Or not to clip . . . that is the question. Okay, a little dramatic but this is a touchy
subject and a little humor might help. Remember,
wing feathers grow back.
If you are planning on flying your bird in the wide open
spaces outdoors over empty fields or deserts and have the opportunity, time and
energy to train your bird like a pro. . .
well, okay, leave the wings intact and have a ball. If you are planning on having a pet that
spends the majority of time at your home sitting on its cage top or portable
perch playing with its toys, you might seriously think of keeping the wings
clipped.
I too have seen the numerous videos on the net with people
flying their small parrots from perch to perch in a large indoor room. If you are devoted, have the space and feel
that this is for you, go for it. Looks
like fun. But, from what I have noticed
most pet people don’t do much regular training after a while. In time the bird becomes a regular member of
the family and lives its life hanging around just being adored.
I like having my bird(s) out of the cage. With full wings there are just too many
dangers in a home setting. I’ve seen
more than one flighted bird get startled, fly full force into a window and drop
straight to the floor. It wasn’t much
fun to watch and I have a hunch it didn’t feel so great for the bird. Chasing a bird down from the top of the
curtains with a broom isn’t a lot of fun either.
If you decide to wing clip don’t let anyone guilt you for
providing the best care you can for your bird and your life’s situation. It is
YOUR bird. Personally for me I like the
comfort of not being on constant red alert when Hermes is out of the cage. I don’t worry if someone opens the door to
get the mail. The decision to keep her
wings clipped is an easy one for my family.
Chances of recovering a lost bird are about nil.
Wing clipping does not hurt a bird. Full grown feathers are empty shafts with no
feeling, sort of like our fingernails.
When you see birds freaking out in videos during wing clipping, you’re
seeing fear not pain. Restraining a bird
for any purpose scares them. They just
don’t like it.
Please, if you are going to take your bird outside with full
flight wings or clipped, you should train it to wear a harness. Without one, it is risky. Why chance it?
