# Anyone NOT clip their bird's wings?



## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

So if any of you do not wing clip what is your reason(s)?


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

I don't clip their wings because they love flying around and I love watching them fly around, and they fly to me and are really lovely, so there is no point. Even Mack, he's not as tame as the others yet but he'll gladly sit on me and preen.
I feel that they are more bonded to me because they have the choice of spending time on me or not, and most of the time they sit on me or near me


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## Nick199 (Apr 10, 2014)

I got separate big Room for them and all windows are covered with Net ..Like them flying but hate them when they can't change direction and hit the walls(especially budgies)!!!!Enjoy outside view but from safety :xD


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

I don't clip because I can't find any reasons to justify doing that to a bird, I don't want to and my bird doesn't want me to.


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

The only time these lot will be clipped is if they're injured and flying could cause them pain or more damage


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

I have no safety reason to. They are reasonably tame and are kept in a large aviary. In other situations it may be necessary.


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

Missy is flighted, because I believe having the ability to fly is beneficial to both her health and psychological well-being. I have no reason for clipping. 
She enjoys having her freedom and having her "flight zoomies" around the bedroom in the mornings before breakfast.  But she'll also happily sit on me and ride around the house on me at will. 



> I feel that they are more bonded to me because they have the choice of spending time on me or not, and most of the time they sit on me or near me


Exactly


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## karendh (Mar 25, 2013)

Firstly, I don't clip Birdie because I think that I would be removing a vital part of her essential instinct, flying. 

Secondly, flying is healthy for her, it exercises the muscles in her chest, keeps her fit and improves circulation. It also improves breathing and heart function.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I don't clip. As Rowdytiel said, I believe flying is better for their health and mental well-being. I also don't want my tiel to feel dependent on me. If he wants to fly back to his cage (which is rarely), he can, etc.


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

I clipped Bird for six years and the flocks all been completely unclipped since November/December ish. I wouldn't go back. They are so much happier being able to fly and they get a lot more exercise when they're moving between cages or doing loops for fun. I clipped for safety and out of ignorance thinking it was necessary for companion birds. Bird has completely stopped lunging when I pick him up, and everyones over all well being just seems improved.


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## Peetenomax (Nov 23, 2013)

I don't need to clip Dexter's wings. He's a handicapped bird & doesn't fly well as it is.
He's a rescue bird that had a broken wing in his past. He can fly but doesn't like to/want to. He usually only flies when startled. He just doesn't know where to land most of the time. He's got a couple 'go to' perches, curtain rods, etc. But he just doesn't understand how to get down. He has major issues with landing. He doesn't even want to go from the coffe table to the floor. I have to help him. Not that I mind but it is annoying at times.
I've been working on building his confidence with by getting him to try short flights from a perch to me. It slow going but i figure that I have many years you work with him.


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

I don't clip Beaker because he didn't have a chance to practice flying when he was fledging and has very weak wings.

I don't clip Jaid because he is gorgeous in flight and is extremely hyperactive, so if he can burn some more energy, it will make him be quiet longer.

Plus they both step up, so I don't see any reason to clip


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I don't clip, and never will, because I don't believe in handicapping an animal for my own convenience. If I wanted a companion animal that didn't fly, there are plenty out there; flying is just what a bird is born to do. There are many reasons birds benefit from flight, and I could go into it in detail, but honestly the information is not hard to find. And it's just common sense. Birds are meant to fly, it keeps them healthy and happy and that makes ME happy!


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## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

very good points were made with the responses. I'm so glad I posted this question. I always clipped because I have lot of windows in my house, but wing clipping did not stop them from flying into windows. So maybe if they have full grown wings they will not fly into the windows anymore. But I am afraid of one accidently going out the door, especially since I have young kids in the house that would not pay attention to this. I feel bad when I have to restrain them to clip the wings. I think I might reconsider and see what happens.


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

I am planning on getting a few snap screens(or magic mesh) because it's getting hotter now so we could maybe have the back door open a little, and it would help keep flies out because we have bunnies so fly strike is even less likely to happen!  (The birds are in the living room and there are two doors between them and the outside world so two snap screens, and ensure both are not being walked through at the same time)


http://www.jmldirect.com/uk/pets/snap-screen/invt/s68ss10100000000

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Mesh-...113246&sr=8-1&keywords=magic+mesh+door+screen


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## thewandererw (Aug 22, 2011)

I don't clip my birds eather they need to be able to get away from the dog.plus they are ment to fly.I think keeping them grounded is mean.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Hellena said:


> very good points were made with the responses. I'm so glad I posted this question. I always clipped because I have lot of windows in my house, but wing clipping did not stop them from flying into windows. So maybe if they have full grown wings they will not fly into the windows anymore. But I am afraid of one accidently going out the door, especially since I have young kids in the house that would not pay attention to this. I feel bad when I have to restrain them to clip the wings. I think I might reconsider and see what happens.


You can try temporarily putting decals on the windows so the birds don't fly into them...also, take the birds over to the windows and show them. Eventually they will learn.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

It would be incredibly silly for us to clip our Cockatiels when they are in aviaries.. it would just defeat the purpose of having them in there (so they can fly around, and exercise) in the first place. As well as the Cockatiels, none of our other birds are clipped either, and never will be, I find them to be much happier, and healthier.


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## puffsmum (Apr 29, 2014)

I don't clip Puffs wings, I like her to be able to fly around and 9 times out of 10 she will fly to me and sit on me. I did have another teil for a short time and she had her wings clipped when I got her, I felt she was depressed because she could see Puff flying around and she couldn't, by the time I sold her, her feathers had grown back and she was a lot happier flying


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## Peaches&Me (Oct 30, 2013)

Hellena said:


> So if any of you do not wing clip what is your reason(s)?


What a very odd question, birds aren't hatched with clipped wings, it's natural for them to be fully flighted, therefore surely the question should read 
if any of you do clip what's your reasons!


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## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

I don't clip because birds naturally have wings. They are naturally flyers not walkers. And if I choose to keep them as pets, I choose to keep them as humanely and naturally as possible. Flying is healthy for them. And they enjoy it. I wouldn't have it any other way personally


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

I used to but don't anymore. They love flying and it's great exercise for them, the tame ones fly to me and the others are in the aviary, plus it feels really good when they fly to you because they want to  Although sometimes I have to turn away when the aviary ones all start flying around at the same time after what happened to Wynnie but I suppose they could have accidents whether clipped or not.


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## Lou (Apr 11, 2014)

I clipped at first.
However, the breeder taught themselves to clip off YouTube (so I found out later) and hacked half Charlie's wing off. My poor boy tried to fly off the bench in my bathroom and smacked into the toilet...he ended up with a nasty soft tissue injury to his foot. When I took him to the vet (absolutely panicked that he had broken his foot, or worse) they actually asked 'who butchered his wing?'

Since then I have decided not to clip, it's taken nearly six months for his clipped feathered to grow back and there are still a few that haven't fallen out yet. However, he is so much happier and it's been so awesome to watch him 'learn' to fly 

I would just advise that if you are going to clip, then PLEASE get it done by someone who knows what they are doing.just because they are a breeder doesn't mean they know what they are doing...my poor Charlie found out the hard way 

Good luck either way


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## Williepat (May 19, 2013)

I do have my Lulu and Louie's wings clipped. They're only locked in their cage overnight and have the run of the house during the day and have no problems getting around. Always exploring. I have young grandchildren who have to be reminded to keep outside doors shut. Especilly if wings starting to grow back and need clipping. His grow so fast. Louie got out one day and it was heartbreaking to watch him circle the house and fly away. He flew back an hour later. Could never go thru again.


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## MissMoo (Mar 25, 2014)

Sammie isn't clipped and never will be, I believe birds are made to fly, taking that away from them in my opinion isn't fair. I love watching him fly and he knows that his cage is safe, he can always get back there, he will never feel trapped or dependant on me, I want him to know that this is his home, not his prison.


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## mytravelmate (May 1, 2014)

Not much point having a bird if you won't allow it to do what it is meant to do.
I look forward to seeing them fly. It's amazing watching how they manoeuvre around the flat.


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

MissMoo said:


> Sammie isn't clipped and never will be, I believe birds are made to fly, taking that away from them in my opinion isn't fair. I love watching him fly and he knows that his cage is safe, he can always get back there, he will never feel trapped or dependant on me, I want him to know that this is his home, not his prison.


YES, YES!!!! Sammie has won the birdie lottery <3


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

I love this thread! There have been a lot of clipping "debates" over and over again on this forum, but it's nice and refreshing for me to see one that focuses on the benefits of flight.


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## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

I would love to see what my birds look like with their wings fully grown. I'm going to let all my birds grow out their wings and go form there. I think the cardio benefit would be good for them too.


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## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

I would also like to say that I see a lot of birds take some very hard landings with clipped wings.


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## rpo (Mar 8, 2011)

When I was a kid, my family had two cockatiels. Both were clipped, rarely out of their cage, and fed mostly a seed diet (of which they picked out the sunflower seeds). Both birds died at about 10 years of age for unknown reasons. At the time, I was too young to understand that was likely due to mistreatment with their diet and exercise.

Once I became an adult, I decided to get another cockatiel (Corona), but this time would treat her as a member of the family. That meant a proper diet, unclipped wings, and not being locked in a cage unless it was for her own safety. She flies wherever she wants in the house, when she wants to, and puts her self to bed at night. I simply cover her cage afterwards and uncover it in the morning. As best as I can manage it, she also goes on nearly every road trip with me as well and has accumulated about 9,000 miles in the car where, of course, she is out of the cage and sitting next to the headrest on the seat.

I feel that I am doing all of this for her not to placate my feelings of regret with how my childhood tiels were treated, but because she simply deserves it.


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## Jellie (Mar 30, 2014)

Luma isn't clipped and I certainly will never take flying away from her. She loves flying around the house and landing onto myself/fiance and we love seeing her enjoying her natural instincts  Her wings are beautiful!


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## kan3288 (Jan 28, 2013)

I have debated about this, and I have a question for those of you who don't clip. What do you do when you need to have your bird watched by someone else? We tend to go on vacation once or twice a year, so I usually don't have Tango clipped until then. My parents typically watch him, and I don't trust that they can handle him fully-flighted. We also have the option of boarding him at the bird store we got him from, but they also require clipped wings.

I don't mind leaving him unclipped around our house, but I don't trust others to be able to handle him. He has already escaped once, and we were amazingly lucky to get him back.


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

rpo said:


> I feel that I am doing all of this for her not to placate my feelings of regret with how my childhood tiels were treated, but because she simply deserves it.


Beautifully put


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Just off the top of my head, here are some of my reasons for why I no longer clip.

#1 - Flight is a natural and healthy part of their lives.
#2 - They enjoy it, and I enjoy watching them.
#3 - In my experience, clipping has proven to cause more trouble than it's worth; since I stopped clipping, those problems were erased.
#4 - I don't have to worry about clipping possible blood feathers, and the risk of breaking a newly grown blood feather is greatly reduced.
#5 - They're birds!!


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## Williepat (May 19, 2013)

I do have to say that I didn't start clipping their wings until Louie got out and I watched as he flew away. Couldn't believe it when he returned an hour later. This is a neighborhood with lots of houses and he found mine. I have screens on doors and windows but Louie got out when door open for split second. I don't want them to be locked into one part of the house to keep safe. They have run of all the house and exploring. I'm know I'm being selfish but can't go thru that again.


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## Tacotielca (Dec 3, 2013)

Williepat said:


> I do have to say that I didn't start clipping their wings until Louie got out and I watched as he flew away. Couldn't believe it when he returned an hour later. This is a neighborhood with lots of houses and he found mine. I have screens on doors and windows but Louie got out when door open for split second. I don't want them to be locked into one part of the house to keep safe. They have run of all the house and exploring. I'm know I'm being selfish but can't go thru that again.


This is what I worry about too. I want her to spend her entire life with our loving family and would be devastated if she accidentally escapes as that would be certain death within 1/2 hour if it happened during winter. Right now she is flighted and when she decides to fly it is always to me and she lands on my outreached hand. It is beautiful and heartwarming to experience. But I am struggling with what to do to keep her safe.

Edit: actually she did fly towards our windows a few times, but that was when she was startled. When she purposely flies, it's to me.


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

But, clipped birds can fly away too; all it takes is a gust of wind or a burst of adrenaline or sheer determination. It has happened countless times to unsuspecting people. And once outside, a clipped bird is much more susceptible to dangers such as predators. A "proper" (more humane) clip does allow the bird to glide anyway, so the most effective way of keeping them from flying away is to ground them completely and give them a hack job. Obviously not the answer in my opinion. Flighted or clipped, if you have birds you need to be hyper-vigilant about doors and windows. Since clipping doesn't guarantee safety, why not just give them all the benefits of flight?


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## Guest (May 18, 2014)

I didn't have time to read this entire thread, but I do not think it's healthy to clip their wings because they need the exercise. Birds are meant to fly, period. My tiel is fully flighted.

Since I live by myself and will NEVER have kids nor a husband (I love being alone thank you very much)... but if I did live in a house with other people, then I would clip the wings because I don't trust other people being responsible enough to NEVER open the front door when my bird is out of his cage.

End of story


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

I don't trust people with the doors, but I can with the windows because I'm the only one who can reach them! :rofl:

I just ordered 5 magic mesh and all the downstairs doors are going to have them on


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## M'éanín's Mommy (Jan 20, 2014)

My 'Tiels are clipped, my P'lets are not. Mostly has to do with level of training and if I can "trust" them or not. The 'Tiels tend to be more flighty than my P'lets and are slower to respond to commands. Their flight cage is kept about 6 feet from the front door too. Just to much risk for me. They are still molting and will need a trim here soon, but i'm just doing a short clip. Want them to have some flight, just not full flight where I couldn't intervene quickly.


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## Mezza (Feb 19, 2013)

I think clipping is a personal choice depending on the household situation.

Skiddles is fully flighted - she was clipped when I got her and I let her wings grow but she smacked into things constantly so I clipped her slightly again. The second time round she only smacked into something a couple of times and now she is a beautiful flyer. Granted she is not an elegant lander. Lol! She flies to you then puts on the brakes and lands. Hahaha!

I live by myself so I am not concerned about windows or doors. My partner also owns a GCC so when he comes over he knows they may be out and goes through garage (as I do with his place).

As for people looking after them - my fids only go to Birdy Boarding. I guess I am lucky enough to have one nearby that I trust. Unfortunately I can't expect any of my family or friends to look after the fids especially Skiddles because she needs her daily dose of liver tonic by drops. The bird boarder is also Louey's breeder so she gets to see him every now and then. 

PS: Skiddles also puts herself to bed at night when she is ready.


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## Callie2013 (Nov 4, 2013)

Callie was clipped when I got her and I debated a while and decided not to clip and let her feathers grow back out. Azazel is clipped but that's because he's not hand tame and he was getting to places that he could get hurt. Now that I'm making our spare room into the bird room I will let his flights grow back out since I know he will be in a safe place. Lilianna isn't clipped and I won't clip her she's really cute learning to fly and build confidence in herself. With me using a wheelchair to get around I had to think what's best for me and my fids and now with the bird room or at least it will have the tiels in it I know that if Azazel gets up somewhere high I don't have to worry about getting him down he can come down on his own and go back to his cage when he wants.


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## RATTIE (Aug 28, 2008)

I don't clip because back when I had Budgies they were clipped at first but once they grow their flights back in they seemed so much happier and more active. I also found that it was easier to tame them when they are flighted. Another reason I keep them flighted is because I have dogs that are not bird friendly so they need to be able to get away from the dogs if they ever manage to get loose when the dogs are in my room. Another reason is that I think it is better for their physical and mental well-being.


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## Sebastior (Jul 29, 2013)

I don't clip my tiel's wings 'cause he loves to fly around, and i think he deserves to fly around.
I think one should bird proof their place instead of house proofing the birds.


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## Guest (May 20, 2014)

Sebastior, right on! I agree 100%  

Birds are meant to and need to fly, period.


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

Sebastior said:


> I think one should bird proof their place instead of house proofing the birds.


This. This right here. This just about sums it all up in a single sentence.
I still think that clipping should be based on individual situations, and there are situations where it is necessary for the safety of the bird. Not opening that can of worms here, just peacefully believe that there are two positive sides to the same argument. But in -most- situations, this is exactly what the philosophy should be.


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Sebastior said:


> I think one should bird proof their place instead of house proofing the birds.


Right on man


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## kmclaassen (Jan 17, 2013)

I have never clipped Haze's wings. He loves to fly around to get his exervise as well as fly to me if I go into the other room. I don't think I would ever clip him as he has not been clipped since Ive gotten him and i don't think it would be fair to him if one day he couldn't fly.


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## tielsdownunder (Sep 27, 2013)

Gizmo is almost 1 year, and I haven't clipped him yet. Got him from the shop and he was clipped very well! Only recently he has begun flying longer distances and with more control. He rarely flies though, only when I leave him somewhere and walk off. He starts to chirp and then takes off and lands on my arm.

Unless he starts behaving badly with his flying. Or injures a wing and needs to rest I won't. Whenever he is out he just sits on me and sings to my feet. It's fair that he can fly away from me whenever, so have to make sure he knows I love him 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Hellena (Feb 11, 2013)

wow, I can't believe all the responses I got with this question. Did not expect that! I will have to sit back today and read all of them.


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