08/19/2026
Let’s talk about keeping your feathered friends SAFE outdoors!
Fresh air and sunshine are AMAZING for our birds. Large or small, they deserve to enjoy the outdoors just like we do.
But enjoying the outdoors and doing it SAFELY are two completely different things.
Let’s start with taking your “Velcro” bird outside unrestrained.
I don’t care how attached your bird is to you. I don’t care if they have NEVER tried to fly away. Your bird has wings.
And at any given moment, they CAN fly.
All it takes is one loud noise. A dog barking. A car horn. Something falling. A sudden movement. A gust of wind. Or simply curiosity.
And clipping their wings is NOT the answer.
Training them is.
Harness train them. Crate train them. Teach them that going outside safely can still be fun.
And PLEASE do not tether your bird by attaching a leash or clip to their leg band. They are not a bird of prey and that band is not designed to secure them. If they panic and take off with something attached to that band, they can seriously injure their leg.
Putting them in an outside enclosure?
SECURE IT.
Check it. Double check it. TRIPLE check it!
Some of these babies are STRONG, especially macaws. Make sure doors, latches and panels are secure. With smaller birds, check your bar spacing too. A tiny opening can become a huge problem very quickly.
And don’t forget about predators.
Birds of prey can reach through bars and do serious damage to large OR small birds. Raccoons can too. They don’t always have to be looking for a meal. Sometimes they will grab and injure simply because the opportunity is there.
Your outdoor enclosure needs to protect them from what is OUTSIDE of it too.
And sadly, people are another concern. I have seen people walk right up to unsecured cages and STEAL birds right out of them.
Lock the enclosure. Secure the doors. Know who has access. Don’t assume that because your bird is inside a cage, they are automatically safe.
Not every bird is going to put on a harness the first day. Some won’t do it the first week. That doesn’t mean they can’t learn.
Take your time. Go at THEIR pace. Never force it.
Turn it into a game. Give praise. Give treats. Make the harness something positive.
I harness trained one of my rescue birds when he was 9 years old. He was deathly afraid of his own shadow. It took time. A LOT of time. But I refused to give up on him. We made it fun, worked at his pace, and eventually we got there.
And I’ll say this again because it is SO important:
A CLIPPED BIRD CAN FLY!!!!
They may not fly well. They may not have the control or lift of a fully flighted bird. But they can absolutely get airborne, especially outside with wind helping them.
And that lack of control can make the situation even MORE dangerous.
Clipping does not replace training.
Clipping does not make outside time safe.
And clipping does not guarantee your bird cannot fly away.
We all want our feathered friends to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Vitamin D is essential to humans and animals.
But it is OUR job to keep them safe.
They depend on us. We owe it to them to put in the time, do the training and make sure they are protected while enjoying the outdoors.
Photo of Spire and her daddy!
