Clipping Wings

[ParrotsForLife]

Clipping tends to cause more problems than it will ever solve-Bird keepers guide to African greys

This is very true.

[seagoatdeb]

I will never agree with that statment. Bad clipping and clippping to solve problems that dont need clipping are definately something I am against. But I have lived too long and had too much parrot experience to not be able to see when the right clipping at the right time, helped immensely. Hopefully we all do whats best for our parrots and put a lot of research and thought into it. Right now both of mine are flighted. My Red Belly has learned to get along with my Meyers and so neither has to be a better flyer to give them almost unlimited outside cage time. My Meyers has to be returned to the cage everytime I eat or cook because of his nature. If in the future I am ever in a situation where a clipping of some sort is needed I will use it though. But I respect your position.

[ParrotsForLife]

Its saying it causes more problems than it solves and that is true it does help with sometimes but it causes more problems in birds like some start plucking or become sad and depressed.

[seagoatdeb]

Its saying it causes more problems than it solves and that is true it does help with sometimes but it causes more problems in birds like some start plucking or become sad and depressed.

I see your point, I have been clipping for a long time and I do it very sparyingly. Over clipping is what can cause birds to pluck and it is traumatizing to feel so defensless. All parrots I have owned get lots of attention, have lots of toys, I make myself and change often and lots of quality experiences and none have ever been depressed or remained feather pluckers if they were when i met them. I agree that some people clip too severly or when they shouldn't. But, I have seen some relationships be completely improved between owners and parrots too, and parrots kept in the cage because the owners could not catch them when they were fully flighted. So I am kind of in the middle and think every situation has to be judged seperately.

[Wolf]

I don't recall seeing any scientific evidence that suggests that clipping a birds wings other than when there is a valid medical reason to do so is ever beneficial. For that reason I am primarily against this practice, I do however read of individual cases from non scientific sources that suggest that sometimes, if not done to an excess might suggest that there may be benefits to it. I really don't know if this is because there have not been tests run on light clipping or what. I do think that with all that we do not know about our birds that it pays to keep an open mind concerning these things. I think that although I am in general disagreement to clipping that we need to look at this on an individual case basis.

[liz]

There was a day when I considered clipping Myrtle. It was a bloody day for me even though Myrtle had never bit me before. I protected myself as much as I could then logged on for Wolf to talk me out of it.
I don't know why but it was just that day and she was back to herself the next day. I have to chaulk it up to her not feeling well (head ache or tummy ache) or just getting up on the wrong side of the perch.

I thought about it because of her aggression that day. After Wolf talked me out of it I put myself in Myrtles place that how angry I would be if my flight was stolen.

[seagoatdeb]

There was a day when I considered clipping Myrtle. It was a bloody day for me even though Myrtle had never bit me before. I protected myself as much as I could then logged on for Wolf to talk me out of it.
I don't know why but it was just that day and she was back to herself the next day. I have to chaulk it up to her not feeling well (head ache or tummy ache) or just getting up on the wrong side of the perch.

I thought about it because of her aggression that day. After Wolf talked me out of it I put myself in Myrtles place that how angry I would be if my flight was stolen.

I dont disagree with you Liz, in your situation with a rehomed parrot, you really need to try everything else first. Sorry you got bit so much, it does hurt. Plus it is terrible to take flight away or steal it like that. There are specific situations where it is really useful. My parrots trust me enough they will offer a wing with no restraints and I do so little at one time they barely notice it. So I will if ever need to, do what needs to be done. I have helped many people over the years and consider each and every case seperately. I am so glad you never clipped because stealing all their flight at one time would have been very traumatic. They should always be left with more flight than only being able to glide to the floor and never have flight stolen. Also if the clip is too long, they feel the feather that is damaged. Many wont agree with me, but I only take very few feathers but I clip them high so they dont feel a clipped feather when they preen and only take one from each end each time and watch how well they still navigate and what changes before I consider to do more. With my Meyers, I have no need to clip him at all, he needs to be fast so he can always get away from my Red Belly if he makes her too mad. He is younger and faster. He lets me use the grabbing technique that Michael uses so he is easy to catch even when he is being bratty, plus it has made it easy for me to tuck him in my jacket now, to take him next door so he can flock with my daughters parrots, he so loves to flock with them. I have to put him away when I cook or eat, he always focuses on where food is. He IS a Taurus....lol..

I had a cockatiel that I adored, she was my favorite cockatiel I ever had.She wild when i got her but tamed down fast, she loved all people and was such a good natured parrot, But then one day, in a freak accident, where a ladder was placed for a workman to repair something outside, she spooked and hit the wall very hard because of her full flight and broke her neck. I grieved that loss. That made me rethink the whole clipping issue and I think it through each and every time, now and have a lot of experience, that I trust. I only trust my own observation and experience on this issue now and not anyone elses, after all I am the one who will live with the consequences. I still miss her when I see a Lutino female.