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Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

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Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby Michael » Mon May 10, 2010 4:00 pm

List the top reasons for clipping a parrot's wings. Specify if these are your 10 reasons or what you think these reasons are for others.

Let's just get the reasons listed first and give everyone a chance to come up with their list before discussing it or passing judgment.
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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby bmsweb » Tue May 11, 2010 1:44 am

Much of this has already been covered in the previous thread and as with everything in life we can debate the good and bad, but at the end of the day it comes down to ones life experiences and the judgment each individual makes.
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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby Michael » Tue May 11, 2010 2:35 am

Sure, but I would like to know specific reasons. This topic won't go away and is probably one of the hottest and most debatable topics about parrots. I really am curious what specific reasons people have for clipping. Not the broad concept of wanting the bird to be easier to handle but specific examples where they believe clipping made it easier.
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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby bmsweb » Tue May 11, 2010 6:08 am

Safety for the bird - Dependent on the Birds age and if its been handled by humans.
Note: for our family this is only a temporary measure. When our conures have babies, I see no reason to go clip their wings.
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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby Michael » Tue May 11, 2010 7:32 am

I hear "safety" all of the time. But what does this mean? What are specific examples of how they are safer?
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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby lzver » Tue May 11, 2010 7:51 am

Safety is definitely a reason. When we first got Lucy, her wings were clipped, so she learned how to fly as a young bird and is a pretty good flier. Jessie was clipped when we got him and never really learned to fly very well. Neither one are big fliers - they really just fly when they get spooked. Since Jessie isn't a good flyer, he on occassion will fly into the wall or window. He has given me a few scares when I thought he really hurt himself.

Loss prevention - I get both birds wings clipped in the summer - around this time of year. The birds come with us to the trailer in the summer and just in case they ever get out of their cage, they can't go very far. Knock on wood, it hasn't happened yet, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I let their wings grow through the winter. Not sure if it will work out for this summer, but I'd like to work on harness training them over the winter so I can have them out of their cages on the deck at the trailer next summer.

I will say that I notice a change in Lucy's mood each spring when I get her wings clipped. She does seem quieter and a little moody/depressed when she gets them clipped - it usually only lasts for a couple days and she's back to her normal self. Doesn't seem to affect Jessie's mood at all.

Those are the top 2 reasons I consider important and are reasons why I clip their wings.
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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby bmsweb » Tue May 11, 2010 7:59 am

Michael wrote: . . how they are safer?


I would have thought this was obvious Michael . . but what the heck, lets play the game!

Bird panics and flies into window. Bird ends up in the kitchen in a fry pan, I can go on and on but I hope you get what I mean by safety . . and if you still don't understand how they are safer here is a video by an avian vet:

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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby pchela » Tue May 11, 2010 2:17 pm

Some parrots are thought to become less aggressive with a wing clip.
"I bet the sparrow looks at the parrot and thinks, yes, you can talk, but LISTEN TO YOURSELF!" ~ Jack Handy ~ Deep Thoughts
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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby notscaredtodance » Tue May 11, 2010 3:16 pm

In houses with dogs and cats, wings should left unclipped. How many horror stories do we hear about birds sitting on/near their cage, or even on/near an owner, a dog getting rowdy, and a bird dying because it flapped and the dog thought it was a chew toy? And flying would have been able to save it.

But if there are no other animals, as long as the bird has a way to get to a few different places and isn't limited to a cage in the middle of the room, stranded on an island basically, I defnitely think clipped is safer.

I also think that my bird's bond with me is a result of her being clipped. I can only imagine the drama at the petstore if I had let her out of her cage and she just took off up into the rafters. Even if it was forced at first to have her sit on my shoulder if she wanted to be out of her cage, its not forced now, as she can walk from me to her cage and back if she wants, but chooses to stay on me. So yes, bonding is easier at first. I think once the bird is bonded letting wings grow out is fine.

It really is an owner preference, some people say its unnatural for a bird to be clipped. I say it's unnatural to trick train a bird. To have it in a cage. To feed it processed pellets. There is so much unnatural about keeping pets in the first place, that calling clipping unnatural isn't a valid argument.

I think clipping is beneficial for safety to keep birds out of trouble, off of curtain rods/shelves with trinkets/wires. I think clipping makes bonding with a new bird much easier.

Most of my arguments aren't why clipping is BETTER than flighted, but why it isn't worse. (Birds fly 20 miles in the wild. They don't get that much exercise in a house flying back and forth a few times. I doubt it's much of a health benefit. The bird is more stimulated, but frankly, if a bird is so bored that it flies for fun, you need to invest in some better foraging toys.
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Re: Top 10 Reasons for Clipping

Postby miajag » Tue May 11, 2010 3:33 pm

I think we're going to have trouble coming up with 10. Safety from escape and household hazards and ease of taming/training are the two main ones.
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