Teach bird to enjoy flying?

[CosmoKram]

Hey. I was wondering if there is a way to teach your bird to fly for fun? My cockatiel is a bit over a year old and came to me with a narly clip job. He has been able to fly for a while now, between 3-6 months and he is a very strong flyer. But he only ever flies to get to me, if he is scared or if he does not want to go back into his cage. Currently his flying is only an inconvenience. I end up spending about 15 minutes a day following him around attempting to coax him down from high places. Im considering clipping his wings again, I really do not want to, but if he is not using flying to exercise and its purely just annoying me, it seem like it is the best option. That is, unless I can some how encourage him to fly out of enjoyment as I get that it is very enriching. I really would like to avoid clipping his wings. Thanks for your time.

 

[Mizzely]

Does he have any incentive to fly elsewhere? A playstand? Treats somewhere? A lot of birds won't fly unless they have a reason to.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Maybe some recall or target training would help. I don’t think clipping is the answer, and it seems to me he is using flying to do what birds use flying for, to go to where they feel safe or to go from point A to point B. Giving him acceptable places to land is a good idea. You can also reward him for going in his cage to help him think of his cage as a nice place. A loose routine will also help him to know when it’s time to go back to his cage, and sometimes when you do reward him for going in, take him tight back out again so he doesn’t always think going in the cage means playtime is over. Mix it up. How big is his cage? Make sure he has plenty of foraging activities too. The flying he is doing now is still exercising. Just make sure you never force him to do anything, but find a way to make it his choice. Reward desired behavior and ignore undesired behavior.

 

[charlieboy]

Clipping is definitely not the answer in my opinion! Like Mizzely said, birds usually fly to get around, not really just for fun. My budgie did like taking laps once in a while, but not my cockatiel, so it really depends on the individual. Why would you want to clip him? Safety reasons or pure annoyance? I personally love to watch my 'tiel fly even if he will flap my face once in a while, but that is very rare And for safety reasons, there are a lot of ways to keep your bird safe without clipping and I'd be happy to share them with you!

 

[Sparkles!]

Tiels can really be perch potatoes.

Flying takes work!

It sounds like what you need is a good recall training for your bird and to desensitize him to being put away. If he is flying out and about to get away from having to go back into his cage, make his cage a good place for him. Every single time you put him back in his cage, reward him. Whether it’s his favorite treat or his favorite toy. Have it be special- the only time he gets the treat or toy is when you put him away in his cage.

It really can be annoying trying to chase a stubborn tiel, but time and patience will reward you. So much better than stubby wings and him falling all over the place.

 

[Tazlima]

It can be a simple as moving his food dish to a stand so he has to fly somewhere to eat. The more he flies, the stronger he'll get and the more pleasant it will be for him.

Think of flying as jogging for a human. When you're out of shape, you may be able to run, but it's not fun. You have to push through the not fun part before you start to actually enjoy it.