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/50267-clip-not-clip-question-my-apologies-shakespeare.html

 

[jasper19]

I am personally against clipping. But I would not judge or insult anyone if they choose to. Their circumstances may warrant it.

I would recommend reading the links that ravensgryf posted.

 

[Taw5106]

Very hot topic. There are pros and cons. I recommend reviewing the links referenced then creating a pros and cons list for you. I have a fully flighted 25 yo Amazon and a clipped Ekkie under a year old. She was clipped before I got her so I'm waiting for her to molt before making a decision to clip her again or not. I am taking advantage of it though to take her outside on my covered patio, and harness train her.

So I recommend making a list of pros and cons for you and your environment.

 

[Kiwibird]

As others have mentioned- it's a hot topic! My boy 'came' clipped and is presumed to have never learned how to fly (adopted as an older bird). He has remained clipped, save when we tried to teach him to fly as an adult bird, which was disastrous. Unless there was a good reason, I would not clip an older bird who knew how to fly and would at least allow a young bird to learn to fly, even if you choose to continue clipping in the future.

 

[flyingron]

If you've not had flight problems I'm not sure there's much of a point. In my case we got a bird that had been abused and would fly in panic. Clipping hasn't been a problem. After discussion with the vet, we took only about seven of the feathers. While she can't maintain level flight for any distance she can gracefully flutter down from the perch. There are no other animals that pose a risk for her.

Despite views here, this one isn't as controversial as declawing cats for example. The flight feathers do grow back, so on birds that have flown, if it does't work out, it's just a matter of time. We'll see as they grow back in whether flight becomes a problem again. She's a much happier bird these days (essentially she spent four years living in a cage with no real care other than being fed seed before we got her).