Parakeets (Budgies) and Clipped Wings

[doppel.ganger]

I am going to be buying a parakeet and I want to get one without clipped wings. The trouble is, it is really hard to find breeders that sell them without clipped wings in my area. So I was thinking I could buy one from the local pet store with clipped wings, which would make it easier to tame, and then once the flight feathers grow back it could fly. What are the odds that this would happen?

Thanks,
DG

[Mikeb85]

I am going to be buying a parakeet and I want to get one without clipped wings. The trouble is, it is really hard to find breeders that sell them without clipped wings in my area. So I was thinking I could buy one from the local pet store with clipped wings, which would make it easier to tame, and then once the flight feathers grow back it could fly. What are the odds that this would happen?

Thanks,
DG

Just buy it from the breeder with clipped wings, then let the feathers grow out later... Or buy a younger bird who can't fly anyway, by the time it can fly it'll be tame.

[doppel.ganger]

So the odds that the feathers will grow back and the bird will learn to fly are good?

[Mikeb85]

So the odds that the feathers will grow back and the bird will learn to fly are good?

Yes. Depending on which feathers are cut and how short, the bird will be flying well in a few months to half a year.

Birds also generally learn to fly pretty quickly. Once they're strong enough to lift off they'll just go, crash into something (birds are also quite durable), and it'll only take a few times for them to learn how to fly half decent. I've never seen an able bodied bird that couldn't figure out flight.

I bought my last bird (20 year old cockatiel that is still around) from a breeder, it was too young and fat to fly, pretty much as soon as it could flap it's wings fast enough it was flying all over (and thus lost the fat too).

I'd definitely recommend going the breeder route, get a very young bird, hand feed it, makes training alot easier. Don't worry about the clipped wings, by the time the bird is decently tame (and if it's young, by the time it's strong enough) it should be flying.

[Linuxratty]

The odds are 100%. Once the flight feathers grow back,it can fly. Your job,during the non flight period is to finger train it and as it regains the ability to fly,teach it to fly to you on command,ride on your shoulder,etc.
Males are your best bet as a young one can also learn to talk...
I had them as a kid and did all of the above.
To keep him off the floor,simply drop a book whenever he lands there and "rescue" him.

I disagree on hand feeding a baby bird. If this happens the bird will imprint on humans and will see them as a sex partner which can lead to aggression and other unwanted behaviors.
( I experienced this directly with a hand raised bird and I will never own a hand raised bird again.)

If you work with a young male bird for at least an hour a day,in a few days you will have a friendly bird..
You can also use the bathtub method to finger train the bird..Doing this,it took me two hours to finger train a java temple sparrow.

[Mikeb85]

I disagree on hand feeding a baby bird. If this happens the bird will imprint on humans and will see them as a sex partner which can lead to aggression and other unwanted behaviors.
( I experienced this directly with a hand raised bird and I will never own a hand raised bird again.)

Never had this issue although I'd never had a single bird (we always had a pair). Speaking of which, having a pair of birds is great as they are less lonely and likely to misbehave. Boredom/loneliness can have a bad effect on birds.

And all birds, hand trained or not, can exhibit aggression, usually territorial - so putting their cage in a well traveled area is a much.

[doppel.ganger]

Thanks everybody! You have been such a big help.

[KiwiNZ]

Mutilating a bird is disgraceful.They should be free to do what most birds do....fly. Not cut up for pleasure.

[Mikeb85]

Mutilating a bird is disgraceful.They should be free to do what most birds do....fly. Not cut up for pleasure.

Cutting their feathers is mutilation?

I agree though, the pet birds I had as a kid never got their wings clipped, and were free to fly around. Cage was never closed either.

[KiwiNZ]

Cutting their feathers is mutilation?

I agree though, the pet birds I had as a kid never got their wings clipped, and were free to fly around. Cage was never closed either.

Yes it meets the definition of mutilation. Leave the birds in the wild and enjoy them there.