Considering a CAG

[Gizmomania]

My husband has always wanted a CAG. Up until last year, I'd never owned a bird before, and now I have 4. After working with my Pan Am, Harley, and seeing that I actually have a way with birds, I'm now thinking that my husband and I are savvy enough bird owners to be able to successfully care for this magnificent bird.

My household is very active, with a lot of commotion going on throughout the day. We have 4 German Shepherds that have a tendency to become quite vocal, especially at feeding time or when someone comes to the door. I've read that CAGS are quite sensitive, and could become stressed from its surroundings. Do you think a busy, noisy household will be a problem for it?

As much as I'd like to leave my birds flighted, I'm unable to do so as I must leave my back door open for the dogs to come in and out as needed. I also don't want any of my fids flying into an area where the dogs are for safety reasons. Can CAGs handle having its wings clipped without it stressing out too much? I try to clip my birds so they have, at the very least, partial flight.

My dining room is my aviary, and my birds have plenty of toys, perches, etc. to keep themselves busy. It's gated so that my dogs can't get into their area while they're out. Each get out of cage playtime at least 2-3 times a day.

I work weekends and am home the majority of time Monday through Friday. On weekends my husband is home as are my kids.

So, what do you think? Will my busy household stress them out? And wing clipping??

Thanks everyone.

 

[Kalidasa]

There's someone trying to rehome their 2.5 yr old Grey on this forum, scroll down to the adoption section and check it out (its in Cali) posters name is "orbea".

 

[Featheredsamurai]

If you get the bird young and it's used to being clipped it shouldn't add stress. What I've read is hat when older Greys are clipped it may irritate them and promote plucking. I suggest buying a weaned bird so t can grow up clipped, or adopt a older bird who has been clipped it's whole life.

I wouldn't adopt Orbea's bird, it looks like a bird who is used to being flighted. But you could always do a Skype interview with her to see what Orbea thinks.

 

[Gizmomania]

It would stress me out to clip a fully flighted bird, so, no. I wouldn't do that, as it would seem especially cruel. Clipping a bird is difficult enough, and something I truly wish I didn't have to do.

With regards to our busy household, do they do okay in that type of environment? Between the dogs and the birds, this place gets cranked up pretty loud at times.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

As long as they grow up in that environment it will be fine

 

[Gizmomania]

There's a breeder here in San Diego that I've been looking into:

Rainforest Aviaries

Seems like a great guy with a great passion for raising these amazing birds.

I'm looking into getting a baby.

 

[Echo]

My Grey was hand fed and came to me as a clipped baby. However, she turned out to be very sensitive and being clipped was not good for her mental well being. Maybe if she was the only bird, she would do fine, however, being with other birds, she needs to be fully flighted. She takes comfort knowing that she can fly away from the others quickly and protect her cage and feel empowered. She has become much more secured and plays much more and is more talkative since she has been flighted.

So it really depends on the bird. Some Greys do well clipped, others don't. Hard to tell until you see the birds personality. I would think it would almost be better to get an older grey so that you know his personality and anticipate how he would be clipped.

My house is a bit crazy, and loud at times (10 birds, 2 dogs, 1 husband and 1 teenager!). My Grey does fine with that! She actually seems to enjoy it! She'll bark, call the dogs or tell them to go to bed, laugh when my husband tells jokes and respond to my teenager's demands/whines by telling him "NO! STOP IT"......fart noises LOL.

 

[ShellyBorg]

Greys have to learn how to fly. Every good breeder will alway them to be a fledgling and fly. Once the know how to fly and can do it well, they can be trimmed. There is something about the greys that makes flight a necessary part of being mentally healthy while young.

 

[Echo]

Greys have to learn how to fly. Every good breeder will alway them to be a fledgling and fly. Once the know how to fly and can do it well, they can be trimmed. There is something about the greys that makes flight a necessary part of being mentally healthy while young.

I agree, but EVERY bird should be allowed to fly expertly before being clipped.

 

[Gizmomania]

So, are you saying that I should keep him flighted? Not certain how I'll be able to protect him from the dogs and from possibly going out the back door. Lots to think about.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

My grey is extremely uneasy on hands, and he doesn't know how to fly at all. He falls like a rock if he tries! And his past owners never clipped him either so he probably never learned. A responsible breeder will allow them to learn to fly before clipping them.

Also, that breeder has a awesome website! They sounds pretty awesome. So cool that he also breeds Magpie jays!

 

[Gizmomania]

Right? I thought the same thing as well. And he's located right here in my own back yard. No shipping this time, either. Yay!

I'm going to see if I can make an appointment next week to see some of his babies. However, once I do that, I know that the rest will become history. LOL!

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Please be sure to share you experiences with him, I'm really interested to here if they are as good as they sound

 

[Gizmomania]

I just got off the phone after spending nearly an hour talking with this breeder. Great guy. He works at our famous San Diego Zoo, and has been breeding CAGs for 3 years. Knows what he's talking about and is very honest about his current stock. For example, one of his babies has a double jointed toe, and another one had lost the tip of one toe as a tiny fledgling. He's marked down these babies accordingly.

Lots to consider regarding leaving him/her flighted. I actually have an idea that I'm considering, and that is devising some sort of awning to pull across the top of the dog gate whenever the CAG is out of his cage. If this works out well, then I'm going to allow all my birds to become flighted. As I've mentioned before, my 4 dogs are the reasons why I've clipped my fids.

 

[ShellyBorg]

I have helped to install wire security doors in houses that had to keep pets apart but wanted to be able to see /hear all of them at once.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I'm so happy you had a good conversation with him, sounds like he is a responsible breeder who loves the birds. Awesome he works at the San Diego zoo. It's one of the best zoo's in the United States, did he say what his role is?

 

[Gizmomania]

He works with/trains their exotic birds.

ShellyBorg, I need something that I can pull that's 8 feet across the top of my gate to the other side. Some sort of screen, perhaps like a blind. Any thoughts?

 

[Echo]

Your Grey might do just fine clipped too! Depends on his personality!
What breed of dogs do you have......I have 2 and my Grey is flighted and around the dogs.....I chose my dogs to fit within a bird household. I have Australian Shepherds, who consider my birds part of our family. Herding dogs tend to accept other animals and are very loyal with "their herd". Although one baby goose got loose from a nearby farm and wandered on my property, and my 2 dogs were so funny herding him, making sure he didn't get into trouble LOL until the owner came to pick it up! The baby goose ended up following the dogs around, too funny!

PS: I still never leave the birds unattended with the dogs still!! You never know!

 

[Gizmomania]

I have 4 German Shepherds, two of which have very strong prey drives. We've had a couple of cats get into our back yard over the years that my dogs unfortunately took down.

My two 6 month old puppies could potentially play with them to death. So whenever I let my birds out, I put my dogs on the other side of the gate while I supervise them from the inside.

This breeder is really encouraging me to keep the Grey flighted. Says they become more confident birds and are less likely to pluck as they grow older.

 

[jugoya]

I personally don't like clipping birds. But my husband does...

Porter is currently fully flighted simply because he didn't KNOW how to fly when I got him. I had to teach him how and give him the confidence to do so before he stopped staying in one corner of the cage and doing nothing.

Honestly its like I have a brand new bird, he's rambunctious and 'speaks his mind' and of course slightly nippy but thats the way most Broto's are. Have you maybe considered installing a Doggy door? With the heavy wooden doors you sometimes see that would be nearly impossible for a bird to move? :3

http://www.gundoghousedoor.com/