Clipping Wings - Page 5

05-07-2008, 11:24 AM

Thanks for all of the input on this. I still want him to be cliped. To say this nicely, it would just be a better thing for our situation. Oh and to state also this we dont live in an appartment but you might as well say it is lol. Its a tiny house. I guess probably about 700 sq.ft. We keep the bird in the bedroom with us. So when we do get him out, the cat and dog are out of the room. Occationaly our cat will sneak under the bed though so we have been making sure lately that she is not under the bed and she is in the other rooms. I will more than likely go to someone we know that clips wings as part of her buisness to help me the first few times. I was going to go by a diagram but after hearing about the bad clippings, I have changed my mind on that. When they(the breeder) cliped his wings the first time this was after he flew around the room at their house. They couldnt find him for a while because he hide after he flew. This is another reason I would rather him have his wings clipped because he has proven to be honery and sneaky when he gets away. I also wanted to know what are blood feathers?~Jenna

05-07-2008, 12:17 PM

Jenna, this thread has a lot of good information;

blood feathers?

05-08-2008, 06:25 AM

The Quill in each feather are where one will find the blood.
When this Quill is broken then bleeding occurs, and your bird can bleed to death.
Here's a link to help you to understand what is meant by Blood Feathers.
Broken Blood Feathers in Birds: First Aid and Removal
Here's another link with Pictures.
Blood Feathers
Here's some more good reading.
Welcome to Parrotdise!

I am pleased with you decision to clip your birds wings.
Folks can argue this topic and by all means this subject has been very controversial.

Many folks say "how can you clip a birds wings?".
I say "how can you take the freedom away from a bird period by caging the bird and or bringing the little animal into the home and kept as a pet"?.

If we must keep them in our homes "walls are cages also".

Best to protect them the best we can from injury.

Learn all you can about clipping, consult your vet.

Let us know how it goes.

05-08-2008, 06:55 AM

All the best
& I hope you get the info & experience you need. I look forward to seeing lots of photos soon about your wee fellow.

05-08-2008, 09:02 AM

What to do? What to do?

05-08-2008, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justjoshin

you know, I was keeping my mouth shut on this one, but you said exactly what I was thinking. I live in a one bedroom apartment as well and you should see jewel, my blue and gold macaw navigate around, from room to room, around the place without landing. Carmen does laps like a fighter pilot and since she fledged has never had a problem...

I also think it depends on the bird. Papi is 7 years old, has never been clipped and can fly like a pro, but rarley chooses to. He flys to get from his tree and back or to somewhere he wants to play, but not really just for fun. I dont think size matters..

We love Jewel, and Papi and Carmen, etc! And Dr. Dolittle for that matter!

05-08-2008, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimpierce

I'm well aware that being as I clip my birds puts me in the position of a non believer during the inquisition, but thats ok.

First off, I put a lot of stock in my vet's (I'm fortunate to have three avian vets in two offices locally) opinion. All three share the same opinion. In door bird birds, clipped. The breeder I got Sophie from shares that same belief. As they are who my education about birds began that is where I get the idea.
Do I believe my birds would crash into the walls and break the window. Nope. But I don't live alone. Nor do I live in a huge 600 square foot apartment. 425 square feet is more like it. Not including the patio that I have set up entirely for the birds. The living room, 130 sq' is where the birds live. With us!! The kitchen also extends out from the living room as well as an entry hall. I do have a hole poked threw the wall into a studio apartment which doubles as our computer/aquarium room and my bedroom. Not to mention all the hutch and curio cabinet willed to Kelly by her mom. Which adds 370sq' to the total.
My wife has her nick knack shelf above the TV as well as curios all over the top of the entertainment center.
I know Sophie is a fabulous flyer. Cricket is a green bullet. Unless you scare her Zoey won't fly. Benji only flies to get to Cricket or Zoey. Sometimes to get away from Sophie as well.
Have I rattled on long enough yet? Bottom line is because I choose to, because I can not at this time 100% control the environment of my home. Losing one of my babies out the front door would hurt a whole lot more then discussing why I clip my fids. Even though I love to see them fly.

I think I may be with you Jim, Maybe not! Don't know!!!! That's the problem!

05-08-2008, 09:17 AM

Ok I'll tell it. I had a pionus, Birdy Max. He was the love of my life. I let his feathers grow in as we had a new puppy. He was so sedate that even with "wings" he really never flew. We were getting ready for a X'mas party and my sweet hubby thought he would help me and bring Max in from his outside cage. (Think Houston - 80 degrees!) Max got scared and flew from him. I searched for him for weeks. His favorite song was "high on a hill is a lonely goatherd" from the Sound of Music. I walked areas singing that to my lungs. I have never found him.. Oh, if he had his wings clipped! What to do! What to do! I have never talked about this. I miss him more than words can tell. He was precious! He needed me and I needed him. Now he's gone!

05-08-2008, 10:22 AM

Having flighted birds is not a walk in the park. It is another way of enjoying your bird & having them enjoy flight. I understand 100% that not everyone can do this - Jim was very clear & I respect what he does for his birds.

jessalyn ~ For you - the guilt is heavy I imagine - & the sorrow. I don't know how I would handle something like that. I joined a Recall group to learn from those who have flighted birds. The work behind it all. Many people offered help & their experiences. Clicker training too. I have Budgies - ther is no way they are going outside! This is only indoor flight training, in their case.

Me: Back when I had a Doberman - I trained her lots. This was for her own protection. But one day she was scared by a bunch of kids on bikes & she was young[5 months old]. She ran away. I looked for her for 2 days - my whole family did. Then we found her thankfully. Because of that, we all tried to keep her training very current - so we could help her as she needed us in the future. She was a high strung dog but the training really helped.

Flighted birds do a lot better with training as well - to be a good & safer pet.

05-09-2008, 10:20 AM

Just remember that small birds that are not over clipped can escape and fly away. You have to take the same precautions either way. The little ones fly better not clipped and can escape hazards, but they can all find trouble, I have heard sad stories on both sides.

This is a great site.

http://theparrotuniversity.com/flight.php