April 30, 2010
By Susan Chamberlain of 14KaratParrot
There are valid arguments for and against clipping the flight feathers of pet birds. I have shared my home with pet birds for 30 years, and in my opinion, clipping the flight feathers is an important safety precaution.
The typical home is fraught with dangers to pet birds. They may be seriously or fatally injured by flying into walls, windows, mirrors, ceiling fans or other objects. Open toilets, pans of cooking food, uncovered fish tanks and houseplants pose obvious dangers to birds that may land on or in them. In multi-bird households, dangerous altercations between birds can be avoided by limiting flight.
Escapes occur year round. Read the lost and found ads on the ‘net or in any local newspaper. It is heartbreaking to hear from a person whose bird has just flown out an open door or window, or even off the person’s shoulder. Escaped birds face intolerable weather conditions, predatory birds and animals, traffic, and other insurmountable obstacles. Most will be unable to forage for food because they will not know what to look for in the wild. Some hardy birds survive and form feral colonies, as have the Quaker parakeets on the east coast and the conures in San Francisco. Most escaped pet birds, however, face an unfortunate fate.
Proper clipping does not injure the bird in any way. Whether or not people elect to clip their bird’s flight feathers is a personal decision, but extra safety precautions must be taken with non-clipped birds. For starters, turn off ceiling fans when birds are at liberty, use carriers when taking birds out of the house and monitor the opening and closing of exterior doors and windows.
Most pet birds do not seem to suffer psychological damage from having their flight feathers trimmed. Many enjoy close relationships with their human companions and their preferred mode of transportation is on a shoulder.
Small birds that are confined to cages or aviaries and have limited contact with humans are in most cases, best left flighted. Canaries, budgies, lovebirds and finches all enjoy flying to and fro in spacious enclosures. People who are lucky enough to have spacious aviaries for larger birds may also wish to leave their birds flighted, but they should be aware of household dangers and take proper precautions against escape. If you are not experienced and adept at clipping your bird’s flight feathers, have your veterinarian, pet shop professional or bird groomer do the job.
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