Eshana Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Jon was clipped when I got him, and now that it has been quite a few months, his flights have nearly fully grown in. I've been trying to get him to fly, but he won't! I've been placing him on the bed above the carpet (so if/when he falls he doesn't hurt himself) and I kneel at the level of the bed so all he has to do is fly a few feet from the bed to me, but every time he tries he just trashes his wings and falls to the ground. Is this something I should be worried about? Are there birds that have never learned to fly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 My amazon and both my greys were clipped as well. They never had the chance to learn to fly from day one. But my 10 year old son at the time, taught my amazon to fly. He would hold her as she was perched on his hand, and he would gently run towards the couch, a out 5 feet and say, "fly", she loved this. After a while, she would extend her wings out, then eventually after much practice, she would try to fly and she had the soft couch to land on. Then he would get all excited and praise her. She loved it! She became more and more confident and would try it on her own after some time. Now she flys all over the house yelling her little heart out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 at the pet store i worked at years ago we had a newly weaned b/g macaw. at the end of the day, with the store closed, i'd get him out of his cage. i'd hold him up over my head (with both hands, he was a big bird) and gently "bounce" him. he'd flap his wings, so i'd gently "bounce" him again. then i'd start walking through the store with him held high up in the air above me. he'd flap and flap, having a blast. the whole time i'd be saying "you're flying". it didn't take long for him to just start flapping, with no gentle bounce to get him started. i wasn't there long enough to get him comfortable enough to let go of my fingers to really fly, but he seemed to be well on his way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshana Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 I've been doing that with Jon! He perches on my finger while I bounce him up and down and he flaps his wings, and sometimes I catch him on holding onto his perch in his cage tightly while he flaps his wings rapidly. Still though, not one bit of flight! I guess what I'm asking is, is it possible for a bird to never fly, or is it too ingrained in them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 good question but i don't know! i know athena has always been a non-confident flyer. she's afraid when she's flying (no idea why) and will say every word she knows in a super rapid fire way while she's flying! kallie's still learning the finer points. right now kallie's content with landing on our heads, the back of the recliner or the top of her cage, lol! all short "hops". one of the reasons we've not had the girls out together in the same room or level of the house at the same time, is the flying issue. if athena ever becomes a more confident flyer, then we'll try, but right now, she'd never be able to get away. kallie is huge compared to athena 75 grams vs 405 grams just in weight!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 All birds can learn to fly. Especially Amazons. Kiki is an awesome flyer. She is clipped, but we practice flying all the time. She can fly with perfect accuracy. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawL Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I think the big thing here is they must build up the CONFIDENCE to fly, and that definitely is a big step. Do they hae the capability? Well, of course they do, but if they lack the confidence, they are not going to try. I think running around the house with the bird perched on your hand would be a great way to go about teaching him to fly! It is about building that confidence up, and one day, before you know it, off he will go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Three of our birds had been clipped for years before they came to us and never flew. It took a several months of feather regrowth a few months of standing in front of the sofa or bed encouraging the wing flap then kind of launching them to the bed or sofa with lots of vocal reward or encourgement. At first the flight resembled that of a rock now Harry Too flies like a jet fighter and can pull those wings in while passing through doorways, Fred Fred E2 can even fly when collared and wearing his jacket (he is a self mutilator) and Pookie CAG was over 20 years old when she came to us having never flown she was a bit tubby and a nervous plucker as well. Now she flies where ever she wants and if I don't respond to her "come here, Mommy come here" she just flies to me. Your Sennie will learn but I am certain he is clever enough to enjoy the taxi service as long as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 My birds are all clipped. Mostly anoying feathers, but don't intervere with their flying ability. We practice flying with all of them. They can all fly, with different abilities. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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