Should I clip my Congo african greys wings?

Question

My mom wants me to get my african greys wings clipped. My grey can fly well. He is almost 8 months old. He is mostly with us in the recroom of our basement. My mom is worried that he will fly away. I don't want him to fly away, but at the same time i don't want to take away his ability of flight. I would like some opinions.

I have a carrier/backpack thing that i bring him on walks in. He cannot get out of it. What do you think of bird harness for when i take him upstairs with me?

Answer 1

clip his wings if you care for his safety, even though we think we can prevent flyaways they stil happen when its least expected

Answer 2

My father owns an African Grey.  He is a great bird but we had several scares with him for the same reason.  Luckily his bird loved him enough to not continue to fly off once he had gotten outside and allowed himself to be caught.  However, the two times it happened it was an incredibly scary incident. Please please please be careful with your bird.  Clipping his wings will not completely impede flight, rather it will prevent him from flying so far that you cannot retrieve him.  Also, check out this sight!

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww19eii...

Answer 3

You don't need to clip his wings.  A harness is a great idea or even a flight suit(they will p**p in the flight suit instead of on you)  Most of my birds were not clipped and they never had any flying accidents.  Actually they were very healthy-they do need some type of harness when outside so they don't fly away.  Grey's are known for flying away-be careful.

Answer 4

Yes, clip his wings. You WANT to take a away his ability of flight while he's still young because TRUST ME, once he reaches sexual maturity he will not be the same little sweet bird you're accustomed to now. He will become dominating and get a very big attitude which is hard to deal with, especially if you've never had a parrot before. Clipping his wings will keep him a much more enjoyable bird, which is better for him in the long run because it will help keep this strong bond you have between you now.

And plucking feathers has nothing to do with clipping his wings... they pluck feathers because they're bored or stressed and then it becomes a habit, like us biting our nails. There are methods to prevent plucking, espacially if you entertain them regularly and ensure he has lots of good toys.  

Answer 5

i think clipped wings is the safest way to go. what if he flys into a fan, window, or open door? it would be alot easyer on him rather than always wearing a harness. it puts you at ease knowing that he wont freak and hurt himself by flying. they grow back when you clip them too, so if your unhappy with it, you can always stop clipping every few weeks. all my birds have their wings clipped. and i even clip my friends birds wings. better safe than sorry.

Answer 6

I don't see that it is necessary, as long as you make sure all doors are closed before letting him out.  and always cover the windows with blinds or a blanket so they don't hit them.

Answer 7

If you dont want him to fly around yes! It will not hurt them