by seagoatdeb » Fri Mar 11, 2016 8:17 pm
This is a big question Michael,. I lost a fully flighted cockateil when she spooked and hit a wall hard by breaking her neck. If she had been clipped she would not have hit so hard, and may still be alive today, but that is something I will never know for sure.
i also ran over to my friends place when her male cockatiel managed to fly outside because her son didnt close the back door properly. he flew high into a tree, and we tried for hours to get him down, but then a hawk swooped down and grabbed him. My friend was so upset and blamed herself for being to lazy to clip him. She was pretty mad at her son for a while too.
It is the sad truth that most parrots lost outside were not clipped, but these days there are so many who are against clipping and do not use common sense to judge each situation. Flight harnesses are important for a flighted parrot to go outside. I am too worried about the amount of hawks in this area and so I tuck my parrots under a jacket to transport them or in a small travel cage, so they only fly in the house.
I have purchased clipped parrots and have seen their confidence build as they fly bettter, so was glad to see those parrots begin to fly better. I alway let mine have enough flight, that it works in my home. I teach them to offer a wing and only clip one on each side at a time letting them adjust in between and seeing how much that has affected them, before any more decisions. I do not believe in a severe clip done all at once as it is very traumatic to the parrot. They should be able to fly bettter than simply gliding to the floor or they wont even try to fly much. Right now both of mine are flighted but I will always make decisions based on what is best at the time for the best quality of life I can give the parrots I live with.
and there was no option that fit me to click