why cant my 10 year old cockateil fly?

Question

one day my bird just quit flying and i cant figure out why. i have 3 one is 2 and the other 2 are 10 years old. Snacks can fly but sassy quit. they have their own room and can come out of their cage anytime they want to. every morning they take a few laps around the room and they sing all morning. but for about 3 months now sassy doesnt fly and no the wings arent broken or anything, but she eats and climbs to the top of the cage just fine. can anyone tell me why sassy cant fly?

i do know that yes my bird is old but they live up to 18 years most cocateils do. but parakeets only live unitl they ar 10 years old

Answer 1

sassy can fly!
but has chosen not to!!
perhaps she/he has taken a knock...and is a little nervous?

Answer 2

You didn't say which sex all three were. I am assuming Sassy is female and Snack is male but what of the other?

Could it be the other two look like they are pairing? If you have 2 males and 1 female or 2 females and 1 male it could be a problem that you may have to sort out. This happened to me and the behaviour pattern was similar - the two would sit together and the third would be left on his own. I didn't have to resolve the situation myself because the male of the pair died quite soon after i got them , still very young, and the female automatically went to the one which had previously been ignored and they were fine right up until two years ago when she too died aged 18.

My cockatiel is 20 now, very healthy, but doesn't fly nearly as much as he used to, or as far, but will, like yours happily climb on to the top of his cage. He will often fly a bit and settle on the floor for a walk around. I usually pick him up and he flies back to his cage. :-)

Cockatiels now live to their 20s without any problem because of better nutrition and some have even been recorded at 30.

Hope you manage to sort it out!

Answer 3

Hi Littleprincess
Maybe old age has got a hold of Sassy poor bird, hugs to the bird

Answer 4

There could be any number of reasons why Sassy quit flying. We can all speculate but the best thing is to take her to a certified avian vet and have her checked out for illnesses and injuries.

Good luck to both of you!

Answer 5

If Sassy is eating and drinking and still looks in good condition I would not worry too much but just ring your vet talk to them and see what they think I know you can get home visits’ for birds if needed,
.

Answer 6

I have three cockatiels. They used to fly out of the cage and round the room, but often went straight for the window and smacked beak-first into it knocking themselves out. They learnt from their mistakes, and now stick to the floor which is much safer! Ten years is pretty old for a cockatiel, and believe it or not, they do suffer from stress and nervousness, but it is not like you can take your bird to a pyschiatrist for treatment! I wouldn't be overly concerned, especially if she is otherwise healthy. If she wants to fly again she will do, but if not, don't force her.

Answer 7

my cockatiel is16 years old and never been a good flyer. He doesn't even bother now just walks all over me instead. much easier to put back in the cage. Could be that the flight muscles get weak with age.

Answer 8

well my first cockatiel lived till he was 21, he wasnt keen on flying he prefered a shoulder to carry him round!! the last years he would stay in his cage and demand attention. He was a real darling best bird in the world i think

Answer 9

She is old and in nature she wouldn't be around anymore,so treat her like the lovely old lady she is maybe you can put a fruit-tree-branch in the room so that she can climb a bit more and has something to peck on, make her life a little more interesting !
Good luck !!!

Answer 10

my bird is nearly 12 and hes stopped flying beacause hes too old birds usually go at 9