She's lovely!

K....Minerva is a very good flyer at just 4 months. She circles, adjusts her altitude with ease, she lands fairly solid, but she does sometimes take a while to think about the smartest place to land. (Probably why she's so good at circling.) She also flies with objects in her beak. The breeder said this is the first Grey she's had do this and was surprised it was a little ol'Timneh to boot. I've personally seen Min cruise around with her wooden honey dipper. The fact that she can fly has not interfered with our bonding one little bit. Min is still sweet and cuddly. I'm not worried about her crashing into a wall (she knows walls) or a window (I showed her where they are and the curtains are a good tip off).

You just have to decide if you can birdproof your home enough and if everybody (spouse, kids, kids friends) can make the rules HABIT. My biggest concern are the exterior doors so putting the dog out takes advanced thought. There's also stuff like remembering the stove might still be hot, making sure cuttlery isn't sticking up in the drainboard at the sink, being very carefull closing the bathroom door with a fid in hot pursuit, etc.

My biggest scare was actually with a clipped bird. We were outside, I assumed everything was safe, she spooked at a garage door closing and ended up 10 feet away from me before I could react. Again, false sense of security w/ a clipped bird.

It's also funny that my birds who were clipped as babies and are now flighted very seldom rely on flight. They'll flutter from cage top to cage top, or flutter to me for attention, but only 2 use flight as a means of transportation....both from Dozie's breeder!

Yes, when they're flighted we also have to remember that if we enter another closed off room that the fids might be right behind us. Like you said, the main issue there is entering the bathroom.

Yes but all these bird proofing issues exist with a clipped bird too. Just like you said with the garage. Letting the dog out, bathrooms, stoves, cutlery the bird can still get injured or exposed even when clipped. And worse is a clipped bird is limited in what they can do so they are going to search for the nearest entertaining thing like an electric wire. The only difference is once they're outside already ...depends on how far they get with whatever amount of wing they can use.

I understand people who never lived with a flighted bird thinking it's scary but the reality is they are going to make too many mistakes too, if they think their precautions are different (less) with a clipped bird, imo. Everyone has to be supervised when out of the cage.

Having kids is one of the biggest drawbacks to safe birds in the house, imo. So I dont know if that applies here but if so, put the lock up HIGH on the door. Even if you clip.

Thank you. I want an aviary just like it.

Based upon the research I have reviewed on the subject, I have concluded that the clipping of a birds' wings (at least on a long-term basis) is detrimental to the overall health (both mental & physical) of a bird.

I am one whose birds were ALL clipped when I brought them home. At the time, no other option was presented to me -- it was just done by either the pet shop or the breeder where I got the bird. I did not question it. Then one day I was participating on a different bird-related board and came across a discussion regarding the pro's and cons of clipping. I read arguments on both sides. I then began to research the topic on-line. I then realized that there was a different option. In the end, I determined that I would never clip my birds' wings again.

All of my birds fly well now with the exception of Stella, my amazon. Unfortunately, poor Stella was never allowed to fledge as a baby (I purchased her from a pet shop when she was approx. 6 months old) and I kept her clipped until she was nearly 3 years old. I have so regretted not allowing her full flight sooner. I know amazons are well-known perch potatoes, but I fully believe that Stella's love for her perch has more to do with her lack of early flight skills than anything else. I have been around amazons now that were never clipped as babies and the difference between them and Stella is compelling. They fly from perch to perch in their large cages whereas Stella climbs around her cage to get to where she wants to go. She has only taken a few "voluntary" flights (short in duration and indoors) since growing her wings back -- all of her other flights were due to her being startled or my nudging her to fly. You would think that once she "found" her wings when startled, that she would start flying on a regular basis. But sadly, that has just not happened.

Btw, I had 2 of my birds "fly away" when their wings were clipped (thankfully, both were recovered but one was gone for 3 days and it is a true miracle that she was not killed by a predator during that time). That was my mistake and caused by my false sense of security that they would not go far with clipped wings. Since their wings have grown out, I've not had one escape -- I take all precautions to prevent that from happening by doing all the things that Sarah (svolk), Nate (Quito's Qage) and Cindy215 have discussed.

The aerobic benefit of full flight cannot be ignored. These animals were meant to fly and I think their health is compromised if not allowed to do that. I also believe that they are happier when flighted. I'm not saying a clipped bird cannot be healthy and happy, but I do believe that a fully flighted bird is healthier and happier overall.

I do not know your personal circumstances and whether you are capable of bird-proofing your home to allow your bird full flight at this time. But I do encourage you, if that is not possible now, to keep that option open down the road. I am gladdened that should you decide to clip, you have decided to allow your little one to fledge first. As my experience with Stella shows, fledging is very, very important.

Edit: I need to add that the wings of my 3 caiques were already clipped when I first saw them in December 2006 -- I had no choice in the matter. Their wings have now pretty much grown out (but not completely) and they are still "practicing". I already see signs that they will become good fliers in time.

Thank you.