I came across a fascinating piece discussing the most perilous hazards linked to harm and fatality in parrots. At the forefront of this list was the peril of neglecting to trim your feathered companion’s wings.
Lisa wrote
I want to thank you for your advice on birdie exercise.
My ringneck was getting pretty noisy. He has a full spectrum lamp, lots of toys, and his own room.
Cissy R. is concerned,
Maxxi is a healthy 8yr old, female UNCLIPPED Scarlett Macaw who REFUSES TO FLY(she would rather climb down her 4ft. Perch and WALK over to me.
I know you would rather talk about smaller birds, but this seems to bother me only!
Patricia McP relates
My 38 year old DYH Amazon just had an echocardiogram done by Dr. Fitzgerald, an avian cardiologist specialist. It was a beneficial exam that helped us adjust Pancho’s meds. Pancho has the typical Amazon heart disease, but it doesn’t mean the end if you take special care and take advantage of all the modern technology available.
Chris S. asks,
Is it okay to clip a parrotlets wings???
Dear Chris,
You can clip ANY bird’s wings. But it is best to have a good reason for it.
If the bird is new to you and your home and you are trying to get the new bird to learn where his cage is and settle in, and/or also trying to bond with a new baby bird.
To answer “If I get a bigger parrot like a cockatoo” is a fool’s errand.
An Umbrella cockatoo is roughly 18 inches long and weighs 1.4 lbs.
I have a Rosella parrot, whose feathers are not clipped. He is not the type of bird to interact with but none the less he is a cherished…
Birds have been used as organic hunting mechanisms since Genghis Khan ruled Asia.
With proper training, you can have precise control over any bird.
You asked whether our birds are flighted.
All three of our birds – African Grey, Dusky Pionus, Cockatiel – are fully flighted.
We have a lot of large windows in our apartment but so far we have not had a problem.
They all have their favorite routes and pretty much stick to them.
The only time we have clipped our bird’s wings is when we were traveling internationally and they had to go through the health and customs inspections at the airports.
Lisa Y.
Small species pet birds
Birds we classify as “Smaller” species
Green cheek conures weigh 64 grams (cockatiels are about 100 grams – Patagonian conures weight about 280 grams, about the size of a Timneh African grey.
Don’t think for a minute conures can be classified into one size category
Large Canaries
Gibber Canary
