Learning to fly?

[ScottinSoCal]

Scooter is from a rescue, so I don't know much about her past. I'm confident she was hatched in captivity, and probably sold when very young, because she doesn't know how to fly. Not even a little bit. Outside didn't play a big role for her, either, because at first she was afraid, and now she can't get enough. We have bird feeders and a fountain in the back yard, and she loves to see the other birds eating, drinking and sunning. The neighbors installed solar panels on their roof that give just enough space under for pigeons to nest under, and there's a couple of dozen that fly circles around the neighborhood every night, before sundown. Scooter watches them, calls to them, and holds her wings up, like she's straining to lift up and be able to meet them. The one time she actually launched from my hand she did a straight line right into the fence. Fortunately she was all right, and she learned not to do that again, but she still wants to fly.

Has anyone taught their adult bird to fly? And can anyone suggest a place it might be safe to teach her? The house and backyard are too small, with too many obstacles. The front yard has the road, and cars, dogs, cats, people. The neighborhood has all that plus hawks and falcons. And CA in general has an avian flu outbreak, so I'm nervous about her coming in contact with it. I'm stumped, but maybe there's something I haven't thought of?

 

[wrench13]

Listen closely my friend. Unless your parrot is 100% recall trained or is in some type of harness or a carrier, taking her outside will one day result in you loosing her. Even a clipped parrot is capable of flight if she is startled by something. The rush of adrenaline will provide all the muscle and power to take off, and never be seen again. It happened to me. My red spectacled amazon went everywhere with me on my shoulder - supermarkets, bars, laundromats, and never, ever gave the slightest indication he knew how or wanted to fly. One day walking down the street, a truck hit it's air brakes right next to us, and BANG, off he went and I never found him or got him back. We have sooo many members who have lost parrots because they did not heed the advice above. PLEASE take it - the emotional pain of loosing your parrot is like loosing a child.

 

[LeeC]

@ScottinSoCal, I commend you for taking on a parrot, giving her outdoor time (fresh air and direct sunlight), and wanting her to fly. Kudos all around. I am in complete agreement with @wrench13, though. I have adopted numerous "flightless" parrots. I have a 30-year-old Senegal who was clipped short from birth until I got him three years ago. He simply could not fly, or so he and I thought. I had a blind-since-birth 25-year-old Sun Conure. (He died of heart disease.) I have a ten-year-old Senegal who was clipped and caged since birth before I got her, weak muscles all around.

Once they got here, around other parrots, they all tried to fly, often out of fear—and went a lot farther than I'd have thought they could! And, that was indoors, with no breeze to catch or carry them.

The keys to getting a parrot to fly, from my 3 1/2 years of experience, are:

1. A place for soft landings, or you risk injuries to feet, legs, wings, etc.
   1. It could be a bed, a plush-carpeted floor, indoor stadium grass, ....
2. Minimal obstacles for collisions, but ideally places to land safely
   1. It could be branches placed strategically, a sofa, ...
3. Opportunity, with plenty of time spent in the safe-to-learn-flight environment
4. Motivation to fly
   
   1. This could be to get to you from a distance, or to get to a special treat, etc.

My first parrot could fly, (Grady is a Timneh), but I found that he had a "perch potato" mindset. He was caged the vast majority of his days for his 18 years of life before I got him. I gave him full liberty and long branches. He just sat in once place, with no motivation to fly.

I encourage you to consider harness training for your CAG girl. That can help make the outdoors much safer, though I've still heard of predator birds going after a parrot on a harness. I find the Mia story to be very moving and inspirational.

 

[ScottinSoCal]

Listen closely my friend. Unless your parrot is 100% recall trained or is in some type of harness or a carrier, taking her outside will one day result in you loosing her.

I understand what you're saying - Scooter isn't my first parrot, just the current and most recent. The reason I'm considering it is because she wants so badly to fly. If it happens, I'll do a harness when she's outside, but teaching her needs to be loose. Unfortunately that would be dangerous everywhere I can think of. I wish there was an enclosed dressage rink somewhere close.

 

[LeeC]

I understand what you're saying - Scooter isn't my first parrot, just the current and most recent. The reason I'm considering it is because she wants so badly to fly. If it happens, I'll do a harness when she's outside, but teaching her needs to be loose. Unfortunately that would be dangerous everywhere I can think of. I wish there was an enclosed dressage rink somewhere close.

Yes, I've racked my brain numerous times trying to think of a place I could rent, for an indoor-flight meetup. It would have to be well sealed, and ideally no landing places for them way up high out of reach. Then, there's still the soft-landing need. I think of tall grasses in the wild, providing cushion, and cover I suppose.

 

[SailBoat]

There are strong health reasons for a Parrot to fly.
There is a great Segment in the Amazon Forum under I Love Amazons ... Check Page one for the Segment with a name like Re-fledging an Older Amazon.

There is a very good reason to assure that you visit your Vet prior to beginning flight training as even very young Parrots can have Heart Issues and assuring that your Parrot is healthy is very important. NOTE: Once you have a flighted Parrot, you must remind your Vet as part of every visit that you have a flyer as they are commonly much stronger than most Parrots they see everyday. Our DYHA requires three individuals to towel him as part of a simple nail trim.

I have seem far too many individuals state that flying requires large open areas. Just not true as our 'Indoor' free-flying Amazon handles tight turns and stairways with ease. It is important to teach your Parrot what hard surfaces are and any time you change the layout of add furniture, etc.. Start re-teaching.

Recall training is Mandatory!! But understand that a flight driven by fear is 100% GO for at least five very long seconds before they even begin to think about where am I and where am I going! At full-speed that can be over 120' (near 40 meters) and they are nearing the edge of hearing you. And as noted, Birds of Prey will hit your Parrot at speed and if they miss your Parrot, they will like crash into you.

 

[LeeC]

There are strong health reasons for a Parrot to fly.

Absolutely! The benefits go beyond the cardio, strength-building, and skill-building. Just one example: In the wild, they spend hours per day in flight—which is a break from being on their feet that their poor feet, ankles, and hips just do not get in captivity, sadly.

There is a great Segment in the Amazon Forum under I Love Amazons ... Check Page one for the Segment with a name like Re-fledging an Older Amazon.

Interesting term, re-fledging; I don't recall seeing that before. I like it.

Our DYHA requires three individuals to towel him as part of a simple nail trim.

Toweling can, and should, be trained for force-free exams. At the vet, I offer to towel my parrots, force-free, for the vet. I don't have them trained well enough to have a stranger do it in a strange place.

Barbara Heidenreich had a good podcast episode about this, and she had a thorough training video available.
Free podcast:

Welcome To Animal Training Fundamentals

Cutting edge content for lifelong learners dedicated to animal welfare.

animaltrainingfundamentals.com

Video, with free trailer:

Watch Stress Free Veterinary Care for Companion Parrots - Webinar Recording Online | Vimeo On Demand

Learn how to train your parrot to accept oral medications, be comfortable wrapped in a towel, and participate in preventative care. Discover techniques to introduce…

vimeo.com

I have seem far too many individuals state that flying requires large open areas. Just not true as our 'Indoor' free-flying Amazon handles tight turns and stairways with ease. It is important to teach you Parrot what hard surfaces are and any time you change the layout of add furniture, etc.. Start re-teaching.

I have had several parrots learn to fly in my house, and I have had several get a lot better at flying, in my house. The best teaching and motivation I've found is a same-species parrot or two that does fly well. My one Senegal became highly motivated to fly when he got a new friend, a male Senegal who is a very good flier. Then, I brought home a female Senegal, Ivy, and Charlie is willing to attempt deft maneuvers to get where she is! If I hadn't seen it with my own, eyes..... His landings are still rough at times, but his skills have developed rapidly since being exposed to flying Senegals. I don't think they can really teach him, but I think they motivate him.

The benefits of keeping same-species parrots continue to amaze me. It is so good for all of them. Having assembled a mini flock of four Senegals is the gift that keeps on giving.

[Edit] Now, I am off to clean up after four Senegals.

 

[LeeC]

Just one example: In the wild, they spend hours per day in flight—which is a break from being on their feet that their poor feet, ankles, and hips just do not get in captivity, sadly.

That is unless your parrot sleeps like this.

Hi! My name is Mabel!

Hi! I have a female yellow sided green cheek conure Mabel. She very sweet, active, messy and loud. She loves taking baths and going walks with her harness outside. Her cage dimensions are: 39×19×70 inches. It is homemade. This is Mabel:

www.parrotforums.com

 

[SailBoat]

In the same thread in the Amazon Forum (I Love Amazons ...) is a Segment regarding Getting to the Foot of the Problem (or something like that) that goes into detail as to how to reduce the stress on your Parrots claws. Sadly, most of the photos are gone as they did not make the transfer to the new format.

It is important to remember that near all the Segments can be used for near all Parrots.

 

[HeatherG]

I know people who raise birds often teach the babies to fly while sitting on a bed. Put a sheet over the bed and encourage the bird to flap on your hand. When he takes off from your hand hopefully he’ll land on the bed.

I know the bed doesn’t fill a whole room but it fills part of the room. And a parrot is fairly light so landing on carpet would not likely hurt.

 

[chris-md]

Here’s how you teach it safely indoors! I had to learnt his because Parker only flew when startled, and he had no landing skills. Lots of crash landings. Starting from the beginning on learning how to fly was the key to fixing his landing issues.