will he fly away?

[lute]

my cockatiel LOVES being outside when it's warm. today i took him outside in his cage and he was flapping around and chirping happily. i want to take him out,but i'm afraid he will fly away. will he fly away or should i buy a bird harness or a larger cage like an aviary just for outside just to be safe?

[Desert Arabian]

If his wings are not clipped the bird will fly away. If the wings are clipped all the bird can do is hobble/walk away. If the birds wings are not clipped I would not take it outside at all, even if you got it a large outdoor cage, it could fly away before you put it in the large outdoor cage, unless you placed it in a cat carrier or something then transported it outside!? LOL, I am not a bird person.....

PCB TO THE RESCUE........

[lute]

he's 17 years old and has never had his wings clipped. the people that i got him from said they accidently took him outside once and he flew to the nearest tree then came back.

thanks

[Dogz]

I agree, PCB will give good advice, but I have been in this situation.

YES, if your birds wings are not clipped he will fly away.

If you are a slight bit nervous about bringing your birdie outside, it would be nice to get a birdie harness. It may take a while for your 'tiel to get used to it-- Nelly never did. He had a lime green one, and when it was on him, he looked too cute.

Make sure that you NEVER leave your bird unsupervised outside.

I hope that you take pictures when you are comfortable with bringing your birdie outside, and good luck!

[popcornbird]

If your bird's wings are not clipped, do NOT take him outside. It could mean losing your bird forever. If you want to take him out, buy him a birdie harness, AND clip his wings. I still wouldn't recommend it though. I used to take my birds out, but only because they don't fly AT ALL, even when their wings are fully grown. Its like they don't know how, and are afraid of flying. Even then, I never take them out with their wings unclipped. If you cannot FULLY trust your bird, don't do it. I don't take my birds out much anymore though, because of hawks and cats in the area.

[lute]

thanks for the information. i am going to buy him a harness.

i want to clip his wings,but he's NEVER had it done. will he freak out? i'm afraid since he's never had it done in the whole 17 years of his life it would be dangerous.

[Logan]

I can't imagine harnessing a Cockatiel. They are so small and fragile. Mine get to experience the "great outdoors" through an open window (with a screen), and that's it. There are too many bad things that could happen and I'm not willing to take the risk. We have enough "risk" just having them out in a closed room with dogs and cats in this house. I take mine to the vet about every six months to have their wings clipped, too, for their own safety. It's worth the money to me, to have them clipped, rather than me trying to do it myself.

Logan

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by Logan
I can't imagine harnessing a Cockatiel. They are so small and fragile.

http://www.flightquarters.com/GalleryPage.html

[lute]

my mom thought it was silly too. she said "what are they gonna make next bird diapers?" i just had to inform her that they already do.

do you think it would be dangerus to get his wings clipped because he's never had it donw before?

[Logan]

I don't think it would be dangerous, but you would be better off asking your avian vet for advice, then us.

Just my opinion. And I still don't like harnesses for Cockatiels (regardless of whether they are accepted or not). I don't think I would ever trust my tiels outside.

Logan

[popcornbird]

Just to clarify things..........I was just teasing Logan with that picture. I didn't mean to post it as something I *like*. I know people harness their cockatiels on the cockatiel board I visit, but those birds started wearing it very young and got used to it. I would NEVER try it with a 17 year old bird. I don't think I would ever harness a cockatiel either. Its way too stressful for a little bird. I wouldn't recommend taking your bird outside whether its wings are clipped on not...........

[lute]

i don't think i'm gonna buy a harness. i never thought about the stress thing. athough it is cute.my bird's safty is far more inportant.

i'll just keep him in his cage!

thanks