# Wings Clipped/Unclipped



## KaylaHansa (Aug 8, 2012)

Just interested... which of you on here keeps your bird's wings clipped or unclipped? My bird is clipped but will not be clipped once his feathers grow back (Breeder clipped him. Just thought I might say this- she only clipped one wing. Isn't that dangerous? She offered to trim the other one though before selling him, and I quickly agreed. She left his sibling with only one wing clipped though.) I was just wanted to hear people's thoughts on this subject. I have read so many different opinions.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i prefer flighted but tsuka has to stay clipped for my own safety--he flies at my face to bite. not everyone can live with a flighted bird. dally is flighted and its great


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## binkieandbowie (Aug 26, 2012)

I think, whenever the situation allows it (so basicly as much as is possible), you should keep it flighted. Any bird's emotional health is skyrocketed by the chance to exercise, and you may or may not have noticed cockatiels can't really jog. It's also great for their cardiovascular health.
In all, I'm all for flighted bird as it improves their lifespan, personality and general happiness as a pet.


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

I've never have a clipped bird before, they've always been flighted. For Smokey i need to make an exception though, he's getting his wings clipped this week. He's started chewing on wires, still flies into things and it's also to help with taming/bonding.


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

My preference would be to start clipped with a young bird then if all goes well let him grow out feathers and be fully flighted. However in the past I have learned that some birds do just get "full of themselves" or cocky, independent after being fully flighted.

For those, you just can't beat a light clip.

Trying to work with a fully flighted bird, to get them to do something they are unsure of is nearly impossible. If you try to push it they fly, and almost always land someplace you can't reach. There is no "leverage" there. Only encouragement and bribery.

For many birds once that bond is established and the basics mastered there is no reason not to let them grow out feathers and fly. However if problems arise, don't be afraid to clip.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I have 2 birds clipped and 2 birds flighted. But really only one bird is flighted (the other has broken wings and can't fly too well).

One bird is clipped because he is difficult to catch when we're caging them..he doesn't like human contact. The other is clipped because he goes places he shouldn't go.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

My tiel is flighted. I'm in favor of keeping tiels unclipped if you can. But each tiel and household is different and for safety reasons, training, etc. sometimes clipping is better. I enjoy though Sunny being able to fly. But he's pretty mellow and doesn't fly all over the place. I like too that he can fly back to his cage if he wants to (which he almost never wants to...... )


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## Homer2012 (Aug 19, 2012)

My cockatiel Bartie Bird when I was a kid was clipped once, but after that fist time we never clipped them again. He flew until the day he died. 

Milli I will never clip. I let her fly.  Be free. She loves it and I love watching her.  In ways it is a little nerve racking because of having to make sure all windows are closed...all fans are off...but I am really careful so I know she will be ok.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Mine depends on the bird...Hershey and Patches are clipped because they're a pain to catch at night for bed. Fuzzy, Jeep, and Snowball (just to name a few) are flighted because they fly to me not away from me. Hershey is also nicer when she's clipped versus being flighted. So it all depends on the bird.

And yes a one wing clip is dangerous as it unbalances the bird in flight.


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## KaylaHansa (Aug 8, 2012)

Those with flighted birds... do you keep your curtains closed when the birds are out? Or do they learn to avoid the windows? Choopcheek's already crashed twice- and he's not even flighted. Nothing bad happened to him, but still.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I have one window in their room and I open the curtains for them on nice days. But mine have learned to fly to the curtain rod or the window sill and they love to sit and look out the window (as attested by the amount of poop they leave behind). So Choopcheek should learn to avoid windows but for now it would be best to keep them closed when he's out flying.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

Some of my windows have the curtains closed; some don't. When we first got Sunny he flew into a window. It had a screen on it though so he didn't get hurt. He hasn't done it since. He had a couple scary bangs into walls when we first got him. The first time it happened I was completely freaked out. I think though he had to learn to maneuver around and get used to flying again as I don't think he got to fly much with his prior owner. Had he continued to bang into things I probably would have gotten his wings clipped for his own safety but thankfully it's not an issue now.


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

When i first got Smokey he would constantly crash into the windows. I put pieces of A4 paper in random places over them so he would know they were there and after a while he'd sit on the window sill instead. Unfortunately i think he's quite a clumsy bird and when he was flying pell-mell around the room he'd still fly into the window sometimes. Kind of like when i know the coffee table is there but still walk into it >.<


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## hysteriauk (Jun 24, 2012)

Zippy is flighted he/she loves a fly around first thing in the morning I am lucky because I am indoors most of the time as I don't do outside much , Zippy really has bonded well with me to the point I can click my fingers and zippy will fly to my shoulder .

When I first started to let zippy loose he/she bumped the window a few times but now zippy avoids them.

I do get why some teils are clipped tho so can't really knock it


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i use window decals


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## Loopy Lou (Jul 26, 2012)

DallyTsuka said:


> i use window decals


Well that's definitely a prettier way to define boundaries than my sheets of paper! Mind you they were a talking point for the couple of weeks they were up lol.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

you can see my decals here, a good friend of mine made them and theyre excellent! i have to rehang some that the cats have taken down but they look and work great!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Yes, one-wing clips are dangerous and it's good that you turned it into a two-wing clip. A one-wing clip doesn't take away the bird's ability or desire to fly but it does take away his ability to steer.

I keep my birds lightly clipped so that they still have the ability to fly but don't have as much power or speed as a fully flighted bird. The more birds you have, the more they tend to set each other off with alarm flying, and full flight is too dangerous with 12 indoor birds.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

All of mine are fully flighted. I have not had any problems with them running into the windows (I have 2 windows on one wall, and one small single window on another wall), they enjoy sitting on the window sills looking outside.


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## nassrah (Feb 27, 2012)

We are totally in favour of fully flighted birds-for the boost in their self confidence ,good health and exercise they so need.We live in an apartment,weve got mesh on the windows,so that our birds wont fly away,but even with that,we are always around supervising them.Its beautiful to see them flying all around the house,we wouldnt have it any other way


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## KaylaHansa (Aug 8, 2012)

I guess it depends on the bird... my two lovebirds I used to have never seemed to have a problem with windows, except for the first time out.


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## becca21 (Jul 4, 2012)

My four-month-old Toby was clipped when I got him, but I am currently looking forward to the day when they begin growing back, hopefully soon. The breeder clipped his wings way too much for my taste though, it's like he clipped every single flight wing, not just the primary flight-feathers. I'll post a pic at the bottom, and you guys can tell me what you think about how he was clipped, because I'd love to know. All I do know is he can't fly for beans =( 
But he is learning to fly from my hand to a perch up to six inches away, in preparation for recall training later on  And sometimes, when I've had him on his gym about a foot away from me, he will sometimes decide after a while that he wants to be on my chest or shoulder, and he has flown (to my surprise) to me. It's a good sign though, for recall later on. I'm trying to get him to learn a little bit of flight maneuverability now rather than later when he is fully flighted. But in my opinion, I agree with others who say to get a young (or new) tiel clipped, than after the bond let his/her wings grow back, and see how it goes. I'm hoping my Toby will be an excellent flier, and I really look forward to the day when I get to see him flying free around my house. I also think it is SO cool when they learn recall. I'm sure I'll be asking for advice on teaching it to him in a few months  Anyways, here is the pic of Toby's wings, let me know what you guys think of the way he was clipped.

P.S. Ignore the circle and arrow in the pic, I did that for a question I had in another forum


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## TMz (Aug 7, 2012)

the odd tim their cage is upstaors, I clip them just to be safe, they are accustomed to being flighted so they will fly around the house, if they are upstairs that means they get the dogs worked up, when they are clipped they are easy to prevent escaping the cage with the dogs are out.but in the basment seperated from the dogs by a steel door, I keep them flighted.


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## Arizonakid (Aug 29, 2012)

Even though a newbie, let me add one thought. Flighted would depend a whole lot on where you live. Here in inland tropical Mexico, an A/C unit is practically unheard of. The housekeeper opens all the doors and windows to take advantage of the cool breeze that almost always is available. A flighted bird could be gone in an instant. Keep up the good work you more seasoned members. I'm about to wear out my printer saving your tips, opinions and stories. Thank you. One of these days soon, I will also be able to say "I too own a Cockatiel".

Larry


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

Arizonakid said:


> Even though a newbie, let me add one thought. Flighted would depend a whole lot on where you live. Here in inland tropical Mexico, an A/C unit is practically unheard of. The housekeeper opens all the doors and windows to take advantage of the cool breeze that almost always is available. A flighted bird could be gone in an instant. Keep up the good work you more seasoned members. I'm about to wear out my printer saving your tips, opinions and stories. Thank you. One of these days soon, I will also be able to say "I too own a Cockatiel".
> 
> Larry


i would like to point out that clipped birds can still fly and escape out windows, so its always a good idea to never have doors and windows open when you have your bird out


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## budgieandtiel (Jul 24, 2012)

I've never had Shiraarat fly into the windows, though that may be because I stuck a cat decal on the window before we even got him lol. Never thought it was actually helping him avoid it. He only flies to get to us or to Tamasha, otherwise he climbs everywhere -.-. He's had a few crashes into walls and gotten stuck up high on our one brick wall, but I think flying is something he really should know, should he ever escape. There are a LOT of cats whose owners let them out, as well as dogs. Also predatory birds living about a 5-10 minute drive away. Never seen them come here, but he could easily fly there.


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

Wed I screwed up my nerves, caught Joey, wrapped her in a towel, clipped her wings (lightly) the longest feathers removed about 1.5 inches. 

Then took her into the bathtub for a 10 minute intensive session on stepping up onto perch's, fingers, etc.

Session got repeated Thursday with good results.

As of today, she is still a bit "spooky" and nervous when I enter the room. 
She still flys quite well, but has to work very hard to stay level over distance. This actually lets her get around quite well, but keeps her from being able to fly to the high hard to reach places. 

She has spent about 10 minutes total sitting on my finger, and she's still pretty nervous about it. But I think in another day or 2 we will see pretty significant changes.

All in all it was well worth the trauma in my opinion, as she is now very good about stepping up on a perch on command. Once on perch I can move her to my finger or shoulder. She may not stay there long if she has a clear flight path, but that will come with time.


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