Wing Clipping

[Guest scully3915]

Bobbi , Graham, and one other i got for my mum, all came from a breeder just passed Fareham. They sell all sorts of birds.

I went to get a cockatiel, or a small parrot this time, but they did not have the parrot i wanted, and with all the cockatiels they had i could not choose.Then i just took a peek at the baby budgies, and there he was! he was the most loving to all his little cage mates. Hes pretty tame, but has a real attitude when he feels like it.

Im not his favorite person today, as i trimmed his nails, he was not a happy bird!

 

 

D

1 budge

2 spoilt pooches!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

thats where i got my two from, there very good and can even tell you where you bird have come from,

 

Mitsi came froma private breeder up near cowplain and Scooby from a breeder from porchester.

 

Claire

xXx

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[Guest Andy]

Wing clipping female birds can increase the risk of eggbinding because in general a flighted bird will get a lot more exercise so be in better condition to pass an egg

[Guest Hillarious]

I would just like to say, people who think it is "not normal" to clip a budgies wings....well of course it is not! Neither is crossbreeding to get a blue budgie, because they are all green in the wild. And neither is sticking a budgie in a cage and feeding it seed or pellet food and keeping single or even only a pair of budgies because in the wild they live in flocks! Or bonding a budgie with a human. Lets face it, NOTHING about keeping a budgie as a pet is "normal". But that does not mean it is not "okay". My budgie would NEVER let me hold it if he could fly to the cealing. And when he did, how oh how would I ever get him down? I think clipping is extremely useful when taming a budgie. And although I will probablly let my budgies wings grow after he is completely tame, it is much better for him to be clipped at the moment. *whewh!* Nuff' said.

 

At any rate, everyone has their own opinions and everyones own opinions are that for a reason! So everyone should lighten up and just realize that some people hate it, and some people dont. Its a-okay!

[hath 0]

Neither is crossbreeding to get a blue budgie

 

you do not cross breed to get a blue budgie they are a natural ocuring mutation the same as spangles nobody set out to breed them they just happened and you do get different mutations in the wild they just stick out more and this makes them easier for predators

[Guest morethanrubies]

I would just like to say, people who think it is "not normal" to clip a budgies wings....well of course it is not!  Neither is crossbreeding to get a blue budgie, because they are all green in the wild.  And neither is sticking a budgie in a cage and feeding it seed or pellet food and keeping single or even only a pair of budgies because in the wild they live in flocks!  Or bonding a budgie with a human.  Lets face it, NOTHING about keeping a budgie as a pet is "normal".  But that does not mean it is not "okay".  My budgie would NEVER let me hold it if he could fly to the cealing.  And when he did, how oh how would I ever get him down?  I think clipping is extremely useful when taming a budgie.  And although I will probablly let my budgies wings grow after he is completely tame, it is much better for him to be clipped at the moment.  *whewh!* Nuff' said. 

 

At any rate, everyone has their own opinions and everyones own opinions are that for a reason!  So everyone should lighten up and just realize that some people hate it, and some people dont. Its a-okay!

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I agree. Well said. Let's not get militant about it. Agree to disagree. Respect each other. (Can you tell I have two kids?)

[Guest eterri]

Neither is crossbreeding to get a blue budgie

 

you do not cross breed to get a blue budgie they are a natural ocuring mutation the same as spangles nobody set out to breed them they just happened and you do get different mutations in the wild they just stick out more and this makes them easier for predators

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Yes but those aren't the only mutations. Many mutations were created by inbreeding. This person's point is still very valid, humans have done far worse "unnatural" things to budgies than clip their wings. Breeders have inbred them and given them shorter life spans and incurable deformities and medical complications. These are things which are usually not reversible.

 

On the other hand, wing clipping is reversible. My birds were clipped, then tamed and now are flighted. I've seen birds go through all these stages and they are happy, healthy, and better adjusted than any other budgies I've seen. However, as the years go on I might lose one or more of them to health issues related to inbreeding. Unlike their flight feathers, their health can't grow back.

[Guest pixie25]

Unlike their flight feathers, their health can't grow back.

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what a good point.

[Guest morethanrubies]

 

On the other hand, wing clipping is reversible. My birds were clipped, then tamed and now are flighted. I've seen birds go through all these stages and they are happy, healthy, and better adjusted than any other budgies I've seen. However, as the years go on I might lose one or more of them to health issues related to inbreeding. Unlike their flight feathers, their health can't grow back.

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THANK YOU!!!

Edited July 14, 2005 by morethanrubies

[Rainbow 0]

Wing clipping female birds can increase the risk of eggbinding because in general a flighted bird will get a lot more exercise so be in better condition to pass an egg

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Huh???????

 

[Guest Hillarious]

Yes Yes. ANyway, I am sort of double sided on this. I think it is wise during taming of your budgie, then...let him have his freedom! I am glad Ivans wings are clipped right now, but I cant wait until he is tame and flying everywhere!

[Guest eterri]

Yes Yes. ANyway, I am sort of double sided on this.  I think it is wise during taming of your budgie, then...let him have his freedom!  I am glad Ivans wings are clipped right now, but I cant wait until he is tame and flying everywhere!

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That's what worked best for my birds. They were clipped while in training and now they're little tame divebombers! :(Laughing out loud):

[Guest monsoon]

I've never clipped mine, never saw the need for it, both are wonderful little things and proberly as tame as any other little budgie out there, i personally would never take the gift of carefree easy flight away from them.

 

Claire

xXx

[Guest eterri]

Well... it really depends on how each person defines "tame." Some think of tame as a budgie who will step up or sit on your finger for a while, others think of it as a lot more than that. That makes a big difference as well.

 

I think the tameness that a clipped budgie achieves is just as much a gift as flight. Tamer budgies aren't fearful or stressed, they take new things in stride and aren't so skittish and flighty. They live their life enjoying every second rather than being stressed and afraid. A budgie that will step up for you is a little "tame" but he/she isn't necessarily relaxed as you'll find if you do anything out of the ordinary towards him/her. This is especially true if you have more than one, they have even less interest in bonding with you. Bonding with you might not be a high priority since budgies can be happy with budgie partners, but when it comes time to catch your bird to get it to the vet or move it to a new home you'll appreciate the benefits of a good bond. Less stress for the budgie means a happier budgie.

 

This is all just my opinion but it's based on what I've seen with several different birds. They're better adjusted to change and humans because of the direct training I was able to give them by clipping their wings. I have a personal relationship with each one of them because they see me as a member of the flock and not just some "safe" object/perch on the outskirts of the action. Because of this relationship, they're less scared than most budgies if I have to move them or get them to a vet...it benefits everyone all around. And now they're also flighted so in my opinion, they have the best of both worlds.

 

And of course, some people have to keep their budgies clipped for safety reasons, sometimes it has a lot to do with where you live and who you live with. The "gift" of flight shouldn't be a higher priority than the gift of life and safety and security.

 

Wing clipping doesn't mean you have to take the gift of flight away. It can mean that you are simply preparing your bird so that it's better adjusted, tamer, and calmer so that flight will be a way to have fun, not a way to run scared all the time. And like I said, some people just don't live in a home or area where it would be safe to keep a flighted budgie. A proper wing clip won't strip these budgies of all senses of flight but it will bring them to the ground at a slow, safe angle and I've found that in the room where I keep my birds, even with a slight clip they easily fly from one point to another with no trouble.

 

Most issues aren't black and white. There's always a grey area that you have to be open to consider and not everyone's situation is going to be exactly the same. I guess some might argue that if you can't safely keep a flighted bird you shouldn't keep one at all. To me, that's a bit of a hypocritical view. Honestly, no one has the "right" to keep a parrot. We know so little about them that we can't possibly provide them with anything near the life they would lead in the wild. They aren't domesticated like cats and dogs, they have to stay in cages at least part of the time and I've found through my own frustrating search that we don't know ANYTHING about their diet! (Sorry, it really bugged me.) That's a whole other issue though, I might just start a new topic now that I think of it...

 

It's early and I've rambled on far too long.

[hath 0]

Yes but those aren't the only mutations. Many mutations were created by inbreeding

 

which mutations ?

 

i wsnt knocking the persons point as i am not going down the wing clipping road i just pointed out that that fact was wrong

[Guest eterri]

Yes but those aren't the only mutations. Many mutations were created by inbreeding

 

which mutations ?

 

i wsnt knocking the persons point as i am not going down the wing clipping road i just pointed out that that fact was wrong

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When I bred gerbils (yeeears ago) and was doing research on their genetics I found that two popular mutations, including the albino, were naturally ocurring mutations. They happened in the wild. BUT in captivity, in order to get these mutations consistently, breeders had to pair brothers and sisters because that was the only way to make those mutations visible reliably. It's the same for budgies as there are some genes that are recessive and some that are dominant. (And for the record, I never inbred my gerbils but I did buy an albino with a serious neurological problem once. Every time he stood up on his hind legs, a perfectly normal gerbil thing, his torso and head would sloooowly start leaning over--he was never bred, I just felt really bad for him.)

 

My point is that even the naturally occuring mutations are inbred so that they're produced consistently.

 

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budgerigar

"Breeders have worked over the decades to produce a wide range of colours and mutations, such as yellow, blue, white, violet, olive, albino and lutino, clearwing and spangled. Feather mutations can produce crests or overly long shaggy feathers known as "feather dusters". Modern show budgerigars are larger than their wild cousins, with excessively puffy head feathers, giving them an exaggerated look. In full show glory, the eyes and beak are almost totally obscured by feathers. This obscuring of the eyes diminishes their quality of life. Such birds are more very prone to genetic diseases because of inbreeding."

 

English or "Show" budgies don't live as long as the smaller American/Australian types because inbreeding was used to produce their characteristic size and look. (Google it and you'll find several sites that support this including: http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Budgerigar )

 

Inbreeding is a fact of life for most of the animals that humans get their hands on. The problem with budgies is that it has been done so severely that it is even harder to find a good specimen to breed for quality of health, temperment, etc. Few breeders are focused on breeding to improve the important things and more seem to focus on getting specific color mutations instead.

 

And to keep this more on topic (don't have to read it if you don't want to as I know you said you're not going down the wingclipping route), I will throw in my two cents that I think what we've done to show budgies is more tragic than a reversible, painless wing clip. Show budgies were not supposed to look like that. They weren't supposed to even stand the way they stand or carry their wings the way that they do. Does it hurt the budgie? Absolutely! For these silly little traits, each and every show budgie has a good chance at living a much shorter life than the other budgies! Again, this is not reversible. This does not grow back with a molt, it's something they're stuck with for a lifetime! All because we have this need to change a bird, to make it unnatural, to make it pleasing to ourselves without consideration as to what is pleasing to the bird. It's far more tragic than wingclipping which at least, has reasons that keep the bird's safety in consideration. Wing clipping doesn't hurt a budgie (unless done the wrong way) and wing clipping isn't permanent. Wing clipping isn't performed to make birds more pleasing to our eyes and wing clipping can't be passed down from generation to generation. It doesn't make them stand up unnaturally or carry their wings awkwardly or die at a younger age.

Edited July 15, 2005 by eterri

[Guest Jensa]

Hopping on late here...

 

Wing clipping isn't like chopping off arms or legs or anything like that. It's like cutting hair. A bit more dangerous since when our hair is growing we don't have veins running through them, but if you make sure there are no blood feathers and no what you're doing it's not a huge risk.

 

It doesn't take away instincts or anything like that. They still know they can fly if they have feathers... and if there's a good breeze outside, they can.

 

I keep Leo clipped to help deal with aggression problems (this doesn't solve the issue, but you have to admit it's easier to curb and work with aggression when a bird can't fly at someone and attack them) and Pandora is clipped while I'm taming her. I tried to let her keep a couple of feathers on the end of each wing, but it just didn't work. You can't tame a budgie if you can't get near her, and keeping her clipped for now helps her calm down enough to figure out no, I'm not going to eat her.

[Guest MegTheBudgie]

I used to have my budgies wings clipped, but when I got them a larger cage and some more friends, I decided to let them keep their flight. It wasn't safe for them to be clipped when their cage is so tall, and they seem to have fun flying from perch to perch instead of having to climb across the bars. I also find it easier to exercise them. I just let them out of their cage and make sure the door is shut, and put the blinds down on the window and cover the mirror (so they don't fly into them). Before I would let them out and they would just stay on the floor eating bird food that was flung from the cage, not getting much exercise.

Thats just my opinion, I think that if you want a single tamed budgie in a smaller cage where they wouldn't be able to fly around much anyways, then its okay to clip their wings, as long as they are getting their exercise.

[Guest emmarose]

I don't agree with wing clipping at all; though, Coco, my birdie - can't fly anymore. She's 14, and her flight feather fell out about two years ago and haven't grown back since. She now gets around with the help of the cane chairs in the room she's in. :-p

[Guest Budgie Care Publications]

If you're interested in this topic, please have a look at my original article and 2 follow up letters in the Forum "Budgie Talk" under the subject heading:

"Positive things to do in taming your budgie"

[Guest birdie2008]

I keep mine clipped as a matter of safety: our house is under construction and occasionally has holes in it. I don't want Libbi and Peati to accidently escape if I don't know about a certain opening or hole. When the construction's over, I think I'll let their wings grow. I also clipped them at the beginning because its easier to tame a budgie with them clipped.

[Guest JGirl]

Hi I'm Jess and I agree with clipping wings just pet birds. When I got my bird Bob I clipped his wings to start with. Later I decided to let his wings grow back. Because he could fly above my head he thought he was dominant and became really moody and aggresive. We were both miserable so I clipped his wings again and now he is much happier - he knows that i AM dominant over him and he knows he can trust me. Now were both happy :budgiedance: , he loves to come out and play with me!!! Also, even though his wings are clipped he can fly short distances so he isn't completely flightless. :angel1:

[Guest Budgie Care Publications]

Would one of the Administrators please remove this topic as a pinned article that hits us in the face every time we enter the forum, not necessarily because I am very much against it (you all know my views on this), but for the reason that there is so much misinformation here, especially as to its supposed benefits.

 

From memory, I think someone even talked about "dominance" over the bird !!!!!!

[Guest eterri]

This was discussed before and it was agreed that I could come up with a bit of a facts sheet on wing clipping. I think I'll um...do that now that it's become fresh on my mind. The topic would not be pro or anti wing clipping, it would merely state facts so that each individual could make up their own minds.

 

While I think our opinions on wing clipping are different, I completely agree that *neither* side was represented in this topic well. It is full of misinformation, I agree.

 

Maybe the wing clipping facts should be closed to comments as this is something that creates a looot of conflict. That conflict is what leads to empty spouting rather than expressing facts.

[Guest Budgie Care Publications]

This was discussed before and it was agreed that I could come up with a bit of a facts sheet on wing clipping. I think I'll um...do that now that it's become fresh on my mind. The topic would not be pro or anti wing clipping, it would merely state facts so that each individual could make up their own minds.

 

While I think our opinions on wing clipping are different, I completely agree that *neither* side was represented in this topic well. It is full of misinformation, I agree.

 

Maybe the wing clipping facts should be closed to comments as this is something that creates a looot of conflict. That conflict is what leads to empty spouting rather than expressing facts.

 

Are you proposing that the "facts" you come up with should be the final word on this topic?

[Guest eterri]

I'm proposing that I do a little more research on the topic and present each side fairly by merely posting facts that support *both* sides of the argument and emphasize safety. Is there something wrong with this?