For those of you that have fully-flighted birds

[jylu97]

Jasper (YNA) has been clipped for 24 years. No idea if he ever fledged. He's growing them out now and has all but two on his left wing and ONLY two on his right wing, so it's pretty unbalanced, but he's been doing a lot more flapping and playing in his cage as they've grown, and then we also do flapping exercise several times a week that he finds very exciting, so I'm hopeful that he'll eventually be able to fly.

How do you encourage Jasper to do his own flapping exercises?

Tori, my YNA, had been clipped, except for the past 10 years. She learned and I think practiced flying on her own. She only flies when she senses danger, never just to find me. She is a closet flyer I think even now.

 

[M-Nature]

My three are all fully flighted. The parrotlet came to me fully flighted. I clipped her after she took a spin around the neighborhood, but no longer clip. The two red rumps came to me clipped but I let their flights grow back in and have never clipped them. They are remarkable flyers.

 

[thebirdnerds]

I have a Severe Macaw that is fully flighted right now. I am pretty paranoid and I usually clip everybody. I just clipped Dino today because he was flying all over the place for some reason. I can leave him flighted for a while but then he gets brave and he will fly into other rooms.

 

[Sharpie]

How do you encourage Jasper to do his own flapping exercises?

He's been flapping in his cage hanging off a foraging toy that I put in the middle so it's inconvenient and wobbly enough that he winds up hanging from it. He's enough of a food hound that that did not put him off the toy at first. Now he'll hang off of it and flap for the heck of it (so far as I can tell, I'll come in and he's doing it anyway, and the food's long gone).

For our flapping exercises together, I have him perch on my arm and I run up and down the living room and kitchen. I'm sure it looks silly, but pride went out the window when I got a parrot, right? The first couple of times I just did one lap and he just hunkered down and held on tight. A few times later he flapped once or twice because he was off-balance and I threw a party for him (he loves it when I yell and sing excitedly) when he did so he knew that was the Best Thing Ever. Now he'll flap for two laps before he starts getting out of breath. I always tell him what an amazing boy he is when we stop and yell and laugh while we're running/flapping around.

I can only imagine what people might think if they saw me. Crazy lady running up and down her house yelling happily with a parrot flapping madly on her wrist...

Tonight he actually launched himself off my arm at one point while we were running. I don't think he actually meant to- he looked so surprised, but I shouted and yelled and made a huge deal about how brave and amazing he was. I think he just got so into the flapping, he forgot to hold on as tight as normal, but 'capturing' that behavior is something I want to do, so hopefully he'll eventually learn to launch himself on purpose.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I can leave him flighted for a while but then he gets brave and he will fly into other rooms.

But thats the fun of having a fully flighted bird If youhave a fully flighted bird, expect them to take advantage of their birth given right

Opa(2y.o U2) is fully fighted, and is about time taking advantage of it! He is now flying all over th eplace, instead of climbing. Flying to the stair reilings, to the cage, to the coach, to the kitchen, etc

Bokka is fully flighted but the butthead barelly uses his flight, only if I ask him to is he willing to fly (to make make happy, I suppose).

 

[Bokkapooh]

I can only imagine what people might think if they saw me. Crazy lady running up and down her house yelling happily with a parrot flapping madly on her wrist...

Tonight he actually launched himself off my arm at one point while we were running. I don't think he actually meant to- he looked so surprised, but I shouted and yelled and made a huge deal about how brave and amazing he was. I think he just got so into the flapping, he forgot to hold on as tight as normal, but 'capturing' that behavior is something I want to do, so hopefully he'll eventually learn to launch himself on purpose.

Yep! Totally agree! If you want your bird to learn something quickly, capture it, and then shoot and hoot and hollar and make abig BIG fit over it They learn SO quickly.

 

[Welshanne]

All five of mine are fully flighted and always have been. Their chest muscles are well developed and they enjoy their time out and having a fly around.