Temporarily clipping 4 month old IRN?

[Crayfish066]

What are your thoughts on temporarily clipping a 4 month old IRN?

The idea behind it is that he'd be much less of a danger to himself while he learns his environment and I could let him out more frequently before he's tamed.

Would it effect him in the future in anyway if I got him clipped temporarily now?

 

[SailBoat]

What are your thoughts on temporarily clipping a 4 month old IRN?

The idea behind it is that he'd be much less of a danger to himself while he learns his environment and I could let him out more frequently before he's tamed.

Would it effect him in the future in anyway if I got him clipped temporarily now?

My preference is to not cut flight feather structure until the Parrot has fully fledged (can fly). This assure the healthy development of the Chest Muscles, Heart and Air Sacks!

If you want to limit distance of a very young Parrot, you can have selective 'Primary' feathers cut (very few) that will limit the distance your Parrot can fly.

NEVER Have Your Parrot's Wing's Trimmed By Anyone Other That a Certified Avian Vet or a Certified Avian Vet Tech! Serious errors are make everyday by individuals that 'think' they are trained, but only do more harm than good! One of the leading reasons for Parrots visiting their CAV is that some 'stupid' Human cut the Parrot's Wings Structure, damaged the root of the feather(s), cut the body of the Parrot, etc, etc, etc....

I have seen long time Parrot owners cause serious wing issues to their own and other individuals Parrots because they screwed-up!

The choice is yours: Be in the waiting room for a minor trim or in pure fear that some stupid Human has just serious injured your Parrot!

 

[Crayfish066]

What are your thoughts on temporarily clipping a 4 month old IRN?

The idea behind it is that he'd be much less of a danger to himself while he learns his environment and I could let him out more frequently before he's tamed.

Would it effect him in the future in anyway if I got him clipped temporarily now?

My preference is to not cut flight feather structure until the Parrot has fully fledged (can fly). This assure the healthy development of the Chest Muscles, Heart and Air Sacks!

If you want to limit distance of a very young Parrot, you can have selective 'Primary' feathers cut (very few) that will limit the distance your Parrot can fly.

NEVER Have Your Parrot's Wing's Trimmed By Anyone Other That a Certified Avian Vet or a Certified Avian Vet Tech! Serious errors are make everyday by individuals that 'think' they are trained, but only do more harm than good! One of the leading reasons for Parrots visiting their CAV is that some 'stupid' Human cut the Parrot's Wings Structure, damaged the root of the feather(s), cut the body of the Parrot, etc, etc, etc....

I have seen long time Parrot owners cause serious wing issues to their own and other individuals Parrots because they screwed-up!

The choice is yours: Be in the waiting room for a minor trim or in pure fear that some stupid Human has just serious injured your Parrot!

I've seen him fly around my room although very chaotically, he managed to get enough height to touch the ceiling. If I did have his wings trimmed i'd definitely get it done by a professional, thanks for telling me what to specifically look for though.

How do I know if his flight is developed enough to have his wings clipped?

I also found a feather at the bottom of his cage the other day, is that anything to worry about?

 

[SailBoat]

What are your thoughts on temporarily clipping a 4 month old IRN?

The idea behind it is that he'd be much less of a danger to himself while he learns his environment and I could let him out more frequently before he's tamed.

Would it effect him in the future in anyway if I got him clipped temporarily now?

My preference is to not cut flight feather structure until the Parrot has fully fledged (can fly). This assure the healthy development of the Chest Muscles, Heart and Air Sacks!

If you want to limit distance of a very young Parrot, you can have selective 'Primary' feathers cut (very few) that will limit the distance your Parrot can fly.

NEVER Have Your Parrot's Wing's Trimmed By Anyone Other That a Certified Avian Vet or a Certified Avian Vet Tech! Serious errors are make everyday by individuals that 'think' they are trained, but only do more harm than good! One of the leading reasons for Parrots visiting their CAV is that some 'stupid' Human cut the Parrot's Wings Structure, damaged the root of the feather(s), cut the body of the Parrot, etc, etc, etc....

I have seen long time Parrot owners cause serious wing issues to their own and other individuals Parrots because they screwed-up!

The choice is yours: Be in the waiting room for a minor trim or in pure fear that some stupid Human has just serious injured your Parrot!

I've seen him fly around my room although very chaotically, he managed to get enough height to touch the ceiling. If I did have his wings trimmed i'd definitely get it done by a professional, thanks for telling me what to specifically look for though.

How do I know if his flight is developed enough to have his wings clipped?

I also found a feather at the bottom of his cage the other day, is that anything to worry about?

Remember the first few times you learned to ride a bike! Flying is a bit more demanding and takes a bit longer to bring it all together. Therefore it is not uncommon for young Parrot's flight to be classified as: very chaotic!

As his flight become more steady and faster, it is time to consider possibly trimming a couple of Primary Feathers. Depending on discussions with your Avian Professional, they may elect to cut a few Secondary feathers. Assure you have a detailed discussion defining your end goal. Clarity is important, as a full cut is common and that will result in a Parrot that has no flight! You must clearly define the end goal. Your Avian Professional may recommend only trimming a few feathers and have you come back if more are found to be required.

Parrots and feather loss is a fairly common event. With young Parrots it is very common as they play activity and damage and loose feathers. Also, have a 'ratty' looking tail feathers is also common!

Enjoy!

 

[Crayfish066]

My preference is to not cut flight feather structure until the Parrot has fully fledged (can fly). This assure the healthy development of the Chest Muscles, Heart and Air Sacks!

If you want to limit distance of a very young Parrot, you can have selective 'Primary' feathers cut (very few) that will limit the distance your Parrot can fly.

NEVER Have Your Parrot's Wing's Trimmed By Anyone Other That a Certified Avian Vet or a Certified Avian Vet Tech! Serious errors are make everyday by individuals that 'think' they are trained, but only do more harm than good! One of the leading reasons for Parrots visiting their CAV is that some 'stupid' Human cut the Parrot's Wings Structure, damaged the root of the feather(s), cut the body of the Parrot, etc, etc, etc....

I have seen long time Parrot owners cause serious wing issues to their own and other individuals Parrots because they screwed-up!

The choice is yours: Be in the waiting room for a minor trim or in pure fear that some stupid Human has just serious injured your Parrot!

I've seen him fly around my room although very chaotically, he managed to get enough height to touch the ceiling. If I did have his wings trimmed i'd definitely get it done by a professional, thanks for telling me what to specifically look for though.

How do I know if his flight is developed enough to have his wings clipped?

I also found a feather at the bottom of his cage the other day, is that anything to worry about?

Remember the first few times you learned to ride a bike! Flying is a bit more demanding and takes a bit longer to bring it all together. Therefore it is not uncommon for young Parrot's flight to be classified as: very chaotic!

As his flight become more steady and faster, it is time to consider possibly trimming a couple of Primary Feathers. Depending on discussions with your Avian Professional, they may elect to cut a few Secondary feathers. Assure you have a detailed discussion defining your end goal. Clarity is important, as a full cut is common and that will result in a Parrot that has no flight! You must clearly define the end goal. Your Avian Professional may recommend only trimming a few feathers and have you come back if more are found to be required.

Parrots and feather loss is a fairly common event. With young Parrots it is very common as they play activity and damage and loose feathers. Also, have a 'ratty' looking tail feathers is also common!

Enjoy!

Is it safe to let him fly outside his cage if windows/reflective surfaces are covered though? I've let him out twice and he flew the second time but flew into my computer desk and it took him a couple of minutes to recover from the hit.

 

[SailBoat]

I've seen him fly around my room although very chaotically, he managed to get enough height to touch the ceiling. If I did have his wings trimmed i'd definitely get it done by a professional, thanks for telling me what to specifically look for though.

How do I know if his flight is developed enough to have his wings clipped?

I also found a feather at the bottom of his cage the other day, is that anything to worry about?

Remember the first few times you learned to ride a bike! Flying is a bit more demanding and takes a bit longer to bring it all together. Therefore it is not uncommon for young Parrot's flight to be classified as: very chaotic!

As his flight become more steady and faster, it is time to consider possibly trimming a couple of Primary Feathers. Depending on discussions with your Avian Professional, they may elect to cut a few Secondary feathers. Assure you have a detailed discussion defining your end goal. Clarity is important, as a full cut is common and that will result in a Parrot that has no flight! You must clearly define the end goal. Your Avian Professional may recommend only trimming a few feathers and have you come back if more are found to be required.

Parrots and feather loss is a fairly common event. With young Parrots it is very common as they play activity and damage and loose feathers. Also, have a 'ratty' looking tail feathers is also common!

Enjoy!

Is it safe to let him fly outside his cage if windows/reflective surfaces are covered though? I've let him out twice and he flew the second time but flew into my computer desk and it took him a couple of minutes to recover from the hit.

Yup!

I strongly recommend teaching your Parrot flight paths by having your Parrot on your finger, hand or arm and walk from his cage down safe flight paths. When you come to a wall, door, window, mirror, etc... stop very close to it and 'tap it' to define it as a hard surface. Do this several times each day to define flight paths and solid surfaces.

After a few days, you can start teaching how to turn and then start teaching return flight paths to his cage!

Enjoy!

 

[LordTriggs]

deffo agree with boats here. Flying is important to a bird's psychology and whilst it can be scary at first they do learn to fly pretty quick. Covering mirrors and windows is a must until they learn that they're hard and not just a hole to fly through. Also as I have learnt from SilverSage (deffo talk to them whenever you get a chance) who's a ringneck breeder, Ringneck's can take an adverse reaction to a clip making things worse than when they were flighted.

"chaotic" is the word I would use to describe a parrot entirely

 

[Jottlebot]

Hi, just adding in my penny's worth. I'm wondering how exactly wing clipping will help you achieve your aim? You say it would be a "temporary" clip while your bird "learn his environment". I don't understand how he can learn his environment when he won't have access to it? Or at least not all of it.

Also if you clip now or soon then when his feathers grow back in won't you have to go through the same thing again? The chaotic flying, risk of flying into things etc, but now with a heavier bird? Will you just clip him again?

He's learning to fly and get control of the skill at the right time developmentally. People should put more effort into ownership by covering windows etc while birds learn rather than taking the ability away from them.

I know accidents do happen and I would be heart broken if one of mine got hurt or died after crashing into something, but disabling a bird (even temporarily) is not a price I think should be paid to remove what I believe is a small risk. My Alex has flown into a couple of windows (we have a row of windows that cover the length of one whole wall) about 3 times in the last 5 months since we had him. The first time he was quite shocked, but unhurt, the next couple it was more of a flutter to the floor than a crash. He's fully flighted, always has been and the joy of his flight for him and me is indescribable.

I don't agree with clipping healthy birds AT ALL, just in case that wasn't clear (!), but I'm aware this view isn't shared by everyone and in some parts of the world it is common.

 

[LordTriggs]

Hi, just adding in my penny's worth. I'm wondering how exactly wing clipping will help you achieve your aim? You say it would be a "temporary" clip while your bird "learn his environment". I don't understand how he can learn his environment when he won't have access to it? Or at least not all of it.

Also if you clip now or soon then when his feathers grow back in won't you have to go through the same thing again? The chaotic flying, risk of flying into things etc, but now with a heavier bird? Will you just clip him again?

He's learning to fly and get control of the skill at the right time developmentally. People should put more effort into ownership by covering windows etc while birds learn rather than taking the ability away from them.

I know accidents do happen and I would be heart broken if one of mine got hurt or died after crashing into something, but disabling a bird (even temporarily) is not a price I think should be paid to remove what I believe is a small risk. My Alex has flown into a couple of windows (we have a row of windows that cover the length of one whole wall) about 3 times in the last 5 months since we had him. The first time he was quite shocked, but unhurt, the next couple it was more of a flutter to the floor than a crash. He's fully flighted, always has been and the joy of his flight for him and me is indescribable.

I don't agree with clipping healthy birds AT ALL, just in case that wasn't clear (!), but I'm aware this view isn't shared by everyone and in some parts of the world it is common.

True clipping shouldn't be done willy nilly. I would say that even healthy birds do give cause to be clipped for the sake of their safety. It's not something we like to think of but if left in the wild birds do crash and often die whilst fledgling due to crashing. With birds like that who do give reason to clip it is necessary. I wish I had my second Conure clipped, if I did he would still be with us. But of course Ringnecks are a different story

 

[Puck]

If you clip one or two primary feathers behind the first feather they are still capable of flying low, just not achieving great height so they can still, say, fly from room to room but it's too much work to zoom around the house in circles. If you have a very tightly spaced home this can give them the chance to learn the layout without slamming accidentally into doorways or walls as they circle round and round. That's how a partial clip can help a bird practice flight. I know wing clipping is a hot topic, but there are pluses and minuses to both. I am not a fan of full clips and am very unhappy that the Quaker I am looking to get was fully clipped by the breeder. My RB2, however, has one primary clipped because I live in a home built in the early 60s with very narrow halls, lots of narrow doorways, and low ceilings. When unclipped she had many navigation accidents and can still fly from room to room now if she wants. It just takes too much flapping for her to circle endlessly.

 

[Crayfish066]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I am considering a partial clip at this point so he can retain some flight but he will be less likely to injure himself.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

Partial clipping will not reduce his risk of injury. It may slow him down, but he will be more likely to crash into things. Why? Because the primaries help the bird steer and control its flight and clipping will disable him from turning quickly to avoid objects. A bird with a partial clip can still fly, but not with precision. For example, my cockatiel was flying into a door as it was closing. He turned around super quick and avoided getting crushed. If he was clipped, he would have still been able to fly through that door but would not have been able to avoid it.

 

[Puck]

Partial clipping will not reduce his risk of injury. It may slow him down, but he will be more likely to crash into things. Why? Because the primaries help the bird steer and control its flight and clipping will disable him from turning quickly to avoid objects. A bird with a partial clip can still fly, but not with precision. For example, my cockatiel was flying into a door as it was closing. He turned around super quick and avoided getting crushed. If he was clipped, he would have still been able to fly through that door but would not have been able to avoid it.

This is very true. Yes, as they are learning to be highly proficient fliers, there may be some accidents, which is primarily the reason people keep birds partially clipped. But if you do that, as FBF pointed out, they will never develop the amazing skills they could possibly have. So you take risks and have benefits both ways. But having birds is risky business 'cause they're fragile creatures (Windex can kill them!) So you just have to make the decision for yourself. I'm all for fully flighted, it's just not something I practice at this time for my own reasons. I likely will the next time my galah molts her flight feathers (only two are clipped at this time). But there are many ups and downs. So don't think that clipping them will keep them safe forever, either. They will STILL be likely to hit something. Or they could end up in a stressful situation, like the time Lucille flew into the bathroom looking for me then had to sit in there for awhile because she couldn't figure out how to fly back out--she wasn't skilled enough with such a small space to take off in.

Honestly, there are too many ups and downs of both sides to list! I will say I am firmly against full clips, though I wouldn't disparage anyone who does it. You kind of have to write down those ups and downs then weigh them for yourself. Either way there will be some worry, because flight attempts will be made and they can go wrong whatever level of wing clip your bird has. I know that's probably not too helpful, but that's exactly why it's a much debated topic! No one can spell out 100% for sure what is always the best in every situation for every bird and people can always name situations where things went badly, no matter what level of clip they had. Makes it a topic perfect for a Debate Team match!

 

[Anansi]

One of your questions centered on whether or not a clip now would limit the kind of flier he could be later. The answer to this is yes. Your bird is not yet fully fledged. In fact, he should've been well into fledging, now. And as Steven (SailBoat) pointed out earlier, a bird should not be clipped at least until fully fledged.

At this age they are making connections with a speed and efficiency that they will never have again. Much akin to why human children are so proficient at picking up languages up until the age of three.

A clip now doesn't mean that your bird can't learn to be a capable flier in the future. It just means that he will never be the flier he could've been.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Crayfish066]

One of your questions centered on whether or not a clip now would limit the kind of flier he could be later. The answer to this is yes. Your bird is not yet fully fledged. In fact, he should've been well into fledging, now. And as Steven (SailBoat) pointed out earlier, a bird should not be clipped at least until fully fledged.

At this age they are making connections with a speed and efficiency that they will never have again. Much akin to why human children are so proficient at picking up languages up until the age of three.

A clip now doesn't mean that your bird can't learn to be a capable flier in the future. It just means that he will never be the flier he could've been.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

He can fly short distance with quite a bit of accuracy, like when he flies from the top of his cage to the top of my t.v.

A lot of the times when he crashes is when he seems to have large periods of flight without any real clear destination.

 

[Anansi]

A way around this is to strategically place more perches all around your house. The more familiar he is with available perching points, the less likely he'll be to succumb to that kind of panic.

 

[LordTriggs]

A way around this is to strategically place more perches all around your house. The more familiar he is with available perching points, the less likely he'll be to succumb to that kind of panic.

Yes the fact he can do it short distance makes me think he's trying to find new places to land and maybe less focused on where he's going. Lots of perches around the home, he'll get better at flying different routes and learn that the house is his home too

 

[Crayfish066]

I just noticed this thread what is now almost a month later and I thought I'd give a bit of an update.

He has good control of his flying skills now, and regularly grazes my hair with his feet as he's aiming to land on my monitor and then does a sharp 180 degree turn to land on it.

He still occasionally crashes but not at high speed, usually when he tries to take flight from a cluttered area, so it doesn't worry me much.

I'm still pretty nervous about leaving the curtains open when he's out though probably because when he was first let out he flew into a window and winded himself despite the fact that he'd been playing on the window frame minutes before.

He's not currently clipped at all and while he was a bit of nuisance to begin with he now spends 90% of his time near my desk, this creates a whole new array of problems but nothing clipping would be much help with.

 

[LordTriggs]

I just noticed this thread what is now almost a month later and I thought I'd give a bit of an update.

He has good control of his flying skills now, and regularly grazes my hair with his feet as he's aiming to land on my monitor and then does a sharp 180 degree turn to land on it.

He still occasionally crashes but not at high speed, usually when he tries to take flight from a cluttered area, so it doesn't worry me much.

I'm still pretty nervous about leaving the curtains open when he's out though probably because when he was first let out he flew into a window and winded himself despite the fact that he'd been playing on the window frame minutes before.

He's not currently clipped at all and while he was a bit of nuisance to begin with he now spends 90% of his time near my desk, this creates a whole new array of problems but nothing clipping would be much help with.

when he's comfortable sitting on your hand try bringing him to the window and tapping it with your spare hand, then let him touch the window, bring him right up to it. He'll understand quickly that they're solid objects

 

[Tropical]

I just noticed this thread what is now almost a month later and I thought I'd give a bit of an update.

He has good control of his flying skills now, and regularly grazes my hair with his feet as he's aiming to land on my monitor and then does a sharp 180 degree turn to land on it.

He still occasionally crashes but not at high speed, usually when he tries to take flight from a cluttered area, so it doesn't worry me much.

I'm still pretty nervous about leaving the curtains open when he's out though probably because when he was first let out he flew into a window and winded himself despite the fact that he'd been playing on the window frame minutes before.

He's not currently clipped at all and while he was a bit of nuisance to begin with he now spends 90% of his time near my desk, this creates a whole new array of problems but nothing clipping would be much help with.

When you say "leaving the curtain open" I HOPE there is SOMETHING on the window such as a stencil (with NO spaces that the bird thinks it can fly through) or blinds??? It does not matter how much you THINK the bird KNOWS there is a window there... windows must ALWAYS either be covered with blinds or stencils... NO exceptions!

Putting a stencil in the middle of a large window is a waste because the bird will simply try to fly around the stencil and slam its head into the window. Use LOTS of stencils spaced accurately in order for it to be effective.

My tiels KNOW where there are windows in my condo but if something spooks the birds or whatnot the bird, I don't care if it's an IRN or what type of birds it is... is going to fly head first into the window suffering a serious concussion and it's the swelling in the brain that if left untreated, is OFTEN fatal to them.

You are lucky your bird is alive after flying head first into a window without getting treatment! Head injuries in birds is extremely serious.