IndianRingNeck.com

This is actually regarding my senegal max (forgive me i have no where else to turn to!!!)

he is appx 8 months old this month and a happier more affectionate bird i have never seen BUT he has yet to fly even a little glide! When I first got him we were still handfeeding and they had done a little clip on him before i took him home and i have refrained from clipping him again since. This is my first baby, Fred my ringneck was a big strong flyer by the time i got him(how often do you guys find yourself clipping? fred needs to be clipped or he developes a crappy attitude - but he is such a strong flyer that within three weeks he can make it across the house again - ive had him clipped as far back as safe....) what is the normal age that a baby will fly? He has the concept down he just goes backwards accross the floor when he flaps and when he climbs off things if he cant reach he just lets himself fall on his little head....he does seem to be excercising his wings more than ever lately flapping at the top of his gym and in the cage but he's not going anywhere anytime soon! let me know what you think....

I think your baby was clipped to soon. They should be clipped after they are fully weaned. They need time to lose the baby fat and develope strong wing muscles before they accually take flight then they have to learn how to land safely. Clipping before the baby is weaned can make the baby very insecure about so many other things not just flying. Let them grow out so he can experience flight and landing. Might take him a little longer but he will get their. Senegals are heavier bodied then the IRN's so he probably won't need as many feathers clipped.

You can help get Max into shape by having him perch on your finger and dropping your hand to make him flap a little. You shouldn't have to drop far or fast, just enough to make him flap. Do this a few times only at first, since his muscles aren't yet conditioned.

You can do it more as he grows stronger- when you can feel the resistance from him flapping (his flapping actually pulls your hand up) then he should be strong enough to fly.

Since he didn't get to fledge, he's probably a little overweight for flying, so these exercises will help him trim down a bit.

I hold my bird's toes of one foot between my thumb and forefinger. I've been doing this since he was young. It lets him know I'm holding on and he can trust me and shouldn't try to fly off my hand when I'm doing that. So when we're doing his "exercises" he knows not to fly off my finger.

Once Max is in shape, he should try to fly all on his own. Sometimes we give our birds a nudge... *coughbirdtosscough* But it's not reccomended unless you know your bird is actually going to fly- or will land on a sofa.

thanks guys! ill give that a shot

Was going to say what Melkia said .. You have to help him practice.

Our Pickle gained flight after we hand raised him, we let him have flight for a while before clipping so that he learnt how to fly and land correctly. Since the clip he has grown full flight, but it took him a while to realise he could fly. We did as Melika said, perched him on our hand and we would drop our hand making him flap to gain balance, as he became more confident, we kept him at a low height and would drop and pull our hand away so that the flapping would have him glide to the ground, it didn't take long for him to know what he could do. Once scare from a sudden door opening and he flew upwards and onto the curtain rail and that was that. He and jordan have a ball chasing each other and playing now they can both fly. Luckily no attitude, Jordan went through the attitude but with persistence we trained him that its no go and kept control.

It might be a little harder with your baby as he was clipped so early, but with your help it wont take long.

Oh and strong flyers and birds that learnt flight before clipping will always have relative flight, so dont clip any further, it won't make a difference, a clip is a clip, if they still have partial flight then you just have to be ever vigilant.

Good luck !