TK fell off the counter :(

[MelanieAnn]

He was sitting on the kitchen counter while i sat in the chase lounge (he can reach the chase lounge from the counter to sit on) and he slipped in some water in front of the sink!!! i Hear FLAPPING like a windstorm i turn around and he actually stayed in the air for a second, TO MY SURPRISE! i was told he could not fly, has never flown, or tried because his wings were clipped to young and he never developed the chest muscles..so now im worried can he fly of was that a nervous flap?! Either way im just glad he didnt get hurt!!!!

 

[cdog]

See, they can fly when they want to. So now you cant take him outside without a flight suite or carrier.

 

[sssaucey]

It seems he just needed the right motivation to try lol

glad he's ok

 

[mtdoramike]

Most all birds can fly. it's instictive. Now how well can they fly is another issue. I would NEVER say a bird can't fly just because they never have or because their wings are clipped.

You must realize that even if you have his wings clipped, a decent bird groomer will give him what they call a short clip or shallow clip. This type of clip is for large bodied birds such as Macaws, Cockatoos, Greys & Eclectus. This type of clip allows a bird to help slow down his rate of drop. So that way he will glide rather than sink like a rock.
Any time one of my birds fall, I immediately check their chest area, which is the most vulnerable area on a bird and their chest bone id easy to injure.

So even if you have your boy clipped and take him outside relying on just the wing clipping, you might still have to retrieve him from a near by tree.

 

[MelanieAnn]

he hasnt been clipped since he was a baby, hes 10, but they told me he cant fly something with he never developed the chest muscles?..

 

[Mare Miller]

They still have the capability of flight, like Mike said, just weak muscles. I enjoyed watching the progression of Amigo's flying capabilities. His chest and leg muscles have at least doubled in size since free flying him.

 

[QuackQuack]

I had a rescue amazon with the same story only he was 15 years old. It took him 2 weeks with good food and space to learn what he never had before. He left us flying very well with a clip.

 

[Molcan2]

A bird not being able to fly because of underdeveloped chest muscles is a myth. All that means is that he wont be able to fly miles on end for hours and hours. However if a good gust of wind comes along or if he hits good thermal drafts he could still end up miles away. Strong chest muscles are needed for strong take offs from the ground. If he is elevated from the ground (your arm, stand, tree branch etc.) a fully flighted bird thats never flown can still go pretty far. Everything about a bird is designed to keep them in the air. Next time your outside look at the vultures, they fly for miles and seldom flap their wings. Thats because they ride on thermal drafts that are invisible to us, it gives them the lift they need without working hard to fly. A bird that has not been taught to fly, or that has not been taught recall, is at a much higher risk of flying unexpectedly and not being found. This is because it is so unfamiliar to the bird that its sesory overload and their gone. Its in your birds genetic makeup to fly, underdeveloped muscles or not. Every bird that doesn't fly on a regular basis is going to have underdeveloped muscles but still has the full capability of flight, its instinctual. Its like saying because a person has never been in water before that they cant swim, everyone is born with the ability to do it (it may not be well, or beautiful).

 

[Molcan2]

Mare Miller, I'm so jealous! I wish I will be able to see the day when Rome is confident enough to fly (of course the feathers have to come back first).

 

[goalerjones]

fear is a good motivator for instinct...

 

[KBEquine]

Goose, the still-new-to-us green wing was not fledged as a baby because 20 years ago, parrot-owner wisdom was that you clipped them before they fledged. Kiwi, his little Panama Amazon friend, was likewise clipped, but both have had full feathers for years.

Kiwi flies very, very well. The prior owners cautioned us that Goose had never flown, but could with the right motivation.

Then our dog decided to introduce herself to Goose in typical dog fashion - nose under the tail.

Goose flew about 3 feet in the air, with a few flaps of the wings.

Whoever said that fear or sufficient other motivation is enough, was correct.

Kim

 

[RescueMe]

I have been reading up on some factors of flight in consideration of some of your questions. I would strongly consider reading this post. HolisticBird and HolisticBirds
I know that you and TK have spent a lot of time together over the last few weeks. Please look into this though process before you decide to take him outside with you again. I hope that you all continue to develop a wonderful relationship.

 

[Mare Miller]

Ohhh Molcan2, I hope you get to see that day in the near future. Sending good thoughts your way!

 

[MelanieAnn]

It scared him more then anything he fell, then flapped like hell stayed in the air a few seconds until he was closer the the ground and landed with a bonk, i have never seen him walk on the floor it was kinda funny after i made sure he was okay it looks so silly watching a bird walk around the house haha

 

[goalerjones]

It scared him more then anything he fell, then flapped like hell stayed in the air a few seconds until he was closer the the ground and landed with a bonk, i have never seen him walk on the floor it was kinda funny after i made sure he was okay it looks so silly watching a bird walk around the house haha

try not to let that become the normal for him. I have heard horror stories of people crushing their birds simply because the bird felt comfortable enough to come looking for them when their owners had left the room. I also had the very same sad experience with a pet rat named Sylvester... he would follow me around everywhere and one day I reached up on my tiptoes to get something and he got under my foot and I came down on top of him. Killed him and broke my heart.

 

[MelanieAnn]

aw im so sorry and no i wont let him do it again because my 2 yr old Siamese snow tiger kitty Frank does not understand TK will bite, he wants to play and sniff but he is not socialized well enough yet

 

[Mare Miller]

It scared him more then anything he fell, then flapped like hell stayed in the air a few seconds until he was closer the the ground and landed with a bonk, i have never seen him walk on the floor it was kinda funny after i made sure he was okay it looks so silly watching a bird walk around the house haha

I imagine it would feel good on his feet, being able to stretch them out that way. They are kind of silly looking with their pigeon toed walk. When Amigo is on the floor and he's feeling his territorial mood, he's hilarious! He gets this bounce to his strut, shoulders doing this thrusting move with each step, so funny. I, personally, think it's ok for your bird to experience the floor, just be sure the other critters in the house know what's going on.

 

[QuackQuack]

aw im so sorry and no i wont let him do it again because my 2 yr old Siamese snow tiger kitty Frank does not understand TK will bite, he wants to play and sniff but he is not socialized well enough yet

I wager your kitty will figure it out someday! My cat stuck her paw into my CAG cage when she thought we weren't looking and he grabbed her paw with his mouth and held on! She screamed and screamed but he kept holding. Finally, when he let go of her she ran off and hid under the couch and NEVER bothered the CAG again. I think he took great pleasure in his bullying after that because when he saw her he would kind of fake her out like he was going to jump at her and she'd run!!! Poor girl....