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flying low..

Gribouille

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Hi! Long time since I've been here, hope you are all well! :)

We've rencently noticed that Merlin sometimes struggles to keep his height when he flies, especially if he has to fly long but also if he is surpised. He is not tame, therefore we are very surprised to see him fly into our faces, on the table or down to the floor, while he usually flies just under the roof and perches high in the rooms, mostly over the woindows or on their perch over the cage (which is about 20cm under the roof).
I don't know how old he is, he was adult when I got him in 2016. The lady then said he was 8 week-old and I didn't know anything about birds so I didn't react. It is only later that I noticed he always had that adult blue ceres on the pictures so yeah, he could have been 10 year-old for all I know... He is not overweight, not too thin either, just his normal self and nothing has changed in his life. Is there any other reason than old age for him to become weak?
 

Mizzely

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What is his diet like?

Ripley struggles to maintain height, though he has gotten a lot better. For him it was a two fold issue - diet and no opportunity to practice. Since he clearly has opportunities to fly, next thing to investigate is diet.

And, if the diet is sufficient, a vet visit to rule out anything else :)
 

Gribouille

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What is his diet like?

Ripley struggles to maintain height, though he has gotten a lot better. For him it was a two fold issue - diet and no opportunity to practice. Since he clearly has opportunities to fly, next thing to investigate is diet.

And, if the diet is sufficient, a vet visit to rule out anything else :)
He gets Harrisons pellets, chopped veggies and sprouted seeds in the morning, + dry seeds as snacks in the afternoon. They have been on that diet for several years now.
 

Mizzely

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He gets Harrisons pellets, chopped veggies and sprouted seeds in the morning, + dry seeds as snacks in the afternoon. They have been on that diet for several years now.
That sounds like a nice diet :) I would probably check in with the vet just to make sure there isn't something we can't see going on.
 

Gribouille

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Thank
That sounds like a nice diet :) I would probably check in with the vet just to make sure there isn't something we can't see going on.
Thanks, I should probably do that, however my experience of the only bird specialist we have here is not really positive... Usually says these small birds are fragile and too small for any blood work or anything, so not really helping. Then I still have to pay the bill :cautious:.
 

Lori D Pert

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So good to see you again!! Unfortunately it could be anything. A vet could rule out any mass that may be interfering with his flight or vision problem at the very least. Hoping he's OK.
 

Dorcas George

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Hello! I have wondered if all is okay with you, so it’s good to “see” you. I hope Merlin is okay.
 

Miss_sj

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Let us know what the pet said!

I also wanted to chime in and say has anything new changed in your home? My hen started flying low/swooping a bit last year and I was worried and eventually realised she was trying to get a look at a shiny new runner I had displayed on the coffee table
 

Gribouille

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Nice to see you all here! :) No, nothing has changed at home, and this has been going on for a few weeks now. He is his usual 40g so nothing wrong there. He is just getting weak when he has to fly longer than his usual 1 or 2 loops in the room, so he'll loose height, maybe he panics when he realises he won't make it to his safe place under the roof? Yesterday he flew into the corridor -never goes there usually-, bumped into the wall and ended up on the floor. Tried to fly away when I came to pick him up, ended up in one plant, then another where I picked him up, he was too tired to fly away this time.
The vet doesn't seem to know much about small birds... Only says to keep watching his weight and come back if there is anything new. I don't think I'll ever go back there, the only help I ever got from the vet was drops agains fleas after Merlin and his friend had escaped for 3 days, and to put my guinea pig to sleep. No much point.. :bored:
 

faislaq

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That's so frustrating. I wish you could get the help you need. :(

I hope Merlin improves. :bighug:
 

Britnicorn

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Is it possible he is scared of the ceiling?

My budgie Phoenix once bonked his head right into the ceiling, it wasn’t a bad bonk at all and it was super small, but he seemingly avoided the ceiling for awhile (this was way back when he was learning to fly). I wonder if Merlin is going through the same thing? Or maybe there’s a light or texture on the ceiling that is freaking him out?
 

Gribouille

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Is it possible he is scared of the ceiling?

My budgie Phoenix once bonked his head right into the ceiling, it wasn’t a bad bonk at all and it was super small, but he seemingly avoided the ceiling for awhile (this was way back when he was learning to fly). I wonder if Merlin is going through the same thing? Or maybe there’s a light or texture on the ceiling that is freaking him out?
that's an interesting idea but I don't think that's the case here, he is usually flying just fine then sometimes he'll be surpised or fly longer than usual, so he gets tired and goes down...
 

The_Mayor

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Now that the last update is that Merlin seems to doing better, I feel like I can ask,

:sing:Do your birds fly low, do they flutter as they go?
Are they zipping back and forth, are they swooping to and fro? :sing:
 
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