Wing Clipping

[**KAZ** 0]

I would just like to ask the questions that have been swimming around in the back of my head about wing clipping. I don't know the actual reasons it is done apart from hearing the odd thing said on this forum and others. People opinions seem to differ as to why or how it is done. I don't clip wings but most of my birds are in a large aviary and fly about everywhere getting great amounts of exercise. It's just that I saw some tiny baby budgies in a pet shop when I was on holiday....they were absolutely adorable as all baby budgies are. But they had their wings clipped right back and to my mind, I was disappointed to see that. I suppose there are reasons.... :ausb: but what are they ? Why ? What are the pros and cons of wing clipping please ?

Years ago my mother always clipped the wings of our white corella ( "COCKYBOY is still around at age 56 and turned out to be a girl ) but COCKYBOY liked to walk up and down the lawn under the sprinkler so that Mum said was why she clipped. I'm interested to hear opinions, if just to answer questions I have long wondered about. :hap:

Edited April 21, 2006 by budgiebird

[Daz 0]

Wing clipping is an interesting debate. I only clip wings of pets that will be allowed to fly free in the house. I know that sounds like a contridiction but it teaches them that the glass windows and doors can't be flown through. It does it in a safe way.

 

I only clip the wings of my birds (House kept) once in their life.

 

Previous Discussion

 

Information on Wing Clipping

Edited April 21, 2006 by daz

[**KAZ** 0]

Thankyou Daz, for the links and information. It is very interesting. The baby budgies I saw had both their wings fully clipped back, primaries and secondaries. They looked really weird. They would have been no older than 5 weeks. It says in these articles that baby budgies should not be clipped until they have learnt to fly.....a pity that these were clipped so young, perhaps. :hap: I have no hard and fast rules or ideas on the subject, but I personally would hesitate in buying a baby budgie so fully clipped.

[Daz 0]

I only clip the first four flight feathers. The Bird can still fly quite well. It just slows them don't a bit.

 

I leave my chicks with the parents till they are 42 days. (6 weeks) then for 2 weeks in the nursary box. Sp they are 8 weeks before they go to the flight.

[**KAZ** 0]

I only clip the first four flight feathers. The Bird can still fly quite well. It just slows them don't a bit.

 

I leave my chicks with the parents till they are 42 days. (6 weeks) then for 2 weeks in the nursary box. Sp they are 8 weeks before they go to the flight.

Me too....about the chicks I mean. I do the same. Except on two occasions when they went to Lin and Cheeta at 5-6 weeks, but could crack seed.

[Cheeta 0]

I'm going to clip Goofy's wing because even though he's okay with human contact, he's still very flighty, so getting the training/taming requires is a lot harder when he keeps taking off. I'm also only planning on clipping it this once. I'm sure once he's tamed down and his wings grow back, I'll leave it grown in.

 

Other reason why people might clip is like Daz says, it reduces their flight ability in the house so therefore less chances of causing themselves injuries if they fly too hard and bang into glass. I've heard of stories of a parrot breaking it's neck like that. :hap:

 

Another being, if you let your bird out and about in the house often, this lessen the accident of the bird flying out the door if it had a reduced flight ability.

 

There are 'extremists' of both side of the story of clipping wings. I think I'm in the middle somewhere where I dont mind clipping their wings, but I love to see them fly at the same time. So I compromise with one clip to tame them down!! :ausb:

 

Me too....about the chicks I mean. I do the same. Except on two occasions when they went to Lin and Cheeta at 5-6 weeks, but could crack seed.

 

Oh that's because you knew that they were going to good homes!!!

Edited April 21, 2006 by Cheeta

[**KAZ** 0]

I'm going to clip Goofy's wing because even though he's okay with human contact, he's still very flighty, so getting the training/taming requires is a lot harder when he keeps taking off. I'm also only planning on clipping it this once. I'm sure once he's tamed down and his wings grow back, I'll leave it grown in.

 

Other reason why people might clip is like Daz says, it reduces their flight ability in the house so therefore less chances of causing themselves injuries if they fly too hard and bang into glass. I've heard of stories of a parrot breaking it's neck like that.

 

Another being, if you let your bird out and about in the house often, this lessen the accident of the bird flying out the door if it had a reduced flight ability.

 

There are 'extremists' of both side of the story of clipping wings. I think I'm in the middle somewhere where I dont mind clipping their wings, but I love to see them fly at the same time. So I compromise with one clip to tame them down!!

 

Me too....about the chicks I mean. I do the same. Except on two occasions when they went to Lin and Cheeta at 5-6 weeks, but could crack seed.

 

Oh that's because you knew that they were going to good homes!!! :hap:

 

Yes for certain. I wouldn't let a baby budgie go to a novice budgie owner at that age. Just treasured friends on Budgiebreeders forums. :angel1:

[Elly 0]

Pretty was clipped when I got him, the reason they clipped him is because he was in an open glass tabletop aviary, and of course they don't want their budgies to fly out. Shops with open aviaries clip all the time, those in enclosed I notice don't.

 

Now I have noticed that Petsmart over here does not clip, I assume unless you ask. I have not bought a budgie from Petsmart personally at the present.

 

Now my personal opinion, I have had 2 situations. In my younger days , I had 2 tiels. One I never clipped and did finger train and work with alot and one that was untamed and did clip just so I could look at her (she was the scared) - we actually caught her in our backyard flying around.

 

Would I have trimmed Pretty - probably now that I look at his personality. If he wasn't trimmed he would still be on the top of my curtains yelling at me (Laughing out loud), and flying back and forth (not that he doesn't now ). But I can get him down from almost any spot with my finger that he has been trained.

 

As Daz said it also helps them learn how and where to fly. He has our house totally figured out from flying from the hallway through the kitchen into the living room and then again through the hallway and goes in circles (silly bird).

 

When I get another one, I will have to see on the birds personality. Pretty I won't clip again unless I feel that he starts to get naughty and unrurely but I can't see it happening because I spend time with everyday in and out of his cage. I still put my hand in his cage for him to hop on my finger. In fact he is more ready to hop on my finger out of the cage then in at this point. Yesterday I put him by his cage to hop in and he stayed on like you want me to go back in there :hap:. Stinky Pinky..is what I nickedname him when he gets silly.

 

Hope that helps on my view.

[Bea 0]

I've always clipped pet budgies once for taming and then let the flights grow out. While clipping may prove safer for learning about windows and mirrors i discovered last night it can also be dangerous. Last night i had Ozzie and Blinkie sitting with me while i was walking around the house and i went through the kitchen to help mum with something and Ozzie fluttered off, and landing in the washing up water. It's a good thing the water hed been sitting a while otherwise i could've had a boiled budgie. I had to wash him off to get rid of all the bubbles, poor baby. :dbb1:

[»-(¯`Una´¯)-» 0]

My three terrors inside, Apple, Mig and Munchkin have got their wings clipped, simply because they don't live in their cage and its only used for sleep or whenever they feel they want time out. Other than that the lounge room is their cage and i have big nasty ceiling fans that HAVE to be on or we would all cook and die of heat exhaustion I have heard about the place that Budgies and ceiling fans DONT MIX ..

I clipped Mig and Munchys wings but for some reason couldn't bring myself to clip Apples so got the vet to do it... And wasn't that a huge mistake He looks weird with stumpy little wings although the vet clipped them exactly how id done the other two, Apple just seems to have stumpy wings. I was wondering if this could have been apart of the reason that took him months and months to learn to fly

Edited April 23, 2006 by una

[Guest shareno]

Wing clipping is an interesting debate. I only clip wings of pets that will be allowed to fly free in the house. I know that sounds like a contridiction but it teaches them that the glass windows and doors can't be flown through. It does it in a safe way.

 

I only clip the wings of my birds (House kept) once in their life.

 

Previous Discussion

 

Information on Wing Clipping

 

Hi Daz. Tammy's wings were clipped at the petshop. She's just starting to go through her first molt. She's really tame and has no fear. I do have a large window in the room that I keep her in. Do you think it would be okay to let her get her wings back? You mentioned that you only clip the house birds' wings once but then in another post you mentioned that you clip the first four flight feathers to slow them down. Are you talking about the house birds also?

[Elly 0]

We have a 2 sliding glass doors and I let Pretty wing's grow back he is full flighted and I love it. He is gorgeous, I don't think I could bring myself to clip him again. If you let them out while they are clipped and while they are growing back in there should be no issue with the windows. Pretty has it all figured out no problems at all.