Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!dinorah!mary From: mary@dinorah.wustl.edu (Mary E. Leibach) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: pet birds that have the fly of the house Message-ID: <993@dinorah.wustl.edu> Date: 11 Oct 89 17:42:19 GMT References: <2189@cbnewsl.ATT.COM> <2294@cbnewsd.ATT.COM> Distribution: usa Organization: Washington University (St. Louis) Lines: 99 In-reply-to: bamford@cbnewsd.ATT.COM's message of 10 Oct 89 22:23:51 GMT bamford@cbnewsd.ATT.COM (harold.e.bamford) writes: You made some very good points, and your article is well written. It's just that I don't agree with everything you said. :-) >It is surprisingly easy to step on a bird. Some friends of ours >just lost their lovebird that way. And if you have a dog or cat >(or baby) the bird is in further danger if it cannot fly. Two good arguments for flying birds. But they are even better arguments for strict supervision. If you know where your bird is at every single minute, you won't be stepping on it. There is also such a thing as bird proofing a room. I won't let a bird out in a room where there are pets or babies or anything else that might be a danger (or endangered). >They DO dump where and when they please if they can fly. But this >is not the problem you might think it is. More on that later. Yeah, 50% of bird ownership is cleanup. :-) >1) They get too independent and cannot be controlled. This is true >of hand-fed babies as well as wild caught. Birds that fly are >almost always more 'bitey' than clipped birds. I don't "control" birds, I relate to them as friends with mutual trust and respect. I know, clip a bird's wings and you can tame it in ten minutes. Or so Bird Talk says. I tamed a fully flighted budgie, and it took me two months. But I have a friend, not a robot obedience pet. Blakey likes me because she has learned to trust me, not because she can't fly away from me. All five of my birds fly, and Vila, who is just getting his flight feathers, bites the most, and always has. Last night he was on one of his rare flights, and he came over to me. I put my arm out, and he landed on it. This was a major accomplishment for him, and boy did he get praised. >2) Birds that fly, will fly out the door when you answer it. Which >means that when the doorbell rings, there is furious activity on >the part of owner (playing the part of mean, nasty catcher) and the >bird (working hard to stay free) to cage the bird before whomever is at >the door gives up and goes away. More of a problem than you might >think. Makes one dread the sound of the doorbell. I selected my apartment with birds in mind. I am on the fifth floor. If a bird were to fly out the door, it would be in a heated hallway, with the elevator or the stairs (protected by a door) the only exits. If someone comes calling, they have to call on the phone downstairs. I then have plenty of time to get the birds in the cage, go down stairs and let the person in. My door is always locked, and the windows have screens (on the inside, minimizing injury when colliding with the window). >3) Birds are sometimes so "into" flying that they run into windows >and walls. Often serious injuries occur. Sometimes lethal >injuries. No joke. Happens a LOT! Windows are protected by screens, and the room where flight usually occurs is 20 x 12, large enough for any turns. >Arguments equating clipping of wings to hobbling of feet >notwithstanding, these birds are very happy. Don't let >metaphysical, pseudo-mystical arguments about the "natural" >expression of a bird sway you. How about blood spurted all over the place? That is what happened, repeatedly, when Cally had his first moult. You see, when I got him, a year ago this month, he had his wings clipped severely. No flight was possible. He was also rather clumsy. Then when those blood feathers started coming in, the accidents started happening. The first time he hopped off the playpen and landed wrong on a feather. That wasn't the last time. One time he bleed so bad, I couldn't stop the blood even after I pulled the feather, and I was afraid I'd loose Cally. After getting a large cage, keeping the bird on the floor when he was loose, and nights sitting up with him after a thrashing fit, the nightmare was finally over, and the feathers were in. After that, I swore to Cally that no Blake's Birdie was ever going to be clipped again. I didn't care how I had to rearrange my life, but they were going to fly free, and they are going to be safe doing it. I've kept my word. You pointed out some important things to watch for. If someone can't make it safe for a bird to fly free, then the bird should be clipped, but CLIPPED PROPERLY!!! Your other ideas are all good. Thanks for your taking the time to present them. -Mary, and Cally the Precocious Cockatiel(tm), and Vila the Cudly Conure(tm), and Blake the Beautiful Budgie(tm), and introducing Del and Dayna, the Fertile (we hope) Finches(tm)! Better known as Blake's Birds(tm)! Dedicated to the memory of the British SF show Blake's 7, and the liberty and rights of pet birds! Six eggs laid!