Alex Begging

[clawnz]

As you guys know I am anti clipping.
And here is clear and positive evidence of what impact constant clipping can do.
Alex has a story to tell of how even though he is flight impaired, he still flew out of the vets, but that is another story.

We often enough here people ask! Why is my bird pacing from side to side, or has his body low and wings out.
Begging! My first question every time is. Is he clipped or has been clipped at some point?
Alex was clipped for the first 5yrs of his life. I am his third owner. And got him around June 2015.
I have worked with him, making him fly at least once a day. He has got better.
When he came in, he could not turn in flight. He still finds it hard to fly downwards. He cannot sustain flight, under normal conditions.

So here we have two sections of vid taken on two days, with him begging for me to come get him. I see this every day and all too often. It breaks my heart to see such a beautiful creature so badly damaged.
Where he will ever gain the flight muscles, I doubt. My guess is the flight muscles are far too atrophied to stand any chance of recovery.
He is just coming up to 8yrs old.
Believe me he would be recall trained if he had any confidence. And I will explain that when I post about his outside experience, on another post.

 

[Begone]

That is so sad! But I think this is part mentally and not only physically.
Can you make him flap his wings during some activities? I will say, that don't give up, I never think it's to late for them to learning fly.
We can build muscles for all of our life. Both we and animals if we are healthy and get the right kind of food.
I have learned older budgies (2-5 years old) to fly that all of their life had been in a small cages. (but not clipped) They all learn to fly, not everyone was or became great flier, but they all learned.

 

[clawnz]

I am 16mths into working Alex. And there has been very little gain the last few months.
Sure I consider He will gain confidence, or at least I think that possible, but may not, if he has so much trouble with flight.

 

[galah!]

Poor Alex!
good on you for trying to teach him to be a bird again, with patience, a healthy diet and lot's of TLC

 

[Birdbabe]

He's beautiful, hope he regains some muscle mass,,, good to see you again Clive.

 

[cassiesdad]

I completely understand. Small bit of background....Titan, our IRN, was clipped for the first five years of his life. As we became more enlightened, we let his wings grow back. He did start to fly, but most of the time he'd just beg to be carried around, like your Alex does, or run behind you.. It always broke my heart to see him doing that.
Titan passed away this past February at the age of 26. My hope was that he forgave us for our stupidity, because that's what it was...