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Time to grow out wings, and upcoming vacation

Discuss indoor freeflight and managing freeflighted birds around the house. How to live with a flighted parrot.

Time to grow out wings, and upcoming vacation

Postby scribbles » Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:24 am

Hello,

We're brand-new parents to a 13 week old green cheek conure. We've never had a bird before. Three weeks ago (when he was 10 weeks and we purchased him), the vet said he had been given an "extreme clip" by the bird store. His wings have since grown out a LOT faster than we would have thought, and he's now able to slightly fly about a foot or two distance.

So today is 5 March, and we're taking a vacation for five days from 15 to 21 May. We'd like to flight train him for indoor flying, but our concern is that if he is fully flighted by mid-May, we may not be able to get a friend to take him in and take care of him while we're out of town IF he is flying around their apartment/house. As well, we don't want the additional risk of him flying around a house that may not be parrot-safe.

My question is, how long before he is able to completely fly if we keep letting his wings grow? Is there a "compromise" length we can clip him to, just until we return from vacation in May, wherein he may be able to fly about three feet only? I know this isn't recommended as a long term solution, but it would only be until we return from our vacation.

Thank you all! We're just learning here and want what's best for Scribbles.
scribbles
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Time to grow out wings, and upcoming vacation

Postby marie83 » Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:36 am

He will be safer flighted than unflighted, even in a house that hasn't been birdproofed. However I would not leave my birds with anyone who wasn't willing to look after my birds in the way I wanted them looking after. As your only going for a week I would get someone to come in to the birds once or twice a day rather than move them. That way you know for sure they are in a safe environment.
Last edited by marie83 on Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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marie83
Cockatoo
 
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Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
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Re: Time to grow out wings, and upcoming vacation

Postby Polarn » Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:19 pm

if nothing else I would rather keep my birds caged for a week than clip their wings. lets face it, if your unlucky clipped wings may handicap them for several months or up to a year (my brothers eclectus came to them clipped and hasn't been clipped since last spring, he still has 3ish feathers on each wing that he yet hasn't dropped for new ones, now he can fly but missing these feathers forces him to work alot harder to sustain flight and decreases his manuverability while flying, so he actually do look quite stupid compared to mines flying, and expecially when we flew them in a huge space where they could fly vertical as well as horizontal, then he was completely lost...
So, if they wont have a flighted bird with them, see if they can go to your place to tend the bird, or tell them to keep the bird caged if unwilling to let it out flighted.
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Polarn
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Re: Time to grow out wings, and upcoming vacation

Postby Eurycerus » Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:32 pm

I left Nika in my roommate's care, but due to some aggression it meant Nika had to stay in her cage for a week. Nika's cage is quite large for a small bird, but I still felt bad. She didn't seem too scarred from staying in her cage by herself for a week. I loaded the cage with toys to occupy her and had my roommate talk with her and give her treats for a bit every day. I believe my roommate also watched tv in my room so that Nika at least had someone around for a while in the evenings.
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Re: Time to grow out wings, and upcoming vacation

Postby janetafloat » Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:35 am

I agree with all of the above - it's important for your bird's health & welbeing that he learn to fly properly as a young bird if at all possible and once you've clipped him it could take a long time for his flight feathers to grow out

:senegal: :pied:
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janetafloat
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Re: Time to grow out wings, and upcoming vacation

Postby Cockatielsongs » Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:04 am

If you're driving to wherever you're going why don't you take Scribbles along with you? However it isn't as easy as popping your bird in the car and off you go. Just a suggestion :)
Bandit - Rose Breasted Cockatoo
Cockatielsongs
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