We have two tiels, a male and female in separate cages. The male (Bob) is about 2 years old and has never been clipped. He has a lot of personality and is a great companion as long as we don't try to touch him. He likes to nuzzle my husband if he is in a good mood. He enjoys flying around and is in a secure environment however we have at times considered clipping him in order to prevent him from chewing doorframes, aid in putting him back in his cage and possibly making him friendlier. We are concerned that clipping his wings after he has had so much freedom may diminish his trust in us. Also, the only way for anyone to clip him would be to put on a pair of gloves and hold him down. We have debated this issue for some time and would appreciate your opinion.

Certainly, there would be some adjustments for Bob if you had his wings clipped, but after that short adjustment period, he may just realize he has to depend on you more than before.

Vets and some groomers have handled the wing clipping of other birds, some much larger with bigger bites, so we feel that really isn't a problem.