Flight or no flight?

[Adam_T]

So, I got my first Parrot today....a Rose Crowned Conure. I found out, at the time of pickup, that the bird could fly. They didn't believe in cutting feathers or something? Anyway...no big deal, but what do you recommend? I put him on the top of the cage to play and I went across the room to sit...and when I sat, he flew all the way to my shoulder! Normal? Safe? Opinions?

So far, nothing crazy. He is really attached to me already, which is weird? Or maybe normal? Haha...I don't know! When I put him back in his cage, he squawks at me for a few minutes. Kinda cute. Right when I go back, he makes these quiet little noises and presses his face against the cage. LOL.

 

[Roanoke]

Sounds like he likes you
Allowing flight is entirely a matter of personal opinion, but from what I've read, it's very beneficial to let parrots make their own decisions, such as where to perch, what to play with and yes, whether or not to fly.
Flying also has the advantages of providing exercise and helping the bird to get away quickly if he were in immediate danger.

edit:
You mentioned him squawking when you put him into his cage. Be very careful not to reward that with attention!
Squawking might seem cute at first but it gets sooo irritating. So when he squawks or screams, just leave. Come back to look at him later when he's quiet,
otherwise (Like many birds) he'll quickly realize that squawks & screams equal attention.

Good luck and have fun bonding with your Rose Crowned! The first few weeks are so fun. Make sure he gets exposed to the sights and sounds of your everyday life.

 

[Adam_T]

Thanks for the advise! Great to hear.

 

[Ann333]

My birds wings are clipped but i am planning to let them grow out. You should look up ways to make your home safe for your flighted bird and precautions to take. I think that the bird flying to you means he likes you and is comfortable around you already, congrats!
Also just to avoid reinforcing bad habits dont go to the cage EVERY time he squawks for you because that will teach him to scream when he wants something. In the first few days however it should be fine because he is in a new environment and needs you around for comfort and reassurance. Have fun!

 

[Flboy]

Normal? Dono. Awesum, yes! If you have any other animals in the house, flight gives him a chance. It takes less than 10 seconds for your baby to go into shock and die, beleave me I relive those seconds over and over! Even after 4 years!
But to fly? A door, flash in a window, etc, and he is gone! My new baby can fly and I am going to leave him that way. But.. I thought I understood his abilities, slow flight, fair to good control, until a few days ago. He is on his perch on the counter, big sider door next to him-normally open! Something spooked him and faster than I could move, he shot into the other room, swooped around, hit something very hard, then went to a third room and landed---OK!! 5 seconds total! I was a mess! End results, slider stays closed if JoJo is out, and stays covered! Point? both flighted and clipped are both right- and wrong! For me, I am keeping JoJo flighted!

 

[weco]

So, I got my first Parrot today....a Rose Crowned Conure. I found out, at the time of pickup, that the bird could fly. They didn't believe in cutting feathers or something? Anyway...no big deal, but what do you recommend? I put him on the top of the cage to play and I went across the room to sit...and when I sat, he flew all the way to my shoulder! Normal? Safe? Opinions?

So far, nothing crazy. He is really attached to me already, which is weird? Or maybe normal? Haha...I don't know! When I put him back in his cage, he squawks at me for a few minutes. Kinda cute. Right when I go back, he makes these quiet little noises and presses his face against the cage. LOL.

I don't mean to do any bubble busting, but there are a couple of things going on here...first, you're giving your new friend attention and most parrots are attention sponges, with conures being some of the biggest sponges. Since your new friend was previously owned it is familiar with humans and as long as you don't do anything to scare the bird or to fear you, he will usually accept you as a flock, but now would be a good time to start training your new feathered friend, because in a few days or a few weeks, after the so called 'honeymoon period' has ended, you very well may find a totally different bird on your hands...one that will, like some children, challenge you for greater liberties and if you don't allow those liberties, it may scream, bite or have other tantrums, so don't get caught unawares, read up on conure training so that you'll be ready if & when the challenging begins.....

Good luck.....

 

[Adam_T]

Conure training...good to know!

 

[Psittaciformes]

So, I got my first Parrot today....a Rose Crowned Conure. I found out, at the time of pickup, that the bird could fly. They didn't believe in cutting feathers or something? Anyway...no big deal, but what do you recommend? I put him on the top of the cage to play and I went across the room to sit...and when I sat, he flew all the way to my shoulder! Normal? Safe? Opinions?

So far, nothing crazy. He is really attached to me already, which is weird? Or maybe normal? Haha...I don't know! When I put him back in his cage, he squawks at me for a few minutes. Kinda cute. Right when I go back, he makes these quiet little noises and presses his face against the cage. LOL.

I prefer unclipped wings, but if the bird's a danger to itself I would most definitely clip the wings a bit to slow down the flying. Some people like to clip them when they're training/taming them in the beginning, I've never done that, so I wouldn't know if it would make things easier or not. You never know how the bird will react, so it might become skittish when clipped.

Sounds like he likes you already!
I would wait with the wing clipping and see how he does, if there are no accidents or anything, there's no point in clipping in my opinion.

My GCC would do the same thing when we first got her, when walking up to the cage! I read it means they want you to stay back, but she would also do it when I enter the room to say hi after being gone for a little while, so I was kinda confused.
But if it means they want you to stay back, it's too cute to actually work haha!

 

[Betrisher]

When my birds were new, each time they came out of the cage I would walk them around the house, touching their beaks against windows and mirrors so they knew about the hard surfaces. Just one time Barney flew into the sliding door and that was the day he came home from being lost for 21 days: he'd forgotten a few things!

If you plan to make an out-of-cage pet of your bird, then training is a must. Check out clicker training and targetting on YouTube for some ideas. One of the first things you should teach your bird is to fly to you on command and then to fly to his perch on command. It doesn't take birds long to learn where the 'no-go' areas are in your house. My Beaks are only allowed in certain areas and rarely try to disobey the rules.

For myself, I can't believe in clipping. My birds LOVE to fly and I could never allow myself to disable them and take away their confidence in the power of flight. You have to make your decision based on your own situation, though. Best of luck with your new friend and I hope you enjoy teaching him to be a good parrot.

 

[Shellby5]

adam_T Clip them.
I realize that many are against it, but I would clip his wings just for now. Especially if you are planning to bring him outside with you like I do with Athena. I take my green cheek almost everywhere. Her wings are clipped, but she has flown from me twice. Luckily she couldn't get too far away from me.

Take three things into consideration:

1. Clipping your bird's wings will strengthen the bond between you two. He will come to rely on you to get around your house.
2. Clipping Sheldon's doesn't mean he will be completely flightless. Clipped properly, he should still be able to glide, jump long distances using his wings, and use his wings to fly to you about five feet (an estimate). He will just not be able to say... fly high up to a tree.
3. Best of all, it's not permanent. Within a few months his flight feathers will grow back! At which you can decide whether or not you feel it's safe for him to fly around.

 

[Betrisher]

Take three things into consideration:

1. Clipping your bird's wings will strengthen the bond between you two. He will come to rely on you to get around your house.
2. Clipping Sheldon's doesn't mean he will be completely flightless. Clipped properly, he should still be able to glide, jump long distances using his wings, and use his wings to fly to you about five feet (an estimate). He will just not be able to say... fly high up to a tree.
3. Best of all, it's not permanent. Within a few months his flight feathers will grow back! At which you can decide whether or not you feel it's safe for him to fly around.

I'm so sorry to disagree, but I feel I must in all conscience!

1. Don't be too hasty to assume clipping will 'strengthen' any bonds. All it does is force the bird to be dependent on you and we all agree that forcing a bird isn't a Good Thing. We have had too many posts from members in the past saying 'I had a strong bond with my bird until I clipped him. Then, something went wrong and he's never been the same since'. Some birds take an enormous jolt to their confidence when clipped and it has to be taken into account when you make your decision.

2. Exactly. Clipping doesn't mean the bird will be flightless and again, we've had countless posts from members saying 'my bird was clipped but he flew away anyway!' The Lost Pets groups I belong to are full of lost-bird posts describing clipped birds that lifted on a gust of wind. NEVER rely on clipping to keep your bird safe with you outside. Disaster can and will happen.

3. It is indeed not permanent and can be a good solution in some circumstances for older birds. Yet again, though, we have members post often that young birds clipped before learning to fly properly never gain their full powers of flight. This is a philosophical topic, but birds were born to fly: who are we to take away that gift? (Sorry! Sorry! It's my own, private philosophy, but I'd be lying if I didn't include it here.)

Shellby5, I'm honestly not setting out to be argumentative or rude to you. I simply wanted to lay out the other point of view for the OP's consideration. Clipping works fabulously for many, but there is also another way of looking at it and a new member has the right to know both points of view before making a decision. I'm glad clipping has worked for you and your bird and congratulations on finding the best outcome in your circumstances.

 

[Ann333]

Sorry Betrisher, i was typing mine when you posted yours. heh.

adam_T Clip them.
I realize that many are against it, but I would clip his wings just for now. Especially if you are planning to bring him outside with you like I do with Athena. I take my green cheek almost everywhere. Her wings are clipped, but she has flown from me twice. Luckily she couldn't get too far away from me.

Take three things into consideration:

1. Clipping your bird's wings will strengthen the bond between you two. He will come to rely on you to get around your house.
2. Clipping Sheldon's doesn't mean he will be completely flightless. Clipped properly, he should still be able to glide, jump long distances using his wings, and use his wings to fly to you about five feet (an estimate). He will just not be able to say... fly high up to a tree.
3. Best of all, it's not permanent. Within a few months his flight feathers will grow back! At which you can decide whether or not you feel it's safe for him to fly around.

Im not sure i completely agree. Even with clipped wings, with the right breeze/wind a bird can still fly(glide) away out of reach, so be careful! Also, I dont really think that just because a bird relies on you to get around means it will strengthen the bond. It just means it is harder for them to leave you when they want to and i think it should be the birds choice and should happen on the birds time. BUT i do agree that if done properly, he will still be able to glide and hop pretty well. Pumpkin jumps from his play top to my shoulder while im at the computer desk(3-4 feet)

 

[Adam_T]

Great advice! Love all the different opinions! To be honest, I would LOVE to bring my RCC outside with me once it gets a little warmer, but if I do that at this point...he could fly away.

Right now, he can't fly very high, but he can definitely fly for ABOUT 10 seconds before he slowly falls back down.

 

[thekarens]

Get a harness. That's what we use to take our mac outside.

 

[DoodlesMom]

I prefer Doodle flighted..however when Doodle was abandoned with me I was in a wheelchair temporarily, and she was untamed .....I made the decision to clip just to work on tameing her because of my mobility issues.

She's getting her wings back and I am excited for her...I can't wait to get her on a harness and take her out with me and Smokey for walks.

 

[Minimaker]

Search for an "aviator harness" on ebay or any bird store and you'll have a safe way to take a flighted bird outside. Make sure you get the right size, if unsure the seller can help you choose the right one just by asking for help.

I can't bear to take away my bird's flight from them, if you could fly wouldn't you want to with all your heart? My new conure was clipped by the pet store I got him from, and when his wings grow out he'll always have them.

 

[Delfin]

but from what I've read, it's very beneficial to let parrots make their own decisions, such as where to perch, what to play with and yes, whether or not to fly.

I would be very careful has to where I would let my bird perch or what it plays with. If they can fly to were ever they please. Then they could fly and perch onto a lamp or the computer, and chew on the electrical lead with fatal results. They could also chew on and ingest something toxic.

We only allow our bird to perch on the cage, stands or the stand on top of the fridge, lounge chairs and floor. Every where else is off limits. Training is conducted on a table or the stands. Not that this stops Delfin flying into the bedrooms and perching on the headrest of the beds and asking "what's this ?"

 

[Adam_T]

A harness? I'll make sure to wear gloves before I attempt that one.

 

[Ann333]

I prefer Doodle flighted..however when Doodle was abandoned with me I was in a wheelchair temporarily, and she was untamed .....I made the decision to clip just to work on tameing her because of my mobility issues.

She's getting her wings back and I am excited for her...I can't wait to get her on a harness and take her out with me and Smokey for walks.

I definitely think there are very good reasons for clipping, just not really the ones mentioned earlier in the thread. THESE ARE GOOD REASONS.

 

[Adam_T]

So I opened up his cage today to let him come out, and he tried to bite my finger when I said "step up"....so THIS TIME (first time), I said BE GENTLE in a stern voice and tried to put him back in his cage.

Well....10 minutes later I finally caught him, after he had a field-trip around the downstairs of my house, lol.