As some of you may know, Cupid had an issue with (what we now have considered with recent events) a wing injury a few months ago. He's been doing great lately. Last week, my husband and I went on vacation and had our birds boarded while we were gone. They had a great time, we discovered some new healthy food they LOVE, and Baby evidently spent a LARGE amount of time with Cupid and Psyche. Since we've gotten home, Baby has become even more outgoing and attached to us, in addition to wanting to spend a lot of time with Cupid and Psyche. She even let Cupid feed and woo her!! So we've been trying to accomodate her new friendship with them even when we're not immediately in the same room with them. We thought it would also be a good opportunity to reconnect with C and P since they haven't had as much interaction since I started my internship. This has been met with disastrous results (well, not TOO disastrous, but certainly not fun).

 

We have never had a problem with Baby flying into things. Cupid and Psyche are another matter though. Just a mere day after we got home, Psyche flew into a wall and started holding her wing like Cupid did. The very next day, Cupid flew into Jared's office and at full speed, flew straight into the window. He didn't get seriously hurt (just injured the skin of his cere and got majorly stunned for a few moments), but he scared the heck out of us and made us realize we have to do something different.

 

I'm seriously considering clipping Cupid and Psyche's wings. I've really liked that we've been able to let our birds fly around as they please. Until recently, they haven't gotten in trouble at all. I think that they've been happy and well adjusted and we've even had decent success taming them. It has worked well with our lifestyle and our current house layout. But now, I don't know how much we can trust them to be safe and I certainly don't want to risk a serious injury. We could certainly only let them out in a completely bird safe room, however, it would take a lot of work on our part to do this. We don't have a room that they can live in that is safe for them that we would also be spending a decent amount of time in, and for us to take them into the bathroom for flight time is something that would be very difficult for us to do on a regular basis. I would feel very guilty keeping them in their cage all the time because we don't have the time or space to let them out. Also, we tend to spoil Baby since she's so old and such a little character. It would be much more ideal for her if she could visit Cupid and Psyche as she wished, instead of depending on us to let her in and out of their cage. There have been many times int he past where we leave their door open too, and they mainly stay inside and Baby will visit them and then leave when she gets sick of their attention. When their door is closed, we feel obligated to watch them closely and take Baby out when it seems she's being harrassed too much and needs a break. When they were at Avian Suites, both doors were open the whole time and i think that she was much more comfortable spending time with them when she knew she could get away from them if necessary. I can only imagine that she enjoys time with other birds.

 

So we're thinking that if Cupid and Psyche's flight is limited, they can safely have out of cage time without complete direct supervision and Baby can continue to enjoy their close company as she wishes. Not to mention the benefits of easier taming. Talking to the vets about the situation and my hesitancy to clip, they said that no situation is ideal. Which leads me to believe its a matter of weighing the costs of each scenario. I'm thinking that I'd rather give the birds more freedom and interaction (with us and Baby) at the cost of full flight than have the risk of serious injury always be there.

 

I don't want to start a huge debate full of arguments, but I'd like to hear the opinions of other parakeet owners on this hot topic. If your flighted birds had to spend most of their time in their cage so they can be safe, would you clip them so they can have a little more freedom to come out of their cage safely? I know that there are many many flighted keets here. If their safety were at risk, would you clip them so they can still play out of their cage?

First I really believe it depends on the individual situation. If I personally had an outdoor aviary (some do acheive this with an indoor aviary) with budgies they would be flighted. To me the purpose of the large aviary is to give them the sense of living in the "wild" vs being companion to their owner.

 

I do have a flight cage "aviary" style but I purchased it for the purpose of giving them a lot of room while I wasn't home. Pretty was in a small cage and after being a part of this forum it wasn't really approriate for such a wonderful companion.

 

Since both my birds are considered to me companions where I seek a different type of companionship such as sitting on my shoulder, perching on my finger etc...there is taming involved.

 

I purchased Pretty clipped and he was the only budgie for 9 months this was a great advantage to taming him before we added a second budgie into our home. Pretty was flighted and tamed but the only one. He did get naughty at time and many times I thought about getting him clipped again only to hesistate and work with keeping him tame. This is not for some there are some on this forum that their budgies are flighted and extremely tame and they have more then 1 budgie these budgies from my own observations also grew up different then Pretty. They were hand tamed right from the nest vs Pretty being in a pet shop for 3 month of his life with not a lot of human interaction.

 

Then we got Merlin he was clipped when I got him too and Pretty was flighted. Merlin was already used to human contact and since he is the show type a much calmer personality too not as flightly as Pretty.

 

Pretty and Merlin when they were both flighted become very independent. Pretty stayed tame to an extent but usually when he wanted to he was in control because he could fly. When they are clipped you are in control and they rely on you. When Pretty died I did get Merlin reclipped for the main purposes of taming him down more. Merlin was Pretty's sidekick and when Pretty would fly Merlin would fly (Laughing out loud) it was comical.

 

Now Merlin is already getting flights back can you imagine and he is starting to get lift again. The avian vet when through why he believes budgies (birds) should be clipped and safety is a huge one. Is is safer from flying quickly and slamming into a wall and breaking his neck (which happens with aviary budgies too), flying right out the door, flying into a ceiling fan when moving if it wasn't shut off. The only think Merlin truly needs to fly from in my house is the cats and they are always locked out of my room when Merlin is out. Exercise is another issue but then again because they are flighted doesn't mean they will fly more there are many budgies that are glued to their owners and don't fly about.

 

I believe there are so many factors to consider. I typed this up quickly so I apologize for any grammical or spelling errors .

Thank you for the consideration of companionship and that there are differences in WHY someone has a bird and how that influences the decision. I have always had companion animals, with the exception of an anole in high school, and there were times when I felt SOOOO sorry for him cuz he was caged all the time. I have learned that my husband wants a large collection of reptiles as a conservation sort of a thing, as a display sort of a thing, rather than as companions. Its been tough for me to wrap my mind around as I'm always wanting to play with the snakes, but I'm starting to get the idea and that its not a bad thing. I have always considered our birds companions rather than something pretty to look at and listen to and a wild animal we don't interact with much.

 

We're closing on a house on May 15th. I'm not sure if there will be an appropriate bird room there where they'll get plenty of people contact too. We're planning on having them in our large living room again, but Jared is creating plans to build a large aviary type of cage to house them in. Our view of them as companions may end up changing, especially as we start a family, but with a giant place for them, I won't feel as guilty.

 

This is a GREAT point to consider! Thank you!

Some of my birds are clipped and some are not (it depends on the individual bird, their circumstances, predispositon to roam out of territory). But please don't tell my rescue bird lady that (I am a member of her adoption commitee), she adovacates wing clipping for everybody.

We're planning on keeping Baby flighted, so we'd have a mixed flock too. She's not a very strong flier, so even if and when she does fly into stuff, its not hard at all. She's just so much an interactive part of our family I couldn't imagine not having her fly over to greet me when I come home. Its also very reassuring to hear that there are people out there who are for clipping everyone. We get a lot of birds in the clinic for wing trims, but we haven't done a parakeet since I've been there. Now that I think about it though, there are plenty of birds who are flighted that come in for nail and beak trims. To each his own I guess.

Just so sweet how Baby greets you when you come home.

GEnerally mine get done when I first get them, then they slowly grow out and I then have the choice to do them again if they need it or just leave them. One of mine is fully flighted at the moment, and the other partially clipped (couldnt catch the little bugger!!)

The thing is even if you do clip them its not like desexing a dog- flight feathers grow back within a few months if you decide you have done the wrong thing or want them outside(aviary)

To each his own. I believe that to clip or not to clip is an issue that has to be considered for each different bird and their situation. It does sound like if you wish for them to have the freedom they had in Avian Suites (Love that name), it would be best to have Cupid and Psyche clipped, as much for their safety as anything else.

 

No one has to right to question or criticise, especially after you have so seriously considered the pros and cons before making your decision. You have my wholehearted support whichever way you decide to go

 

 

Feathers.

 

ps. give baby a kiss for me