BoBo still can't fly through Windows!

[Big_Squishy]

It's been a while but I mentioned about Letting BoBo's wing feathers grow out. We have adjusted how our home is set up, Taken pictures down, cleared off shelves, placed window decals on every window and given him a few additional options of perches around the house. Here is the problem. He trys to fly through windows. Those wilth decals, those with the vertical blinds drawn and those with curtains drawn. I can not get him to stop and he is really going to hurt himself. Any ideas how I might be able to get him to understand that he still can not fly through windows?

Edited December 29, 2010 by Big_Squishy

[Dave007]

That depends on how old he was when his wings were originally clipped. When wings are clipped with the bird being very young, that inhibits the bird from practicing and buiding up muscles and learning coordination. If a bird REALLY has to be clipped, the best age to do that is when the bird is about 8 mts old. By that time, muscles have built up, coordination has gotten better, flying skills are getting better. Just because the bird has new feathers now doesn't mean that coordination is there and that has to be learn't by the bird. You can't stop a bird from flying into things. The only thing you can do is put your bird in another area but if he's been flying into things and hasn't gotten hurt, the time is near when he'll start to avoid doing that.

[Big_Squishy]

BoBo was clipped the day we brought him home, as per the policy of Our Feathered Friends and A Bird Haven bird store. They will not sell a bird to a new owner unclipped unless they can proove they have experience enough to deal with a flying bird in their home. We have kept BoBo clipped for the past two years and to give everyone in our home time to adapt to having to keep doors windows and other house hold objects propertly secured to prevent harm to BoBo.

 

BoBo is well exercised, but I am sure that like you said he still lacks suficient strength and experience to fly where he originally intended to. I fear for his neck,beak and face. many times he will hit hard enough to leave cuts on his face and a big Dust print where he strikes the windows. I would feel less fearful if he varied his targets showing some sort of realization that one particular target or another is impassable. Besides letting him pull the TV off the stand onto his head until he learns do you have any sugestions that may help us make the windows less appealing and his other perches more appleaing? I have tried food and toys near the perches, and placed items that he doesn't like near or around the windows. Sometimes I think it is helping but others time it seems to make things worse.

 

Thank you for responding Dave, You always have great input I just fear that there has to be more I can do without clipping his wings again.

[danmcq]

As always, Dave is spot on.

 

Once they gain flight abilities, they take a while to learn control such as turning, slowing down, hovering etc. Right now it sounds like you grey can fly straight, but has not mastered turning or figured our WHEN to start slowing and banking. They are highly intelligent and normally once they fly into a window, they will not do it again if they can help it.

 

I would do as Dave suggested in limiting the room your grey is in and/or close the curtains etc. so he will not try to fly into or through them. It sounds like he is gaining too much speed by your description, which means it is a fairly long room to build up too much speed for a limited flyer.

Edited December 29, 2010 by danmcq

[birdhouse]

My ekkie was/is a lousy flyer who's turned my stomach & stopped my heart more than once. One thing I did was hang large plants in the windows. Another was to take her to stand at the windows that she'd target most. Literally show her it was solid, over & over & over & it seemed to help in some flight paths.

 

The ones that she just couldn't seem to avoid have heavy drapes, now. I just close them when she's out.

[Big_Squishy]

BoBo even trys to fly through the curtains and blinds, our House is very well lite but the curtains and blinds are drawn 95% of the time to make the impact hurt less. He knows the window is there even though we cover them. Our living room where BoBo spends most of his time is about 25' X 10' including the dining room. That is where BoBo spends most of his day. He has a giant perch I would say suitable for a Macaw even. We originally started out with 3 additional perches but thought that maybe there were too many options. We have it narrowed to just one perch thay we are trying to entice him to fly to. I place him there after his has done his buisness on the large perch. Once he gets bored he chooses a window and brains himself. Rinse and repeat. His cage is in a 11' X 11" room along with his cage. He can fly circles in that room but always ends up in the window or blinds, no cloth curtains in that room yet. I see what you and Dave are saying and just struggeling to think of how to adapt it to our home.

[birdhouse]

Kura flies into blinds & curtains, too. I had to put up lined drapes. I think it's got something to do with blocking the light. They're at least padding. The plants seemed to help, too, but I can't really say why.

[Dave007]

Squsih--there's one other thing you can try. It means that you'll have to buy beaded curtains. They come in see through, or different colors. They slide anywhere you want them to. When many birds fly into those beaded curtains, the beads move all over the place and they can stop a bird from going through to the window. Arts and crafts stores sell them as well as other design stores. They also make a slight crackling noise when they're hit. A person can wake right through them with sliding anything. Check it out--the best ones to get are any that have some color.

 

Check out this link

 

http://thebeadedcurtain.com/

 

PS--a good thing because beaded curtains won't block the light like regular curtains

Edited December 29, 2010 by Dave007

[judygram]

Dave has hit upon a good point and some bird owners use those beaded curtains to keep their birds from flying thru open doorways or to keep them in a certain room, give them a try JC and let us know how they work for you and Bobo.

[Big_Squishy]

We will definatly have to get Hip and go Hippie and see if this will work. I am a bit concerned that he will find interest in them as toys being that we often string plastic beads on leather strips and hang them around for him to chew on and play with. But I like the idea and we will see how well it works for us. Thank you for the idea. and all of the inputs.

[shanlung]

Dave has hit upon a good point and some bird owners use those beaded curtains to keep their birds from flying thru open doorways or to keep them in a certain room, give them a try JC and let us know how they work for you and Bobo.

 

Take care.

 

Beaded curtains only slow down and not stop birdie getting through.

 

Even double layer of beaded curtains.

 

Read this and be scared, very scared.

Hanging beaded curtains not entirely safe

http://shanlung.livejournal.com/86456.html

 

Better to be scared then broken hearted.

[lino]

May be u can choos a thick curtain so it will cushion the impact.

Or u can choose a curtain that is very rough or easy to grab so bobo will grab the curtain instead of falling to floor.

Or may be u can Fold up the lower part of the curtain and clip it at the edge. So if bobo crash, it will not fall to the floor instead on the folded part of the curtain.

 

Bobo definitely need time to learn to fly and landing

Ma be now u can let him start with short flight or even short jump

Put 3-4 perch on circle. In the middle of the pearch there's a food bowl

Put just a few piece of sunflower seed or bobo fav food.

So he have to fly or jump or fly from one perch to another in order to reach the food.

Let him take his time and furthur the distance when he is comfortable with the distance.

He will gain confidence and learn to coordinate as well as built his muscle. With this u can also let the bird learn to turn. It's like motivating the bird to practice flying in the condition that he know exactly where He is heading(the food bowl)

Long flight will get the bid scared in the mid air and loose control and thus crash.

 

U can let the bid go hungry abit when or empty stomach when he is practising flying

Bird breathing action is much complex while they are flying. So when the bird stomach is full there's possibility that he vomit during or after flying. In my experience, this will definitely happen to new flyer if I over fed them before training. When they crash, they can vomit the food out and it might got inhaled as the bird must be very panic

After practicing section then let bobo have his proper meal.

 

Bird that is ful also lazy to fly and will be less motivated as by instinct, they should laze around after their breakfast.

 

Just my thought, hope it help. All the best to bobo

 

My amigo also going to learn to fly when her wing grow.

[Shelly Yokum]

Have you thought about getting the window perches? I had a conure once that did this. I got some perches with the suction cups put them in some of the windows, he quickly learned to land on the perch instead of crashing.

 

I love the beaded curtains, but my ruby Macaw would have them destroyed in no time.