Loki breathe heavy after a short flight!

[shajeeb]

Hi i have two cockatiels Loki and Gutu. Loki is a 9 months old boy and Gutu is a 11 months old girl. Gutu is really active, she likes to fly around in the house and check up on us! Loki likes to sit around a lot. He doesn't fly much. He only flys when he gets scared. But what i have noticed he breathe heavily (a short period of time) after a 15-20 feet distance (probably 10 sec flight). Sometimes he comes flying on my shoulder, and i can hear his heart pounding very loud and fast. On the other hand Gutu doesn't ever get tired after a 1-2 mins flight. Loki is usually a very happy boy. He sings almost all the times. He really likes to sit on my shoulder and demand for head scratch! He hates it when i try to take him off my shoulder. He is also very skittish.
His shortness of breath really worries me.

They are on 50% pellet 25% nutriberries 15% fruits/vegetables 10% seed mix diet. I give them fresh water every day. I mix "vita drops" 2-3 time a week.

Youtube link

 

[Ripshod]

If he's not flying regularly he will get out of condition. It's like expecting me to do a 100 yard dash without getting out of breath - that ain't gonna happen.
A good way to encourage flying is to let him see you put some treats in various places around the room so he has to fly to get them. You could also try some recall training, expanding the distance he flies gradually as you go.

 

[Marie Hugh]

I would try recall training and more flying before taking serious action- but just to educate, Sometimes organ enlargement due to tumors or infection will result in respiratory problems (difficulty breathing) because of pressure caused by the enlarged organ on the bird's respiratory tract. Rarely, inflammation from environmental irritants may also cause signs of respiratory disease, such as sneezing. Worst case scenario your teil is dyspneic, similar to asthma but it birds.