Should You Clip Your Bird's Wings? Pros & Cons!

I have a gcc named Hunter, his wings are clipped although not by me. I have had him for almost a year now ever since he was a babe. The person I got him from clipped his wings so poorly that they never grew back. The one thing about conures is that they need to exercise their wings or they will have issues later on in life. I make sure my conure gets his exercise and thankfully he is a very happy and healthy bird! He is actually training to become a therapy bird and will go on walks with me outside which they also need because fresh air is better for them. I do agree with both sides of the argument because I would let my birds usually fly, but I have had birds that will fly around and will hit a wall or window and I also had a cockatiel that bled from having long wings and flapping around the cage causing blood feathers. (The cage was huge) But, birds are healthier when they use their muscles in their wings. That being said everyone who is saying Tyler is being cruel to cut Mango's wings is wrong to judge, especially about the comments that birds are meant to fly. In the wild birds developed and evolved to fly to try and escape from predators. There are NO predators and reasons for his bird to fly and I'm sure even without flying Mango is living a very happy life with Tyler. If you really have a problem because birds are meant to fly you can say the same thing about owning them because birds are meant to be free. We are lucky because 50+ years ago birds were not very domesticated and were almost always wild caught. Anyway, I said my piece. Also, byyyyyyyyye Tyler and Mango! My baby Hunter and I say hi!

2:24 omg mango yawned!!!

When his teeth are brighter than your future... :'(

i understand how lots of people think clipping a birds' wings are cruel, and how it may make them sad and upset. however, there are certain things you MUST do for an animal to keep it safe. one bird may be better off with clipped wings than another, it all depends on the bird. the bird may be bad/weak at flying and run into walls despite your best effort to bird proof the house. in that case, you need to clip the bird's wings to keep it from snapping it's neck on something and dying. but, your bird may be very good and coordinated at flying, and then there would be no need to clip the bird's wings since it is coordinated, and would rarely bump into things. all in all, it just depends on the bird. a clip of the wings may be better for one bird than another. if you're a bird owner, wouldn't you want to do the best thing for your bird(s) in the long run?

5:45 when he swung his hand back and mango nearly fell😂

This is a long one lol but 2 years ago I bought my new budgie, he was 4 months old and I called him ChimChim (yes after Jimin lol). I had him for 1 month before I let him out the cage he knew how to step up inside the cage so I was going to start training him outside the cage. Prior to this I had never clipped any of my budgies wings. However I had started clipping my African greys wings because my house was made into an open plan house and my parents didn’t want him flying around the house. I took my budgie into my room so that I could keep him in one location. I left the cage door open for ages and eventually he came out but he started flying around the room banging into the walls and then he flew behind my tv any time I went to go get him he would start flying again. So I got a tshirt and grabbed him after he flew into the door and landed on the floor. After that I was too scared to get him out. I was planning on clipping his wings but I found that a lot of people seem to be against clipping smaller birds than big birds for some reason? So I was really on edge about it. But 2 months later I came downstairs after the shower and I saw him on the floor of his cage walking in circles to the left... it was 11pm and all the local vets were closed I picked him up and he didn’t even struggle I then laid a blanket on the table and put him down and he wasn’t moving I just kept stroking him.. I didn’t know what to do, I was crying so much but my mum and sister was just laughing at me saying “it’s just a bird” I was holding him in a blanket for about an hour and then he had a seizure and squeak so loudly and passed away in my hand. I then went and told my mum and she just said “oh well you ain’t getting anymore” and I spent the whole week feeling so sad and randomly crying. It’s been nearly 2 years now and I’ve decided to get another one but this time I’m going to clip its wings cause I am not going through that again 💔

I used to clip my birds' wings. i stopped doing it when they started their first big molt. their wing feathers are just so pretty and perfect i didn't want to ruin them. mine are also potty trained so they fly to their spots to poop. potty training my sun was really easy. i just love watching them fly it's way too cute. before i started letting them grow out their wings i would get what some call a juvenile cut which basically is they leave the feathers a little bit longer and don't cut as many so the birds can still fly short distances. it keeps them healthier and keeps their muscles in good shape. that way they can still fly but they can't bolt out the door the second you open it and they can't usually fly high enough to hit fans.

I don't trim my birds wings because: 1) They are safe in my room 2) I trust my birds so i actually leave my door open ( not the outside door) to the whole second floor so they can go in my brothers or in my parents room and they know how to fly back 3) Im okey with cleaning the shit up but sometimes it gets annoying :D

NOT EARLY SQUAD WHERE YOU AT?

Bird trimming can hurt the bird if not done properly. Best to ask an Avian Vet or a professional. There really isn't a right or wrong answer for this issue because it will depend on your living condition :)

Your cons to clippings are GREAT and there are so many more. The only "pro" I can think of for clipping is for a medical reason (flight causes heart or respiratory strain that they cannot handle due to a medical condition...which sadly is almost always the human's fault, albeit unintentional, to begin with.) I hope you let Mango become flighted and yep, as a conure and with their metabolic rate, he can be potty trained! My 3 macaws are flighted. I adopted them, 5th, 4th, and 3rd home, ages 4, 10 and 5. I also potty trained them all. It's super convenient so I hope you can potty train Mango too. :~) Rebuttals to the "pros" to clipping. 1. Clipping isn't needed to tame them. Establish trust and basic training from the start as babies or even adults. Having flight (the ability to leave a situation they do not like) will, in fact, strengthen your bond as it will prove that your training techniques are working if your bird was not tame before or if they were tame, it just confirms that your bird chooses to trust you and stay with you/a part of the situation. 2. A bird that has been able to fly and is raised in a home environment, can learn what windows and mirrors are and avoid them. They have to learn to avoid SO MANY more things in the wild. They are more than capable in captivity. As the owner, it is our job to keep them safe if we have a hot stove or a fan on, a door open, etc. A clipped bird, if it found itself on a hot surface and falling into a mirror fan or window, does not have the ability to get off of the surface or correct its path like a flighted bird does. Also, if they get outside, a clipped bird CAN still fly especially if there is wind and unlike a flighted bird, it has no control, strength, or the skill to safely land in a tree or other object let alone descend and come back to you on the ground. So PLEASE be very careful if you take a clipped or flighted bird outdoors. Ironically, the majority of the birds on Parrot Alert 911 (escaped lost birds) are clipped.

hi tyler i have indian ringneck parrot and with me for 5 months i bought it at 3 months and still hasn't gotten used to me should i trim it wings?

When I first got my cockatiel he was flying round and smacked into my large livingroom window and yes he got hurt and was bleeding. After that I got his wings done at my local pet store. He is a rescue and was never out of his cage he was in so with his first time out he started flying. We keep his wings done for his safety only not to be mean towards him but to keep him safe. When he smacked the window he smacked it super hard. I felt so bad

Yes I needed this video!🙂

Did you train Mango not to nibble on your earring? I'm highly impressed. Unfortunately I'm unable to keep mine on my shoulder without having to cover my ear. He is forever biting my earrings sometimes it's painful when he yanks at them.

I have a jenday conure and let his wings untouched. Ive tried both, and this is what works best for us. He has a lot of energy and it makes him exercice, i also love the fact that he learned the recall. Its awesome to raise your hand and have a parrot land on it.

Pro: you can take your bird outside and about with you without worrying about losing them (keep a close eye anyway though) I switch between trimming my birds wings and then the next time they grow back I won't trim them because I do like him to be able to get some exercise

Mangos so pretty!

Yeah I have a bird, but what if your trying to train your bird? What if you take it out, won’t it fly away from you? Is it best to clip their wings when your training? And also if I want to clip their wings should I take it to the vet for the doctor to do it? PLEASE HELP ME I NEED ANSWERS THANK YOU!

i have a pretty big cage and i think i wont take them out a lot so i'm wondering if they stay on your finger when they are not clipped?