Potentially Moving; Potentially Clipping

[Cage Cleaner]

I'm possibly moving to a smaller but quainter place. Nothing is set as of yet, but I thought I'd get this thread up because it's very likely. I am considering the concept of clipping my birds for the acclimation period to the new place.

I would like your opinions, both for clipping as well as for what you would suggest for moving.

The new place is only a few minutes away. So, I'm not so much worried about how to transport them, as I am about how to get them used to the new place, and to make the transition as smooth as possible.

It's in the middle of a very rural area (lots of red-tailed hawks overhead and trees, and no neighbors to hear my Sun Conure scream), and has many floor length windows. As in, more windows than walls. The house is beautiful because of these windows, but they are dangerous for birds. Many wild birds already fly into the windows. Some simply get knocked out and wake up later to fly away, but some do die on the spot from breaking their necks on impact. It's very sad when it happens.

This makes me worry for my birds, even though neither of them are very good fliers yet. I'm wondering if I should clip them so they can slowly learn about the new place before letting them potentially take flight in it. Everything else about this house can be made bird safe. The windows are the main danger that I can foresee in this new house.

Is clipping a good idea here? If not, how should I proceed to minimize the danger of flying into these huge windows? And, any other suggestions on how to make the move easier on the birds?

[pfinarffle]

Never tried them myself, but you could try:

http://www.birdsafestore.com/Window_alert_p/wal-wab.htm#35

[Michael]

Is clipping a good idea here? If not, how should I proceed to minimize the danger of flying into these huge windows? And, any other suggestions on how to make the move easier on the birds?

Actually I think keeping them flighted is best for many reasons:

A) They won't fly around much at first. You've taken your flighted parrots to other people's houses right? They just sit tight and not fly much. So at first you get the benefit of a flighted parrot that doesn't fly too much.

B) The parrot will fly to what is most familiar at first. This is a huge benefit to you because you'll be more familiar than anything else. So will the cage, tree, training perches, whatever bird stuff you're moving with you. It will further reinforce these places as good and can improve your bond.

C) The parrots can familiarize themselves with the location at their own pace. If they are clipped, they are forced to familiarize like it or not. But flighted they can fly to explore things or choose to stay on their cage. I think it's less stressful.

D) They will learn the new location better flighted. Say they hit a window once early on, they'll learn the windows and be safer in the long run by staying away from them. You can control the first impressions and what they learn and these first impressions stick. It's a new shot at primal learning. You kind of have a new shot to start over again teaching them appropriate flight.

Take each bird around one at a time and hold them up against windows so they can feel the glass. if you want to give them a controlled shot at hitting a window and learning a lesson without it being too painful, put them on a training perch or some kind of parrot stand maybe 1-3 feet from the window. If they fly into it from that distance, there won't be enough speed for it to be too bad. Also it gives the bird some place to land if it's heading toward the window. Practice flight recalls and go to perch flights early on to teach the birds safe places to fly to. On the other hand they'll also be learning where not to go by developing favoritism for where to go.

Now on the other hand you said your parrots aren't great fliers. This is where you need to be able to distinguish how in your specific case this will affect them. I was talking about flighted parrots in general. If yours were clipped for a few years and just two months ago started to fly, then I would rethink it because it is still learning to fly and this could be too much. Then again it could be a good primal learning experience. Really depends on the specific capabilities. If you're getting a lot of spook flights, then it could be a problem. On the other hand if the bird is transitioning from clipped to flighted mentality and doesn't seek to fly much, you should be ok.

[Cage Cleaner]

Those are good points. Thanks. I especially liked C) and D). I'll take your advice and see how it goes. I completely resound with your point about how it may actually make them feel safer as they do still have the option to leave and take flight. Also, I was thinking that due to the fact that they are not great fliers = they can't really run into windows very hard.

I completely cringe when thinking about having to clip my GCC's wings, because he actually is a great guy about not going crazy with his flying. He tends to stay put and just lean forward, bobbing and sometimes screaming for attention when he's out of the cage. He -will- fly when he is getting away from something, but not very willingly under safe circumstances (which actually makes flight recall harder because he sometimes just refuses to fly further than 5 feet).

My Sun conure is just learning as her wings are slowly growing back just now since she came clipped from the breeder. So, we'll see how this goes....

[Cage Cleaner]

Good article (long, but very worthwhile) regarding the to clip or not to clip issue: http://www.indonesian-parrot-project.or ... /pam2.html

Some highlights:

I once spoke to a woman who owned a sun conure. She once mentioned that, upon her groomer’s advice, she took the bird in once a month to have its wing’s clipped. This woman had been led to believe that a bird’s flight feathers grow in the same manner as does human hair – constantly. She is a perfect example of the phenomenon I am describing....

...Most parrots have a major molt once a year and this most often occurs right after breeding season, in late summer or early fall. They also may have a second, minor molt during the winter.... Thus, ideally, a parrot should only need to have its wings clipped once a year, if the timing is good....

Again, the greatest disadvantage to wing clipping is that it encourages in the owner this complacency. The owner is given to believe that his only responsibility is to take the parrot into the groomer or veterinarian at regular intervals to have the wings clipped. This same owner is also led to believe that her parrot (cannot) fly. These are the owners who venture outdoors with their birds on their shoulders, place their birds in trees for a little afternoon playtime, or carry their birds around on their hands in busy areas. These are the owners who lose their birds.

it is possible that the overall health of the respiratory system may be compromised if the bird is never allowed to fly. I believe it possible that life span may be shortened, or the parrot may fall victim to respiratory illness, when she is denied the form of exercise that is rightfully hers.

No matter what choice is made, to keep the parrot clipped or allow flight, the crucial thing is to always bear in mind that you have in your hands a flighted spirit. Honor that fact, and if you’re going to take away flight, do so kindly and in full consideration of the import of the action.

[Naurthon]

When I moved into my new house last May, I put my boys in their travel cages, then moved their regular cages to the house and set them up before taking the birds there. That way, I was able to put them into a familiar environment as soon as they got into they new home. I haven't had problems with the birds being unsettled with moves before though. All three of them did fine when I moved from Monroe to Seattle two years ago (that's about an hour trip), and Nikko had no issues at all spending two days with me in a U-Haul truck moving from San Diego to Monroe in early 2009.

[Cage Cleaner]

That's a good idea. I'll do that.

And yes, I'm looking forward to the move. I'm not too worried about my GCC settling in because he's had a few moves already with me and handles it fine. The Sun conure hasn't been here all that long so she -should- be fine. After they settle down, it should be a much more enjoyable place for them because it's much better lit during the sunny hours. They will both get window seats next to full length windows.

I've pretty much already gotten over this topic by now... because I've switched over to trying to figure out if/how I want to somehow keep 50 gallons of water or go for 80 gallons (the ideal amount to keep) of my 100 gallon fish tank. -.-

And then it would be introducing my mainly feral cat to the new place.

AND with the economy being so down-low, I may have a horse incoming that I'm rescuing from being put down, too.

...and that's all on top of med school.

[GlassOnion]

[liz]

Wow. My daughter's horse costs as much as 10 birds, 6 dogs and 6 cats put together. Routine vet bills are starting to break her.

[Cage Cleaner]

Wow. My daughter's horse costs as much as 10 birds, 6 dogs and 6 cats put together. Routine vet bills are starting to break her.

They are about $10k a year, before training, lessons, and vet bills.