Unclipped lorikeet wants out of cage

[lorika]

Hi all,

My lorikeet (9 weeks) REALLY wants to be let out of his cage, but I'm so afraid he'll hurt himself since he started flying. He's already flown into the window twice. I can draw the curtains but there's one really big window that doesn't have one. And when it's not windows, he flies head-first into something else. I'm getting him to the vet to clip his wings on Thursday, but what should I do until that time? It breaks my heart to watch him yearn to get out, but I'm terrified he'll get seriously hurt.

All advice is welcome. Thanks a lot.

 

[Anansi]

Your lorikeet is in the midst of fledging. My advice would be not to clip him until he becomes a really good flier. (At which point, you might even decide not to clip him at all. But that's your personal choice.)

Now, I hear you about being afraid of him hurting himself. I'd suggest that you get two adjustable height training perches and work with him inside of a bedroom. Limiting his space limits the speed at which he can fly into windows or walls. (Just so you know, their bodies are configured at that age to better handle impacts than their adult counterparts. Not saying they're indestructible, just likely far tougher than you might think.)

While working within the smaller confines of the bedroom, focus initially on target training. Point to a spot on each perch and reward him with praise and treats for going to where you've indicated. (timing these training sessions for between meals when he's at his hungriest will yield a more motivated bird. Not advocating withholding food, mind you. Just strategically timed training.)

Then start pointing from one perch to another, first with them walking distance apart, then gradually increasing the distance until he needs to hop across, then flap a little, and then fly. These increases should be as gradual as your bird's progress necessitates. Don't discourage him with something too advanced and always try to end your sessions on a good note.

Once he's mastered targeting from perch to perch, move on to targeting from perch to you and vice-versa. Then, once you're past that, you can move on to changing the heights on the training stands and teaching him to fly down from a higher elevation. (This is a hugely important skill! Many birds who accidentally get outdoors and fly up into trees don't fly back down to their parronts because they simply don't know how. Flying down is a less instinctive skill, somehow, and must be practiced.)

For strength training, you can also have him practice flying from the lower perch to the higher one.

Once you have him flying skillfully and with confidence in that smaller room, you can introduce him to the rest of your apartment/house. But first take him on a tour and touch his beak to every window and mirror in the place. They can learn glass. Just do this tour repeatedly until he gets it.

 

[Anansi]

Here's a video I tend to post whenever there are indoor flight questions: [ame="https://youtu.be/NzyZGdMp9kM"]https://youtu.be/NzyZGdMp9kM[/ame]