Face first crash landings

[Ozzy]

Hey all,

Just a quick background... I got Ozzy when he was around 5 and he was extremly undernourished. He did not have clipped wings when I got him but was unable to fly. For the past 8 months we have been working on gaining weight and muscle and he has recently started to really attempt to fly. He only does this when he is up high (top of his cage or on his tree perch) and jumps and glides to the floor. He is getting stronger and now can turn around corners while he is gliding instead of just going straight. My only issue is that everytime he lands he face plants into the floor. He opens his beak like hes trying to grab the ground and hits beak first before feet. I am really worried about him hurting himself. I do not want to clip him until he regains all his muscle strength and becomes a better glider/flyer. Is this normal landing behavior? I would think they would land on their feet. Any advice on how to fix this? He does not act hurt and his beak is fine so maybe im just over reacting.

Thanks

 

[merlinsmom13]

My amazon is fully flighted, he was very clumsy when his wings were clipped. Now he flys like a jet plane. I would make him aware of all the windows, I took Merlin on my shoulder & let him tongue the glass. Try to anticipate hazards for the flighted bird, open toilets could be dangerous. Other pets & open doors are hazards. Now you won't be able to leave the room unaccompaned. lol

 

[Pedro]

Hey all,

Just a quick background... I got Ozzy when he was around 5 and he was extremly undernourished. He did not have clipped wings when I got him but was unable to fly. For the past 8 months we have been working on gaining weight and muscle and he has recently started to really attempt to fly. He only does this when he is up high (top of his cage or on his tree perch) and jumps and glides to the floor. He is getting stronger and now can turn around corners while he is gliding instead of just going straight. My only issue is that everytime he lands he face plants into the floor. He opens his beak like hes trying to grab the ground and hits beak first before feet. I am really worried about him hurting himself. I do not want to clip him until he regains all his muscle strength and becomes a better glider/flyer. Is this normal landing behavior? I would think they would land on their feet. Any advice on how to fix this? He does not act hurt and his beak is fine so maybe im just over reacting.

Thanks

It is very possible that Ozzy is hypocalcaemia. Malnourished birds are deficient in calcium & vitamin D3, they are uncoordinated & clumsy & have a weak grip. I wouldn't think face planting the floor is at all normal & i would be concerned he may hurt himself.

Have you been able to improve his diet. What is he eating & are you giving him any calcium supps.

 

[Ozzy]

He goes to the vet every other month for a weigh in, exam and has had two blood tests. I will continue this until he is at a decent weight. Both blood tests came back normal and he has no deficiencies. Vet says he is gaining at a good rate and has mentioned a couple times that he has one of the strongest grips hes felt. He also has good feathers and everything else physically looks good.

He eats Harrisons high potency along with nuts, dried fruits, nutriberries and a vegetable mash.

 

[Pedro]

Thats great news then. I am sure it will only take time before he is able to fly properly.

Can i just ask why nutriberries & dried fruit is fed rather than fresh fruits & vegetables added to their birds diet.

 

[Ozzy]

He refuses to eat any fresh fruit. Everyday without fail I put some in his cage but he has yet to touch it. He will eat dried fruit so I buy no sugar added, organic dried fruit so he gets some of those vitamins. Nutriberries are a treat, not a staple of his diet.
He will also only eat vegetables if I chop them up into tiny pieces and mix it all together with a few pellets so I do that everyday as well.

 

[Spiritbird]

Suggest you try to feed him the whole foods outside of his cage while you are eating the same type of foods. He sees you eating and learns from you. I do not feed my bird the fresh foods in the cage except for the leafy greens I weave in the cage bars. Have you tried cooking the vegies and making a mash? Sweet potatoes cook in a microwave in about 5 min. and are so easy to serve. You can add healthy foods to this mash also.

 

[MikeyTN]

Falling beak first happens. Just give him time to learn. It takes practice!!! Have you ever watch baby birds fly? They take a nose dive at the beginning. He's basically re-learning his skills again. Do you have a large enough room that's carpeted? I used to let all my baby birds fly before I clip their wings to train.

 

[suebee]

nuts a great flier! air brakes, corners, but when she is excited she face plants her landings

he'll learn to lean back a bit, nut also slides on a landing when she lands on the leather sofa