To Clip or Not To Clip...

To clip or not to clip…that is often the question for new bird owners. Now this, like many other questions that arise when raising a parrot, can really only be answered by you.

It is a personal choice – based on the life that you and you bird lead together.

What I can tell you about clipping comes from my own personal experience and the experiences of several clients.

I choose to only partially clip my two conures, and only do so when they are acting up.

What I mean by this is that I let their flight feathers grown it, causing them to be “free flighted.” If they begin to act inappropriately, i.e. they begin to bite or fly away from me when it is time to go in their cage, I clip about half of their flight feathers.

With half of their feathers they are still able to gain a small amount of lift and can fly short distances. What they cannot do is get away from me easily by flying to a high surface.

I also have to be careful now because we have recently moved in to a home with ceiling fans. If they try to get away from me or fly away from their perch in a panic, they may inadvertently fly in to the fan and be harmed or even killed by the blades.

I have spoken to many of my clients about clipping and their reactions have been quite varied.

There are some people who are just flat out against clipping of any kind. They believe that if you own a bird you must take the proper precautions in your home, baby – or more properly – birdie proof it.

Others, like myself, clip as a form of, lets say, “punishment” for lack of a better term. Or they clip for safety.

A great deal of Macaw and other large breed owners clip their parrot’s wings. Larger birds have a large wingspan and can reach the end of a large room quite quickly. If they get startled, they can injure themselves by flying in to walls or windows.

I feel that I must mention that, if you decide to clip your bird as a matter of regular grooming, instead of as a punishment, it is best to take the bird to a groomer – even if you know how to do it yourself.

The process of clipping can be a little traumatic for a bird and can break the bond between owner and bird. Rather they blame someone else and come to you to seek shelter and encouragement.

So – what’s the bottom line on clipping?

Really take the time to think about it. No one wants to take flight away from a bird, but no one wants a bird to get hurt either.

Take a go hard look at your home, is it safe for a large parrot or small bird to fly around in?

What about your belongings? Can you accept it if your bird destroys your favorite book, or poops on your rug or couch?

How often do you have visitors – do people often open doors or windows that your bird could fly out of?

These are just some of the questions that you need to ask yourself in order to find out on which side you fall in the debate about clipping.