For the first time since I've had these guys they all can fly. They are suddenly so wild. In January I clipped Baby-Blues wings since he was new and Dave's too since he was getting really hard to catch and put in the cage. They've all grown back and Pretty's too. Took her 7 months to grown new wing feathers. Her's were clipped when I got her.

 

Anyway, it is taking me 10 to 15 minutes chasing them around to catch them. Sometimes they still will step up and play on me.

 

If I don't clip their wings they will need to spend more time our guest bedroom where I can let them out to fly more safely.

 

Now they are in the dining area and I more them to a smaller change at night and they come to the family room with us. Bottom line they are where were are and they come out of their cage a lot.

 

Maybe they would be happy with less time with us and more by themselves?

 

I'd like to cut their wings so they will be more hand-able but I feel bad because they love flying. Oy.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Summer

Wish I could help. I have never had a clipped wing budgie and appreciate their natural urges to fly and delight they have in flying. BUT I dont have indoors budgies, so each to their own.

Edited May 30, 200915 yr by KAZ

I clipped my indoor budgies' wings at first on vet's advice. I've let them grow back and don't plan to clip again.

 

Pros:

• They love to fly
  
• They always go back to their cage by themselves and I can catch them from there
  

Cons:

• There is a greater risk of escape - you have to be careful about open windows and doors
  
• You can't put them away quickly if they are not in the mood
  

If you do a one time wing clip and really work with them on taming you may find you have an easier chance when they grow out, I find that is what a lot of pet owners do, that is what I did. If you can get 1 tamed enough to step up and put them back in the cage then they rest will follow.

 

Wing clipping will not hurt them and it is a personal choice, yes they do like to fly but dogs like to run doesn't mean we don't keep them safe and have them on a leash or behind a fence until they can listen well enough to keep them safe. Chasing your birds around for 10 mins is very stressful on their little hearts and it certainly itsn't getting them to trust you by any means.

If you do a one time wing clip and really work with them on taming you may find you have an easier chance when they grow out, I find that is what a lot of pet owners do, that is what I did. If you can get 1 tamed enough to step up and put them back in the cage then they rest will follow. Wing clipping will not hurt them and it is a personal choice, yes they do like to fly but dogs like to run doesn't mean we don't keep them safe and have them on a leash or behind a fence until they can listen well enough to keep them safe. Chasing your birds around for 10 mins is very stressful on their little hearts and it certainly itsn't getting them to trust you by any means.

I know. It's a big house we have. That's part of the problem. It's an old house with high ceiling and these (in a parakeet's point of view) wonderful mantels over the windows and doorways. They got up there and run around. Upstairs they don't have that stuff and I can get them in no problem.I've never clipped Shelfie's wings since they've grown out. She will stay with the other birds. I'm guessing Pretty might too.But the boys like to fly from room to room. And the girls follow. Summer

I clipped my indoor budgies' wings at first on vet's advice. I've let them grow back and don't plan to clip again.Pros:

• They love to fly
  
• They always go back to their cage by themselves and I can catch them from there
  

Cons:

• There is a greater risk of escape - you have to be careful about open windows and doors
  
• You can't put them away quickly if they are not in the mood
  

I know they love flying. It's been amazing the see the change in Pretty since she grew her wings. She is so much more confident. She climbs all over now. The cons are big for us though since we have an old house without screens in the windows (it's getting warm here). I really worry about forgetting a window and losing them. In this climate they couldn't live through winter outside.Also we have two cats so I have to get them inside when I need to leave. Our first cat has no interest in them. In fact Shelfie use to to to "explore him" and would chase in across the floor. But we adopted a second cat this year. He's an old guy too but he wants to eat them. He already caught Baby Blue once. Amazingly BB was fine. But his wings weren't even clipped and I was watching them (and TV) and there goes our kitty with a patch of blue in his mouth. That was huge wake-up call so I only let them out when I can really watch them.I'm just torn about it.Summer

With your cats... it makes it hard. I'd be more inclinded to let them fly, so they can get away from your cats...

 

That being said, if it was me, I'd only let them out when the cats were outside/another room, and I'd keep them clipped. When I had inside birds, I had them clipped... for their safety. Just remember, a clipped bird can still fly and get out of a door/window. They can still escape and if they do, they are at more risk outside then an unclipped bird.

 

BUT... a very personal decission that only you can make.

If you do a one time wing clip and really work with them on taming you may find you have an easier chance when they grow out, I find that is what a lot of pet owners do, that is what I did. If you can get 1 tamed enough to step up and put them back in the cage then they rest will follow. Wing clipping will not hurt them and it is a personal choice, yes they do like to fly but dogs like to run doesn't mean we don't keep them safe and have them on a leash or behind a fence until they can listen well enough to keep them safe. Chasing your birds around for 10 mins is very stressful on their little hearts and it certainly itsn't getting them to trust you by any means.

I know. It's a big house we have. That's part of the problem. It's an old house with high ceiling and these (in a parakeet's point of view) wonderful mantels over the windows and doorways. They got up there and run around. Upstairs they don't have that stuff and I can get them in no problem.I've never clipped Shelfie's wings since they've grown out. She will stay with the other birds. I'm guessing Pretty might too.But the boys like to fly from room to room. And the girls follow. Summer

I clipped my indoor budgies' wings at first on vet's advice. I've let them grow back and don't plan to clip again.Pros:

• They love to fly
  
• They always go back to their cage by themselves and I can catch them from there
  

Cons:

• There is a greater risk of escape - you have to be careful about open windows and doors
  
• You can't put them away quickly if they are not in the mood
  

I know they love flying. It's been amazing the see the change in Pretty since she grew her wings. She is so much more confident. She climbs all over now. The cons are big for us though since we have an old house without screens in the windows (it's getting warm here). I really worry about forgetting a window and losing them. In this climate they couldn't live through winter outside.Also we have two cats so I have to get them inside when I need to leave. Our first cat has no interest in them. In fact Shelfie use to to to "explore him" and would chase in across the floor. But we adopted a second cat this year. He's an old guy too but he wants to eat them. He already caught Baby Blue once. Amazingly BB was fine. But his wings weren't even clipped and I was watching them (and TV) and there goes our kitty with a patch of blue in his mouth. That was huge wake-up call so I only let them out when I can really watch them.I'm just torn about it.Summer

 

: you let your cat out with your birds...even if they can fly as you can see they get caught, I would never let my cats and birds out together even supervised.

 

That being said my cats are ALWAYS locked up even when Pretty and Merlin had their wings clippped. I feel that a 1 time clip helps you tame them and then once you have gained their trust letting the wings grow out and giving them the freedom to fly when the cats are under lock and key is awesome because they tend to come to you. If you read my Taming Article in the FAQ I believe I touch on this aspect.

I don’t recommend you to clip. I’m against it most of the time. As you say; they love to fly! It is good for them and it is fun. They get muscles and they have fun, it even gives them more self confidence to being able to fly. Why do you catch them? If you give them food just inside their cage they will fly inside when they gets hungry. It is no problem to make flying budgies tame, think about that clipped budgies are just as afraid as flying, except the fact that they can’t run away when they gets scared, they have to stay there and wait, imagine how scary that must be for them.

 

I think it sounds nice that your budgies can fly now, I bet it makes them happy and I think you will prefer to see them flying around when you gets used to it.

 

(sorry I didn't red the whole thread, so my post may sound stupid and maybe you have answered all my questions allready.)

FYI-About the cats...they are both pretty geriatric or I never would have them out at the same time. Baby Blue must have practically walked into Sunny's mouth. But huge wake-up call to me! I'm very grateful and lucky and BB came out completely uninjured and seemingly untraumatized. I won't make that mistake again.

Edited June 2, 200915 yr by summer

The decision to clip is very personal. It's a balance between what you want for yourself and what you want for your birds. Here are a list of pros and cons I compiled from this site and others.

 

Reasons to allow full flight:

-Flighted birds can escape quickly from danger, such as another pet or an owner that is unaware of the bird’s location – prevention is essential but accidents can happen.

-Exercise can be a significant problem in caged pet birds. Flight is often the best way to maintain healthy body condition.

-Flighted birds, once tamed, tend to be more confident and outgoing. This is opposed to a clipped bird that has accepted that it is ‘less fit’ or ‘inferior’ because it cannot achieve full flight, and is thus more submissive.

-Clipping prevents full flight, impeding the bird’s natural mode of locomotion and escape – some may consider this to be unacceptable.

 

Reasons to clip:

-Safety from (sometimes fatal) collisions into windows and walls at full speed, although given time they will learn to avoid these

-Safety from other dangers such as toilets, fish tanks, cooking (as above, accidents can happen)

-Birds are less likely to escape out a window or door that has been left open

-Less stress and fear (for the bird) and frustration (for the owner) caused by chasing a bird around the room in an attempt to catch it

-Clipped birds are easier to tame compared to a flighted bird because the owner is always in control BUT it is not a guarantee and a flighted bird can be tamed

-Clipped birds can still hop, climb, leap, and glide like a flighted bird, the only difference is that it cannot gain as much height or speed. Correctly clipped birds can maintain quite a bit of horizontal distance before slowly losing altitude.

 

I have two beautiful budgies that have never been clipped in their lives and we all adore each other. They are incredibly tame and they can fly. (Side note - mine don't tend to want to fly around very much - we have a constant problem with weight control.)

I have a conure that I decided to wing clip when I adopted him to control his (very nasty) biting to see if it would make a difference. He istantly turned into a cuddle hog that sleeps on my neck pretending he's a scarf. I now have to toss up between letting his wings grow back because he's starting to fly and he loves it, but he can still be vicious to any blonde or brunette women and I don't want him to be able to fly at them.

 

You could compromise and do a partial trim, so they can still fly some distance, but are easier to catch/control and therefore tame.

Edited June 2, 200915 yr by Chrysocome

I like to do one clip- my previous budgie was quite young, but when i tried to handle her she bit me SO hard that i unintentionally let her go & she flew into all the windows, giving herself a blood nose (poor lil girl!) So i had her clipped,made it much easier to get her to hop on my finger, & the same goes with Peanut- if he's on the floor & wants to move up now (his wings are clipped), he'll run to my finger, or my 6 year old's- it's really improved the trust he has for us, & we won't clip again once his feathers grow back unless absolutely necessary!