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My budgie can’t fly - what do I do?

Lori D Pert

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I don't believe she has been clipped from your pictures. The wing flapping on her perch is her practicing to fly. They will grab the perch tightly and flap furiously. This is a good sign. Eating wise, I think she is fledged but cannot be sure. Offer seed and water on the bottom of the cage and watch to see. It is very normal for her not to eat or drink in front of you for the first few days. I don't believe a breeder would sell an unfledged bird (hopefully). She does look quite young, I would believe 4-6 weeks. Sam was 6 weeks when I got her and was fully fledged. She flapped her wings on the perch as well. She is now and avid flyer. My little acrobat in fact..lol.
 

avantia423

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I ran around getting ingredients for a homemade formula till tomorrow when I can go to a pet store...came back and little budgie had eaten lots of millet!! Thank goodness
Should I just leave her be then? And not feed formula?
also what do people think about putting her in a cage that’s at eye level and smaller? Or should I just lie on the floor when I’m speaking to her and let her adjust to the big cage?
 

Fergus Mom

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I ran around getting ingredients for a homemade formula till tomorrow when I can go to a pet store...came back and little budgie had eaten lots of millet!! Thank goodness
Should I just leave her be then? And not feed formula?
also what do people think about putting her in a cage that’s at eye level and smaller? Or should I just lie on the floor when I’m speaking to her and let her adjust to the big cage?
How long has she been with you now?
Many are cautious about formula feeding because a bird can choke to death if it's not done correctly.
Having said that, it is like Lori described, they don't like eating with you watching, so maybe she is eating while you're not looking, hopefully?
 

Lori D Pert

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I ran around getting ingredients for a homemade formula till tomorrow when I can go to a pet store...came back and little budgie had eaten lots of millet!! Thank goodness
Should I just leave her be then? And not feed formula?
also what do people think about putting her in a cage that’s at eye level and smaller? Or should I just lie on the floor when I’m speaking to her and let her adjust to the big cage?
I think as far as eating, she's ok. I would start offering her vegetables now though. As for the cage, let her get used to the big one. Ensure that she has ladders to climb and perches with no obstructions in the middle so she can practice flying in the cage. My bet is that you're going to have a good flyer. :heart:
 

avantia423

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Thank you all! I offered my old parrotlet veggies after I was confident it was happy to eat in front of me, and we started bonding a bit. I used quinoa to transition her because it looks like seeds, and little broccoli nibs. Soon I’ll offer her fruits and veg.
Thanks so much everyone for your advice, I think we are going to be ok now. Seems she just doesn’t know how to fly yet but will learn! And I’m glad she’s not been clipped, it didn’t look she had because the plumage is even and there’s no sharp lines

so excited to begin taming!! She’s wonderful and I love her already. Thanks everyone!!
 

EnglishBudgMom

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My English Budgie (show budgie) was clipped by her breeder when we got her at 6 weeks. Her feathers grew back in nicely and she was flying well before 1 year. She got better and better. Her birthday was 8/31 and she flies all over now, knows where the windows and doorways are, etc... when she's "done" with her "hoomans" she just flies back to her cage upstairs! I think your little one will be just fine, just watch doors and windows/reflective surfaces until she figures her space out.
 

Budgiebonkers

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does she have a tail? kinda looks like french molt unless they grow back without falling out
 

Monica

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@Beasley Wiggle is a bit of a "runt"... that is, this little one is behind in growth.

This page shows a 25 day old chick that is nearly fully feathered. (almost all feathers grown out - tail and wing still have some growing to do)




does she have a tail? kinda looks like french molt unless they grow back without falling out
Unfortunately, I'm with Budgiebonkers on this one. :( This was my first thought upon seeing her. @avantia423 I believe you are doing everything correctly, but I would urge you to take this little one to a vet.

 

Beasley

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Wiggle is a bit of a "runt"... that is, this little one is behind in growth.
Yes he is! I think his growth is off because I had to hand feed him from one week. He does have some big wings for a small fry though :lol:
 

JoJo&Loki

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I agree with everyone, your baby just looks very young. I don’t know much about french moult... but it’s always a good idea to take a new bird to the vet for a checkup anyway, so you may want to do this in the near future. If nothing else, it will be to ease your mind. If any issues are found, it’s always best to catch them early.

As far as the wings, they’ll continue to grow and I think she’ll amaze you with her progress:) Heres a pic of Jojo when we first got her, she was very young and clipped. While her feathers were growing out I just made sure to have lots of perches in the flight cage to make getting around easier. Rope perches are great for that since you can end them however you want. Her flights have been back for months now though and she’s now an AMAZING flyer! I don’t think your baby is clipped though, just really young and adorable btw:swoon:
F8B4A3EF-9D10-485F-995B-42D6541C0EFB.png 7C220336-E84C-40D7-B6E8-407429737E1B.jpeg
 

Dorcas George

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I certainly hope there’s no French Moult. Just catching up with the thread. She’s a beautiful little baby!
 

Kenzie

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All my baby budgies (4 total) were all clipped before they could fledge. They're now all master flyers and it took no effort from me to teach them- they learned naturally and nobody sustained any injuries. My slowest learner was my half English budgie because she so thick, probably.
But they all learned very quickly once flights were back.

Best of luck to your baby!
 
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