# Bird can't fly



## Yakmosh (Jun 29, 2021)

We took over a young parakeet about a year ago that had his wings clipped by the original owners. My estimate is that the feathers have grown back, but he doesn't fly at all, not even flapping wings. Within the cage very acrobatic and hops from perch to perch, happy bird. Outside he will plunge to the floor, 
but gets right up. Is there any way to know if he's been irrevocably injured or some way to help him. He won't sit on my hand and runs away. Interested in hearing some comments and suggestions.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Can you post a picture so we can see the wings?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*A picture would definitely be helpful.
There are a couple of things that may be at play in this instance. The bird's wings may have been cut much too short which has injured them OR he has never developed any muscles in his wings since he isn't even flapping his wings inside the cage.

If you want to allow him out of his cage, please pad the area around the cage with towels so that when he falls he is not injured.
Place several perches on the outside of the cage so he can move about from perch to perch.
If the cage has a flat top, you can put a little birdie playground on top of the cage where he can play.

Many budgies do not like to be held or touched.*


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## Yakmosh (Jun 29, 2021)

Is a permanently handicapped bird a common outcome of early wing clipping? 
He spreads his wings fleetingly. Any advice how to get a picture?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Place the photo lens of your camera or a camera lens so it is in the space between the bars of the cage. Take a picture of the budgie from the side so we can see what the wing looks like.

If a bird is given a "safety clip" it usually doesn't cause a problem. If someone doesn't know what they are doing and cuts too many feathers up too far then the bird can become permanently handicapped.*


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## Yakmosh (Jun 29, 2021)

Yakmosh said:


> Is a permanently handicapped bird a common outcome of early wing clipping?
> He spreads his wings fleetingly. Any advice how to get a picture?





FaeryBee said:


> *Place the photo lens of your camera or a camera lens so it is in the space between the bars of the cage. Take a picture of the budgie from the side so we can see what the wing looks like.
> 
> If a bird is given a "safety clip" it usually doesn't cause a problem. If someone doesn't know what they are doing and cuts too many feathers up too far then the bird can become permanently handicapped.*


early


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*How large is the cage you have the budgie in? 

Please provide the Length, Width and Height of the cage.
From what I can see from the picture, the cage may be too small for him. The bigger the cage you can provide for your budgie, the healthier and happier he will be.
His tail feathers are messed up which indicates he's hitting them on the sides of the cage when he's on the perches.
The minimum size cage I would recommend for one budgie is 76 cm Long x 46 cm Wide x 46 cm High.
Bar spacing should never be more than 1.27 cm between the bars.

Essentials to a Great Cage

His wing feathers have grown back properly so my assumption would be that your budgie (name?) has never developed the muscles in his wings to give him the strength to fly.*


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

The wings look fine, I agree with FaeryBee that he has never developed flying muscles and possibly has never had a chance to see another bird fly. You would think it would come naturally but when they are handicapped by a severe clip at a young age they may not know any better. I had a bird that I got from a shelter and he could fly but was never quite as agile as the other birds and it could have been because his prior owner kept him caged all the time and he never had the option to fly before I got him.


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## Yakmosh (Jun 29, 2021)

Your comment about his never having developed flying muscles is very interesting. I have not seen him once try to flap his wings even if he's on the floor "running away from me". He"ll spread them but not flap them. This is different from having short feathers and implies a permanent condition. Have you heard of this and it's there something we can do to change this? Thanks a bunch. The cage is actually quite large. He shares it with another bird that loves to fly back and forth within it, and has ample opportunity to see a bird fly, including when we let them out. Is it a lost cause to think he can be trained to fly? Seems so.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*How large specifically is the cage, Length, Width and Height? You didn't respond to that question nor did you answer what the budgie's name is.

If the budgie is "running away from you" then it is afraid of you and you should not be "chasing" it.
Taming and Bonding is all about helping your budgie learn to trust you and it takes a great deal of time and patience on your part.
You should never grab your budgies or force them to be touched.
To bond with your budgie, you need to build their trust in you.
They will have to learn over time that you will not hurt them, grab them and try to force them to allow you to hold them.

To bond with your birds, you need to build their trust in you.
They will have to learn over time that you will not hurt them.

Once the budgie is teamed and willing to step up, if/when it will be comfortable enough to allow you to hold it on a perch, then I will give you some pointers on how you can help him develop his wing muscles.

The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.
These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.*

*SITE GUIDELINES*
*List of Stickies*
*Posting on the Forums*
*Let's Talk Budgies!*
*FAQ*
*Articles*
*Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense*
*Avian First Aid*
*Quarantine IS Necessary!*
*A heartfelt plea to forum members new and old*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*
*Cage sizes.*
*Essentials to a Great Cage*
*Dangers to Pet Birds*
*Resource Directory*


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## Yakmosh (Jun 29, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *How large specifically is the cage, Length, Width and Height? You didn't respond to that question nor did you answer what the budgie's name is.
> 
> If the budgie is "running away from you" then it is afraid of you and you should not be "chasing" it.
> Taming and Bonding is all about helping your budgie learn to trust you and it takes a great deal of time and patience on your part.
> ...


I appreciate where you are coming from. As neophyte budgie owners we visited 4 local pet shops and bought what looked to be a large and costly cage for two birds, with the assurances of the proprietor. The ideal measurements quoted on this forum are much larger than what's being sold in our area. Ours is 60 long 35 wide and 43 high. Names are ****** and Blueie. ******'s trail is very nice and together. Blueie's actually looks better than when we took him over 9 months ago but never really came together.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Where are you located?
Are you able to order through the internet?

The cage looks to be much taller than it is wide unless that picture is deceiving me. Budgies fly horizontally, not vertically. 

Do you have a bird safe room for them for supervised out of cage time?
How much out of cage time to the birds get each day?

Please take a look at this thread for information on things that make up a good environment for your budgies:*
*Essentials to a Great Cage*

*To help the male develop his wing muscles you can try the following only AFTER the budgie has been tamed.

Make sure the floor is covered with blankets or soft towels and sit on the floor so you aren't up as high as you would be standing.
Have the budgie sit on a dowel perch you are holding.
Gently swing the dowel perch with the bird sitting on it to and fro. 
Over time, when the budgie becomes used to this movement and isn't scared -- you can then move the perch a little faster with a downward swooping motion.
Most budgies will flap their wings as this motion commences as it helps them balance. You must be careful not to scare the bird so this is only something you can do when the budgie fully trusts you.

If you are able to set up a playground outside the cage this might encourage your budgies to want to come out to explore without being on the floor.

Unless the budgie develops his wing muscles, it is unlikely he will ever be flighted.
You can compensate by having ladders for him to climb back into the cage, up the the playground, etc.*


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