The Owner Chooses, Right?

"The owner should be allowed to choose to clip or not clip their parrot."

Most people would agree with that. Despite sometimes high pressure from very adamant pro-flight or pro-clip supporters to do one or the other, the owner ought to have confidence in making his own decision based on his unique situation and bird.

But you know, the reality is that in almost all cases people have no choice at all.

Birds are sold already clipped for them without regard to the individual bird, person, or home or aviary they are going to.

Unfortunately, a clipped bird does not know how to fly normally and by the time it grows out its wings, its atrophied breast muscles cannot power them for competent flight.  Therefore one thing that happens all the time is that people who wanted a flying pet end up frustrated because the poor bird crashes all the time, bruising its keel and beak, or worse.

Because of this very upsetting experience, they understandably clip its wings again and advise others that it is dangerous for our parrots to fly.

It is current practice in the United States that the choice to clip is already made by someone else before the owner takes his bird home because the prevalent opinion is that it is irresponsible and unsafe to allow the parrot to fly.  The result is that millions of birds are never given a real chance to prove themselves as the flying organisms that they are.

Some breeders at least wait to clip them after they have fledged and learned flying techniques. These birds should be able to remember these techniques when they have wings again; however the owner will still have to deal with rehabilitating their flying muscles by encouraging daily flying exercises.  During this period these birds will still be vulnerable to crashes and it will take only a few frightening or painful experiences to discourage them from flying again.  At age one and over, they are simply not as adventurous or as driven to fly as during the early months of their lives when nature intended them to fledge and leave their nests.

There is a very small but growing number of breeders who will sell their birds as is to the appropriate person and home.  I hope with time, more sellers will do the same so that there can be a real choice for those people who admire parrots and wish to keep them as the flying marvel they are.

Mandy

P.S. In another blog soon, I would like to talk about problems people have run into with that new flying pet and some of the solutions they have come up with.