Cockatiel Flying Problems?

Question

Any help appreciated. I have a three year old male Cockatiel, wings unclipped, who has developed difficulty in flying in the last 24 hours. He seems healthy, alert, in no pain and I have noticed no change in his behaviour. My birds are excersised every evening and this is the first time that I have noticed him having any problems flying. He just drops, and when he is on the floor he is not breathing heavily or fast. There are some large feathers on the floor of the cage. Is it possible that he might have lost some flight feathers or have suffered a wing injury whilst in the cage.
He seems in no pain, and has spent most of this evening preening himself and preening his brother!
Any advice appreciated, all the best
Robin

Thanks to everyone for replying. Fred has lost a large feather on his wing which is affecting his ability to fly. He is now grounded until the feather grows back!! Have taken advice and bought him some liquid to put in his water designed to aid at times of moulting and also bought him a nice new toy as he has been a good boy!!!! All the best, Robin.

Answer 1

With the large feathers it sound like he has lost some flight feather this in its self isnt a major proplem the problem is why they have come out it could have a bacterial infection causeing them to drop out or the more likely it is pulling them out its self through boardam, toys, mirrors, cuttle fish and a bowl of water will help or another bird of a similar age but opposite sex

Answer 2

Many bird owners don't believe in keeping their birds wings clipped because they feel it will hurt the bird, they don't know how, they think the bird is prettier with full feathers, or they feel it isn't fair to the bird. I believe it isn't fair to let a pet bird go unclipped. I have clipped the wings of all my pet birds (have had many Parakeets, Cockatiels). I am a current owner of a Lilac Crown and Senagal and I have always kept my birds wings clipped for their safety. Can you imagine the heartbreak you would feel if your pet cockatiel flew into the ceiling fan, a tub full of hot water, or worse yet, out an open door or window never to be seen again? Remember, your bird is domestic and is not accustomed to having to find it's own food or fight off larger animals. You can easily clip your cockatiels wings without the aid of others. Clipping wings will reduce your bird's ability to fly. This in turn can make the taming process easier. With your bird's wings properly clipped, it won't be as apt to fly out an open door or window accidentally. When done properly, clipping wing feathers will not hurt your bird. Be sure to clip both wings. Clipping only one can cause the bird harm as they will now be out of balance and if they try to take flight they could injury themselves. If you're a beginner, either have another person help you or have your cockatiel's wings clipped by an experienced person the first time. You can observe how it is done and do it yourself the next time.

Answer 3

Hi
This sounds like he's molting or he's pulled out some of his flight feathers. They will grow back but you may want to take him to the vets or atleast phone them for advice.
He could have Blood feathers. They are just new feathers that are growing from a follicle in a bird's skin. These usually are tender and sore, which can prevent him wanting to fly until they have grown through properly.

As for saying he looks and behaves as normal, A sick bird will often look and behave like a normal, healthy bird until it's too late for medical treatments to be effective. In the wild, birds have to hide their illnesses to protect themselves from predators. Predators will attack weak, sick and disabled animals first because they are easy targets and can't fight back. Our pet birds will instinctively hide their illnesses from us the same way.
If we are very observant and pay attention to our bird's daily living habits, we may be able to pick up on some very subtle, physical or behavioral changes that could be early warning signs of an illness. By the time very obvious and serious symptoms appear and a bird is found sleeping on the bottom of the cage floor, it may be too late to save his life. A fluffed up, cranky bird, taking more daily naps, a bird that has stopped singing or is eating less food or one who has a slight change in droppings, may be having the first symptoms of a an illness.

So my advice would be to get him checked out just to be on the safe side.

Answer 4

The preening thing sounds like mating behaviour, also sounds as if your cockatiel is moulting. I wouldn't rule out a wing injury, think you should get it checked out by a vet. My cockatiel had a similar flying problem, took it to a vet and it they gave me antibiotic to add to its water for a week, was lacking vitamins although it was well fed!

One day, what i thought was a male cockatiel, turned out to be female and laid eggs.. you sure its male..

Answer 5

I think it's molt too. A big bird like that needs all his feathers to fly. My parakeet can fly whilst molting. But he weighs less than 1 ounce. And he beats his wings very fast.

Answer 6

my cockatiel is molting like mad this may be the problem with your guy but my bird has never had her flight affected. it may be a vision problem if you know of an avian vet nows the time

Answer 7

He may be molting. Check to see if he has any blood feathers. If so they should be pulled. All the best;^)

Answer 8

i think he's in a moult he will be fine when the new feathers grow

Answer 9

I have two cockatiels and he's just molting or he's just tired.

Answer 10

take him to the vet