My bird isn't flying yet!

[challi10]

Hi everyone.

I have had Jessie for about 4 months now. When I got her from the pet shop they said she was about 8 weeks old. One of her wings was clipped then so she hasn't been able to fly. My worry is that she still isn't flying! Her wing has definately grown back a bit but not completely.

Is this normal?

[smallworld]

Hi, what do you mean it hasnt grown back completely? Are the feathers their full length or are they still coming out of the shafts?

Since Jessie was clipped at a very young age, she could be not so confident about flying. This does happen. Probably her first few attempts at flying ended up in brutal crashes after the wing was trimmed. It also is a possibility as she may have been a hand fed bird and then trimmed so young, that she never attempted to fly.

One of our birds, loves to fly. Then one day he had a terrible accident doing his avian acrobatics. As a result of that, he was unable to fly for almost 2 months. After that, although he was completely better, he refused to fly for another month. He would just run around the floor. Then one day, I decided to give him a little bit of chase, to see if he would fly and he did. He flew to the branch we have, where they perch on. Now he is back to his usual self, flying about and dashing through our hair.

So dont worry

In any case, let her feathers completely return (for stability purposes) and see if she flies. If she doesnt, then you might have to coax her into it

[bec]

i haver a scaly breated lori that was clipped before he could fly and he didnt attempt to fly for about 8 months after i got him
even after his flight feathers were fully grown he is still more happy sitting on my shoulder rearanging my hair than flying
i coaxed him into flying with his ball (a little cat ball )
mutley likes to play get the ball (fetch in doggy terms)
& one day he just got excited & flew after it

[challi10]

Thanks for your helpful advice.

I think I may just be worrying for nothing. Jessie is attempting to fly but only crashes. Her wing which was clipped still has a fair bit of growing to do. I think they may have clipped it a little too brutally

How long does it usually take for their clipped wings to grow back? I guess it depends on how they are clipped???

Chiara

[pinkdevil]

Clipped wings will last as long as the next moult, unless feathers are lost or pulled out then regrowth is quicker.

[smallworld]

Pink Devil is right but dont try to pull em out. If you do it yourself, its painful.

See, shes trying to fly, which is a good thing. You wouldnt have to help her to fly later. Since she is crashing, make sure she doesnt jump from too high a spot or provide her with a soft landing. Because, if she messes up the landing and hits her beak, she could split it. Thats worst case scenario but a soft landing is always good

[pinkdevil]

Just incase my previous post was read that I was suggesting pulling feathers out, I definitely was not. I meant if the bird pulls the feathers out themselves.

[Melika]

And you might do some exercising too. I hold my bird's foot and drop my arm at a pace that encourages wing flapping. You'll now when their muscles are fit for flying- you'll feel the lift as they flap. I might add that we've always held our bird's feet while holding them (a thumb over their foot). It lets them know not to fly away and seems to make them feel more secure. I'm not sure how to go about doing this with a bird that isn't used to it all.


We used to toss our birds at the sofa to teach them how to do a controlled fall, but we're special (read 'crazy'). It will just take a while for your little one to get the hang of flying. In time he'll be a pro- hovering behind your head while singing to you in hopes you'll let her land!