Not sure what is best

[Acappella]

I need some input here. Dorian has always been clipped, sometimes severely, and he was never allowed to learn to fly. I've had him clipped once (not a severe clip) several months ago. Most of his feathers have grown in now and I have been trying to decide what is best for him. We're in a basement with low ceilings. When he does get startled he's very clumsy and usually stops by flying into something. I'm not worried about him flying and getting out. He'd have to go from being a bird that doesn't know how to fly, to one that can clear doorways, round corners, go up stairs, turn on a landing, more stairs, another corner, just to get near a door. I was wondering if I could let him keep all his feathers even if he isn't in an environment where he can fly. Something happened tonight though that has me worried.

 

Dorian was playing with his new favourite thing, his boing, hanging from the bottom of it and swinging. Well, he got really excited and started flapping his wings. What he wasn't expecting was the loft he got. I don't think he's ever flapped his wings like this before, certainly not when his flights were intact. He started pulling away with the boing in his talons, which scared him, which made him flap more until he had to let go of the boing and ended up crashing into a wall. He's got a small cut above one eye. I rescued him and he calmed down right away. Now he's fine, chatting away getting ready for bed, but mom's freaked out. Do I need to get him clipped just to make him safe and not let his feathers grow in until we're in a place where it's safe for him to learn to fly?

[danmcq]

Acappella wrote:

Do I need to get him clipped just to make him safe and not let his feathers grow in until we're in a place where it's safe for him to learn to fly?

 

No, he is learning from those bumps and bruises. It will not be long before he will become very adapt at lying.

 

Perhaps start targeting for him to do short flights from his cage to you or to a chair for example. This will help him build confidence and learn landing etc.

[Jane08]

I am biased here and think that you should leave him flighted. They are very capable of flying even with low ceilings. Our 2 sometimes fly so close to the ground all the way from the living room to the kitchen swerving around the furniture. It's like a joke to them to see how close they can get and close to me as they fly past.

 

Also if he learns to fly he will cope better with the accidents you talk about which means less worry for you. Rangi always hangs upside down and then just lets go falls through the air heading for the floor, somehow rights himself just before he touches the floor and flies off. They have much better body control and confidence when they are flighted.

 

Before long Dorian will be clearing those corners and heading up the stairs for the front door

 

All birds have accidents learning to fly, but they soon learn. It's a pity our hearts have to get a work out in the process while we freak out.

[Lyric]

Dorian will be less clumsy and less accident prone once you let him learn how to fly. It will increase his confidence, give him good exercise, and give him pleasure. I'm not sure why you don't think he can fly in your environment- he should adapt just fine once he figures out the basics of how to fly and land properly. If you don't have to worry about open doors that's a wonderful thing too and one less worry about letting him fly. I say let him go for it!