Should You Clip Your Parrot’s Wings?

Whether or not to clip your parrot’s wings will be debated forever. Both sides have its arguments and that makes the decision toughter. In the end, only you can make that decision. So, before deciding, it’s a good advice to get well informed.

A haircut! That’s what a lot of people say about clipping a bird’s wings. The only problem is that we don’t depend on our hair to get around or to avoid danger. Your parrot does. Now, maybe you should also take into account that feathers will grow back. So, it’s not an irreversible decision. After a while, your parrot should be able to fly normally again.

One positive aspect of clipping a bird is that it’s less likely to fly away. So, it helps prevent that it could get to toxic chemicals around the house or fly near a hot stove. But even clipped birds have been known to fly away. For this reason some people {advocate|argue that you should be} clipping both the primary and secondary flight feathers.

Opponents of clipping argue that a bird is meant to fly. A bird that is allowed to fly will have a stronger respiratory system. For these people, a bird that has been clipped is a bird without any defence; how can he then fly away from dangers like dogs and cats?. A bad wing clip can lead to plucking and sometimes in extreme cases to injury.

You’ll have to decide what’s best for your bird given the environment he will live in. Take your decision carefully. Maybe one acceptable compromise it to clip you parrot only part of the year, during summer when the weather is warm and windows are generally opened. Revise carefully all the arguments and make the right choice.