Clipping vs. Non-Clipping Your Pet Bird

Are you curious about whether you should get your beloved bird's wings clipped? Maybe you did not even know you had an option to get your birds wings clipped? Well we are here to help explain the difference between clipping and non-clipping. There are of course both pros and cons to your important decision you make, and we are happy to be here to help guide you in the right direction to making that decision!

What Is Clipping?

Wing Clipping is when a bird’s primary wing feathers or remiges are trimmed. This process does not allow a bird to reach its 100% flight capacity. However, the bird will shed the cut feathers and grow new one’s overtime.

 

Does Clipping hurt?

To answer this question simply: no, clipping when done correctly does not hurt the bird. Its much less like declawing a cat and much more like receiving a regular haircut!

 

Pros

• Clipping limits vertical and horizontal flight. This will make it much more difficult for your bird to escape through a door or a window. Shall your bird escape, due to its clipped wings your bird will not be able to go far, and you should be able to find them quickly. However, we do have the Avian Flight Suit which is a bird harness that they can wear to prevent them from flying away.
• Ceiling fans can be a big hazard for birds when outside of their cage. Having a limited flight elevation due to clipped wings helps decrease the chances of fan tragedy.
• Having your bird’s wings clipped does in fact make them easier to hand train, but also easier to train outside of their cage in general. When not in their cage they can enjoy a nice bird stand that we also have in store for purchase.
• Kind of related to the previous point, sometimes birds can be a little sassy and stubborn. Having their wings clipped makes it easier to grab them if they try to fly away from you.

 

Cons

• Other pets that reside in your home could be a threat to your bird. Whether it be a cat or a dog, they may take advantage of your birds’ inability to reach full flight.
• Birds with clipped wings tend to stick to lower areas such as the floor which of course makes it much more difficult to see them. It is a lot easier to accidentally step on a bird with clipped wings.
• Birds who have had their wings clipped tend to feather pick more than birds who have not had their wings clipped.
• Although clippings wings do not necessarily hurt your bird. You may have a difficult time from others who believe wing clipping is non-ethical.

 

After considering the pros and cons, it is important to consult with a veterinarian. We heavily advise that you do not perform wing clipping on your own. In fact, we even offer in house wing clipping and accept a food bank donation as payment.  Give us a call at 403-274-3314 to book your clipping! Whether you decide to clip your birds wings or not, there is not a wrong decision.