QUESTION

[ghandikaboo]

I would rather see Ghandi fly off his cage than thump onto the floor after flinging himself off.  I know what you mean,  I have decided not going to clip  wings anymore.  KJ

[linzy]

no, shez gonna have a harness on if shez not in her cage room. In my room - the doors gettn a lock so shel be safe if she ever does get out of the cage while no ones there. But my room wont! lolz If shez on her perch in the living room then shell have her harness on with a flight lead.

Linzy 

[easleyblue]

well after all that has been said, I probably won't do the wings either...thanks for all input.  Also, the rock I use for Shorty's toes is called a lava rock.  It keeps them real dull...worth the money.  I think I payed $7.

[linzy]

ooh, a lava rock?

would like piccies 

Good to hear you might not do the wings - did you know that over 50% of escaped birds had cut wings? A scary but totally real statistic there. In my view the only big difference it does for a bird is make it unhappy - and is always done for the benifit of the owner.
Karine - thats why Chaos will be harness trained as soon as she gets here - saftey will be a very high priority here  and to be honest - cutting the wings will not stop a spooked bird flying. I was going to do the wings when she was a older adult to slow her down - but, again, that will be for my benifit only. Why should I cut the wings when I can get a harness? I was selfish 

This is all a big learning expirience for us 

Linzy 

[PakaBird]

I take Paka to get his wings clipped and toenails done periodically. Usually if a new primary feather grows in I'll just clip it off myself when he's in a sleepy cuddly mood. I always leave the outer 2-3 primary feathers. It looks much more natural, (you can hardly tell he's clipped), and I think it gives him better glide control when he does jump off of his cage.

The first time we had it done, he screamed bloody murder. It was embarrassing, everyone in the store wondering why they were torturing the poor bird. Paka recovered from it quickly and didn't blame us for the situation since someone else took care of the clipping/trimming.

One thing you have to be wary about when you have their toenails done is they will be less agile for a while since they no longer have the grip that they are used when they had razor sharp nails.

Paka fell off a few things until he got used to his new dull nails.

Cement perches do keep their nails dull but can be hard on your birds feet. Make sure that you have multiple other softer perches available so your bird can take a rest from sitting on concrete.

Thanks,

PakaBird

[karine]

 

[karine]

[karine]

Thank you Paka......

I agree with the toe clipping, some people put a couple of towels at the bottom of the cage in case of falls for a little while after clippings.

[linzy]

But why whenever he can still fly pretty fast and far? Yea it slows them when they are in a normal mood but it only takes a sudden movement... 

Linzy 

[Ilovemygreys]

Speaking of perches - I just bought S & R biomagnetic perches ( suggested by the local birdstore).  Here is what they are supposed to do:

improve comfort in joints, muscles and bones
improve blood circulation


the perch has a ripple design which was developed to reduce pressure points - this perch provides a variety of contact points that change every time the bird moves. 

My birds seem to like it and while they do not stand on it for a long time it gives them another option.

Does anyone know about these perches??

Paige

[doreenrihn]

Hi- new to this forum, but as for wing clipping, i had my tag's wings clipped the first time by a vet who supposedly knew what she was doing00 WRONG!!! bailey had issues ever since and his wings have never completely grown back yet ( he is now almost 3)- I now see an avian vet and she clips every 3rd wing or so, so Bailey can fly but only short distances, like from one room to the next, and not really high, so he has confidence, but wont take off too far. I live on the coast and we dont see many hawks or other large birds, and I take bailey outside on our patio every evening for about 20 mins, to sit outside before his bedtime, and he doesnt try to take off, I know that everyone says to never take them out without a harness, but i dont think i could get a harness on him, i think he would freak out-- we have alot of history, bailey had alot of phobic behaviors and before I got him from my daughter he had been put on haldol and had hardly any feathers. he is now fully feathered and off all meds, and is pretty confident again, but is still afraid of men. How do you get a bird to get accustomed to a tether, or harness?
as for nail clipping, mine is not afraid, he behaves really well for our vet, who is also a multi bird owner and is very gentle and loving with bailey

[ghandikaboo]

I'm going to try a flight suit that I saw on line at pamperedpeeps.com.  I haven't tried my bird in any harness yet.  A  flight suit catches the droppings too, and I am told are easier to get on  and easier for the bird to wear.  By the way what Coast do you live on?  I live on the west coast of Canada.  KJ

[doreenrihn]

I am on the east coast of north carolina, in the us

[linzy]

Doreen - it only takes your bird to be starteled and its birdie bye bye - no matter if they are clipped or not. They can fly as though they havent been clipped when spooked.

Linzy

[doob]

  Hi everyone, I am new to this site but love it already. I am so glad to read that a number of you are not going to wing clip again!

 Obviously most of the people here know a lot more than i do about cags but, I was so very scared to read about the number of people who take their beloved pets outside without a harness.  I have a very real fear of losing Oscar to the outside. I live in the U.K. so our climate is very changeable. Also to think of him starving in the wild or to be attacked by wild birds leaves me cold.

Love all the useful tips and fun stories. I have posted some pics of Oscar in the gallery. 

                        VAL. ( recently blessed with cag )  I will not say owner because i am NOT ,  he owns me!!!!!!!!