Should i clip cockatiel wings

As someone who has seen the effects of this practice firsthand, I strongly advise that you do not support establishments which clip birds before or during fledging.

This type of enclosure, though very common at many bird stores, is not appropriate for birds this age. These birds are past the age they would have learned how to fly in the wild.

They should be receiving a high degree of mental and physical stimulation in order to encourage optimal development, but they have had their wings clipped and are confined to a cubicle with at least two opaque walls.

Not only are these birds afraid of humans, they are physically disabled so that they can be held by their new owners despite their fear. Credit: Anonymous contribution. Birds who remain flightless for extended periods of time whether through clipping or confinement , will have atrophied muscles and can be at an increased risk for obesity, heart disease, and liver disease due to lack of exercise. A bird who is flight-restricted usually has very little choice or control in its life; this can lead to stress and psychological issues.

For some birds, clipped wings can act as a gateway to plucking behaviour, whether due to irritation from the sharp ends of the cut feathers, frustration due to restricted mobility, or a combination of both. Fortunately, most birds in this situation can learn to fly, but they need to be rehabilitated, much like a person who has not walked for an extended period of time.

This sun conure needs help with learning how to fly. His owner is using a target and two perches which can be incrementally separated.

As you can see, for a previously flight-restricted bird, even making a small hop proves challenging. If a bird does not learn to fly at the natural age and misses that developmental milestone, they must be taught, not unlike a feral child who walks on all fours must later be taught how to walk on two legs.

Credit: Anne Mahler on Youtube. Birds clipped in this manner crash to the ground when they try to fly, sometimes injuring themselves. Doing this to a bird teaches it not to fly through the pain and frustration it experiences when it falls, and it forces it to become totally dependent upon a human to move it from place to place.

Sadly, this type of clip is still widely performed by some pet stores, breeders, and even veterinarians. This bird was adopted with clipped wings. She repeatedly split her keel open over the course of several months by attempting to fly with such a severe physical handicap. After the pain and frustration she experienced doing this, she stopped attempting to fly. The exact cause of her plucking behaviour is unknown, but denying an animal its normal movement is certainly no help in resolving psychological issues.

Credit: Chelsie S. Another type of clip, which is more humane and more often recommended by veterinarians when compared to the full clip, is a partial clip which allows short distance flight. Additionally, clipped and partially-clipped birds display an unnatural posture when in flight.

Whether this posture may, over the course of years, affect their spine and cause discomfort has not been studied, but it is certainly something to consider. What if we were always carrying a heavy burden on our backs and walked stooped over as a result?

Speaking of posture: flight restriction can have lasting effects on the way a bird flies. This amazon was confined to a dog kennel. She was not clipped, but she could not fly.

After a year with her new owners, flight is still difficult, she still leans to one side, coordinating landings is still a challenge, and she is still not confident enough to attempt flight on her own. In some ways, particularly where physical fitness is concerned, clipping a bird is similar to keeping it in a cage. Credit: Kim Martin. So why clip at all? But birds can learn how to fly safely indoors, and the ability to fly also means the ability to anticipate certain threats and avoid them.

Many people argue that the benefits of flying—exercise and mental stimulation—far outweigh the risks of injury to a pet bird, provided they are properly supervised. Others have different reasons for not trimming their birds. Show birds, for example, have the best chance of winning when they are fully feathered. Some people also feel that since birds were intended to fly, clipping takes away their freedom and primary source of natural movement.

Additionally, clipping may not be a good choice for every bird or household. A bird can become overweight if it's not allowed the proper amount of exercise offered by flying. You'll also want to think about your other pets. Cats and dogs may view the bird as prey, in which case you'll want your bird to use its natural defense mechanism of flight to escape harm.

Putting some thought into the reasons for and against wing clipping will help you make the best choice for your pet. Talk to your avian veterinarian to get his or her input and be sure to discuss the options with your family members.

With careful consideration, you are sure to make a decision that will satisfy the needs of both you and your favorite feathered friend. If you do decide to clip your bird's wings, be sure to learn as much about the process as possible. Be sure to follow the steps to safely clip the wings and make a good decision about which clipping style is right for your bird.

Not every method is right for every bird breed. Basic Pet Bird Care. Association of Avian Veterinarians, Collingswood Veterinary Hospital, It is so sad to see her watch my other budgies fly around and sometimes attempt to fly with them and fall. I can definitely tell that she is not extremely happy and having her wings clipped has done no good for her and instead has just affected her psychologically and made her seem almost depressed at times since she cannot currently fly.

Clipping her wings would have never been a choice I would have made, but the breeder did it even though I said I didn't want it done. It worries me anytime she is out of her cage because I have to be very careful that she does not fall and hurt herself.

So I have soft blankets etc. And even with all of the safety measure I go to to make sure she is safe, she still managed to bruise her cere the other day from what I'm assuming was probably a fall from trying to fly. Most of the time birds wings are clipped for the convenience of the owner without thought to how detrimental it can be to some birds.

So please wait to make this decision and let the cockatiels get acclimated to their new environment before jumping to wing clipping. MiniMacaw Rollerblading along the road Avenue Veteran. My opinion would be no. I have birds from parrotlet to macaw size with physical disabilities and none have their wings clipped.

Doing things as have been suggested the smaller the room the easier it should be like hanging curtains, ribbons etc may help. I know many people still have this old school thinking which it sounds like his previous home may have where if a bird is difficult then you clip the wings. But modern studies anecdotal and science based say otherwise. If that is the case then they will get hurt in their cage?

This makes no sense. One of my tiels came clipped. I've never clipped his wings again but he's clumsy and constantly breaks feathers. Of all my birds, I've had the most trouble with him hitting walls, windows, ceiling, stationery objects, everything. He has had more injuries to his blood feathers than any bird in this home. As new feathers grew in, lacking the cushion and support of neighboring feathers meant they stuck out like a sore thumb and he'd brush them against anything and everything.

I increased their residence to a flight cage—it didn't help. Clipping wings will not help. Loveofbird Walking the driveway. Look it is your choice, none of us can stop you But I say you wait a couple months and bond with your birds and when they get used to you if you still wish to clip them then like I said none of us can stop you. I know clipping seems easier which I guess sort of in a way it makes it easier for the owner but when you go through that hard work of taming an unclipped bird the feeling is amazing because not only does the bird trust you, it trusts you because it wants to not because your forcing it to.

You do want the bird to love you because it wants to and not because it has to right? Real love isn't forced it's about getting to know one another over time and eventually trusting each other, basically it's earned.

I'm talking about animals here but I guess it can somewhat apply to humans. Here trying putting yourself in the bird's shoes feathers lol? Imagine if you could fly and wouldn't that be amazing? Then someone took that ability away from you, would you still trust them? Really ask yourself this. Like I said how about wait a couple months then see what happens, take people's advice about taming.

Yeah it might be a slow process but it is worth every second of it, you won't realize it until that hard work has paid off.