gotfaith1989 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 When I got Rocky last week, his previous owner said someone had once cut one of his wings too short and that he would never be able to fly. Well, it is true, he has no flying ability..he falls to the floor like a rock when he falls. My question is this...Is it possible that he was never given the chance to fledge when he was little and that is why he cannot fly? Or is it really possible to cut feathers too short and mame the birds ability to fly forever? His feathers on his wings look fine just by looking at them...no major deformities or anything. Is there anything I can do to teach him how to fly eventually? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 As long as none of the follicles were damaged in the clip then the feathers should grow back but yes a bird should be allowed to fledge when young to learn how to fly and land before ever attempting to clip any wing feathers. Have you taken Rocky to an avian vet to have him checked out? If not then that would be my next move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Only an avian vet can tell whether Rocky has something wrong with his wings where he can never fly again. Feathers grow back. I have an older re-homed ekkie who had not flown for at least 7 1/2 years before I got him. When he was found in a carwash the pet store that got him clipped his wings and for the 7 1/2 years before he came to live with me his wings were continually clipped. It took 1 1/2 years before his feathers all grew back in as he was so severely clipped. After the flight feathers re-grew, I practiced with him to help him learn to fly again by launching him from my arm toward my sofa so he would have somewhere soft to land. He can now fly. He does not really try to fly as my home is small and he is a large eclectus but he glides beautifully from the hanging perches I have in my home to the floor and his wingspan is beautiful to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotfaith1989 Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 I will be bringing him to an avian vet in the next month for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcusCAG Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 In one of my books on African Greys I recently read something about teaching a Grey to fly who was never given the opportunity to properly fledge. I believe it's the one by Maggie Wright (as that's the most recent one I bought). You might want to get a used copy of that online for a couple of cents after you've visited your vet, maybe it will have some helpful tips for you if the vet says that physically there's nothing wrong with Rocky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Gosh, helping him learn to fly sounds like the best thing you could do for him! My own bird LOVES to fly, and land, so much, that to give Rocky that joy is awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanlung Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Very nice to see the change in mindsets to return back the gift of flight to birdies. From the horrendous times I have had when I started with Tinkerbell ten years back or so where tar and feathers were the treatment for me and others who allowed their birdies to fly. Where so many innuendoes were hurled that I did not love her as all who truly love their birdie will clip and clip the wings, with explicit details how to cut the feathers and how to hold the scissors, almost down to the make of the scissors. Warmest regards Shanlung http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvenking Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Can you take a picture of your bird to show us what the state of the wings are right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotfaith1989 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Yes, and actually since I posted this thread, I did notice that one side of his flight feathers are missing. He won't let me mess with his wings so I can't look underneath. What could have caused this? Will cutting feathers short one time actually cause them never to grow back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) *****Will cutting feathers short one time actually cause them never to grow back? ***** Most of the time, no they will grow back unless specific damage is done to the area about 1 inch from where the feathers will grow. Follicles could be deadened and shafts can be seriously damaged. In your bird's case, the bad side will grow back but as that's happening, the feathers on the right side may naturally fall out as the blood supply dries up. That's what makes flight and tail feathers fall off. So, basically it's not an even match until coincidence happens. Both sides will have feathers on each side and they;ll be even. It may take a long time for that to happen, maybe a year. If a bird has to be clipped, that shouldn't happen until the bird is at least 7 to 8 mts old. In that time period wing muscles and general body strength builds up. Coordination is learned. Flapping which is strengthing the muscle area happens. As those areas develop, the bird will get the desire to experiment. There will be accidents but in general that adds to the bird's ability to maneuver around and avoid things. When wings are cut on a bird who's too young and who hasn't devloped properly, the only thing that happens is the bird falling and continuiosly bouncing off the floor. Eventually,that tells a bird not to try that again. The longer he doesn't try it again the less attractive it is to try flying. Also it's abilities are hampered. Wing clipping causes serious physical and well as mental trauma. Birds are birds, were born with wings and should be allowed to have those wings. If that's inconvinent for a person, they shouldn't own the bird. If a person owns a cat and the cats scratchs things up in the house and the person decides to have the cat declawed, they shouldn't own a cat. Animals should be allowed to keep what they were born with. There's a reason why animals have these things. By the way, I don't believe in wing clipping but in the health room, 4 different articles are posted about wingclipping. All are stickys. They're all objective. Edited January 10, 2011 by Dave007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvenking Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I am no expert for sure, but he doesn't look maimed to me. Do have him checked out though just to see. Looking at him from behind, he looks fine. I would think that he could fly some day. He's a pretty bird! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotfaith1989 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 He is very pretty but his front side is a different story His neck and about 40% of his chest is close to bare due to plucking. He is still beautiful to me though Thank you Dave...this makes sense. So am I right in thinking that the falling out of the "other side" feathers is due to the extra blood supply that is being taken to grow the one side in? And this will eventually even out and stay that way? If this is the case, I will be ecstatic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 The wings on his right side are perfectly formed and fit into the body well. The feathers on the left ( what's left of them need to grow back. When they do, they'll have a natural blood supply in them. During this waiting period, the good feathers on the right will eventually die, fall out and replaced with a new set of feathers. When and if your bird gets the proper and ciorrect amount of feathers like the right side, they too will naturally fall out and immediately be replaced with new feathers. The reason for the long process is because when a bird is losing wing and tail feathers, they're not molting. Losing those feathers occurs all year long. One here, 2 there, one or 2 on the other side.Tail feathers come under the exact same catagory and they die out at any old time of the year just like wing feathers. Don't get down because he won't fly right now. I say this because there's a chance that even when he has a full set of even wing feathers, his desire to fly around may be hampered. He simply may feel very happy being a bird that doesn't fly. One of my greys was totally bald from the neck down when I got him. It took 3 yrs to get him back to normal. He had relapses with the plucking. He's now fully feathered, looks like a beautiful grey but he'll never fly. He has no desire to fly. He's out of the cage all day but he won't fly anywhere. He never had feathers in the first place. Was caged 24/7 for 4 yrs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvenking Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I have a conure that was clipped young and he only flies when he is spooked. Probably an early clip as Dave describes. He has an obvious aversion to flying since he was clipped so young. But he certainly is spunky and more than confident enough to chase Issac off of his cage if Issac comes landing on it. I let his feathers grow out when I got him because he is really gorgeous with all his feathers. He does a lap or two around the living room when he is spooked, but looks like he saw a ghost after he gets done. Like flying scares the crap out of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My eclectus is a non-flying unless I launch him off from my hand or have placed him on a hanging perch then he will glide/fly down to the floor. He was clipped for about 7 1/2 years before I got him and he just prefers not to fly. He is also a plucker and we are working hard on that problem. I have had Sully for about 1/1/2 years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotfaith1989 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 I don't expect him to fly around like a bird who has been flying all his/her life. I just want to stop hearing "THUDS" when Rocky decides he is going to jump for the ground or get spooked. I want him to be able to glide to the ground and not get hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvenking Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Awe..it would make me sad to see him falling like that. I assume that you have cushions and all everywhere so he can avoid splitting his chest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 And he will, just give him time to grow those feathers back in. Have him checked out by an avian vet when you get a chance to see what issues he might have and with good food and love he should blossom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotfaith1989 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Well our whole house can't be a cushion, but his cage is on carpet. He has only fallen twice and once was because he was on my shoulder and when I bent down, he lost balance. So that time he fell maybe 1.5 feet, not too bad. But the other day, I was in the other room and I heard him fall off his cage and my husband said he was spreading his wings slightly and lowering himself, like he does when he wants me to come get him off his cage, and apparently my husband said he was trying to find me and running all over his cage and fell off. I felt terrible that time because I didn't see him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 For my ekkie, who doesn't like to fly I have climbing ropes coming off his cage so he can get in and out as he pleases perhaps that would also help Rocky. This is just a knotted sisal rope that hang down from the side of his cage and Sully uses it to aid his coming an going. He walks all over the house sometimes and I just have to watch out for him so I don't step on him accidentally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotfaith1989 Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Great idea...in fact as I was getting ideas for what to do with our cage from this forum, I came across this http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?143481-Show-Us-Your-Cage!&p=143887&viewfull=1#post143887 which I LOVE. I think its a GREAT idea for a bird who can't fly to have more freedom. I saw your cage too, luvparrots, and I really liked that idea too with the rope and even the cute little ladder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Yes when I got Ana Grey the breeder had clipped her so I had to wait for over a year before her wings grew out. She is a marvelous flyer now and loves to maneuver here and there all over the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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