To Fly or not to Fly...

[beckyg]

I am wondering if maybe Luna's wings were clipped too early. In the past week or so she has started standing in one place and flapping her wings, as if she just learned what they do. She will stand on the top of her cage and flap her wings, stick out her neck and think about flying down. When she does fly to the ground her wings make a helicopter sound. Anyhoo... she doesn't try to fly much and her wings are clipped so I guess that is a good thing because she can't fly far. It does seem that she is afraid to try and fly. Is this normal with clipped wings? I know that I have read that the birdies are aware of their disadvantage when their wings are clipped. Oh, and when she does fly and she lands it is as if she doesn't know what to do with her wings... like they are awkward to her.

[Jally]

When my guy does that, he reminds me of a 2 year old stomping his feet and throwing a temper tantrum LOL I honestly don't know why they do it, but it is so funny and cute.

[Janie]

Becky, IMHO, that is very normal behavior for a clipped birdie. :) Both Shy and Big Boi are clipped but still have plenty of flight....like from the ground straight up, six feet but when I first clip them they will stand on their perches for days, working those wings! As if that will make the flights grow back faster! :rotfl I try to give them as much flight as possible and usually they behave but if they start to resist stepping up for me when it's time to go back into their cages or if another family member has to be in charge during my short absence, they get a shorter clip. For the most part they are very good birdies when they have a lot of flight but in the first year that I had them, no way! :D

Oliver, on the other hand, is perfect by lovie standards and hasn't had or needed a clip in over two years. He is such a momma's boy and stays right with me, close as he can, when he's out of the bird room. Let me be clear about that.....he stays right with me in other parts of the house, I don't mean outside the house! :whistle:

[carrier]

Both Fenway and Wrigley do that(standing still and flapping vigorously). They also stand up tall and make loud chirps while doing that.

I have very limited experience with Wrigley, but Fenway is a very good flier, even with her wings clipped-once she adjusts to them being that way. I know it's time for a new clip when she starts dive-bombing things and doing aerial stunts. ;)

[beckyg]

Well, I believe all of Luna's flights are clipped and short too. She can't fly up, mostly she can jump/fly short distances and if she tries to fly long distances it is more like a float/fly to the ground or objects lower than where she is starting off. She is pretty much a velcro birdie, but I do wish she could fly. I realize it could be dangerous to not have her clipped, though. How long does it usually take to grow them back? I think she is in the very beginning of a molt as I have read about the little white fuzzies that have begun to show up around her.

[Janie]

How long it takes for them to grow back kind of depends....a good molt has a lot to do with that. In the past, when the vet clipped Oliver, sometimes I'd see a new LONG feather in a couple of days and think, oh boy, I wasted my money on that clip! :lol In most cases, a clip will last mine 2 to 4 months but if they do a full molt soon after a clip, they'll be flighted again before you can blink! :D

Since Luna is young I would let them grow out, at least a good bit, before having them clipped again and mark my words, that is something that I'll bet ya you'll end up doing before you know it. ;) I swore that I would never clip mine myself and actually never did clip Oliver (myself) but Big Boi and Shy were like having second kids and one day I just picked up the scissors and said, "come here bird!" and that was that! :D And once you have a good line to follow, that also makes it a whole lot easier. If you have a helper, even better! I don't because my hubby won't even stay in the same room when I clip them....scared I'm gonna hurt them! :rolleyes:

Flighted or clipped is a personal decision and should be based on the birds safety above all. I love that Oliver can be fully flighted and the other two "mostly" flighted but w/o that bird room, I'm not sure if that would be possible since I have a husband and two sons also living here and would have to be positive that ceiling fans were always turned off, doors and windows always closed, etc. If they were flying through several rooms and getting into trouble, I'd keep them clipped all the time for their own safety.

[Screamer]

the only time my birds' wings were clipped was when I got her as a baby, I have never clipped her to this day.

[thebubbleking]

Both boo and sunshine are clipped and they still fly short distances mostly down or across not much up unless it's to assist a jump.
I personaly clip the wings because i am paranoid they will get excited and fly into my picture window and break something!
They both do the flaping thing i just figured it was another way to streatch.
Also they do the lean forward neck streatch thing when they think about if they wanna fly somewhere or not.
My entire place is carpeted so i am not to worried about them landing wrong and getting hurt.

[Z28Taxman]

Ditto hasn't had a wing clip in almost 4 years now and he still does the hang on tight and flap like a crazybird thing. Usually while chirping like a little fool. It's just birdy aerobics! :rofl: He's even done it once or twice while hanging on to my finger.

[salderm1]

I have 3 lovies and they were clipped when I first got them but they are now fully flighted and I want to keep them that way!!! I have cats, and God forbid they somehow accidently got out, I want them to be able to stay away from the cats!!! They are funny in the cage though, they remind me of hummingbirds....I have the lower half of their cages free of perches, toys, etc...and they kinda hover there sometimes!!! It's a hassle when I let them out every night though, cause you gotta constantly watch there every move!!! But it's worth watching flying about!!!

[thebubbleking]

I almost forgot to mention and correct me if i am wrong but i remember reading a post from linda that they should learn how to fly before getting thier first wing clip, something about balance and such.:confused:

[Janie]

I almost forgot to mention and correct me if i am wrong but i remember reading a post from linda that they should learn how to fly before getting thier first wing clip, something about balance and such.:confused:

Yes, absolutely! :) The breeder I got my last two from watched them fly and they were strong flyers for at least 2 weeks before giving them their first "baby" clip, the day I picked them up and brought them home when they were about 9 1/2 to 10 weeks old. You never want to give them their first clip before they are flying well.

[Flapjack]

My lovebird has never had a wing clip. He'll be a year old next month. My gcc, though, came to me with wings that the vet says were clipped too short. I don't know if the breeder has ALWAYS clipped them, or if it was just because she was taking him to the fair.
I will say, that Jack (lovie) is an incredible acrobat, and in the air or not is VERY confident and agile.
Chino, on the other hand, seems a bit clumsy when he's climbing around on me, and won't hop from perch to perch. He climbs the sides of the cage to get where he wants to go. He looks so sad, hunkered down, bobbing his head, preparing to take flight, and frustrated that he can't. When he does, he flutters to the ground and then runs to me to be picked up. I'm definitely going to let his flights grow back in!

[beckyg]

Luna is sort of in between Chino and Jack. She will hop from perch to perch, but she prefers to climb around. I have a shelf in my living room that i have put a perch on and she will sit on the perch and have a snack, but when she gets down off the perch to walk around on the shelf she is clumsy. I don't really like to leave her up there because she always looks like she is going to fall.