Safe ways to teach a cockatiel with clipped wings it can't fly?

It is OK if your birds are not flying. Many bird owners actually have bird’s wings clipped so that they are unable to fly or escape. As long is the cage is an adequate size (which it appears to be) they should be fine. You could try increasing their exercise by taking them out of the cage and playing with them individually, but this is not necessary. Birds can live long happy lives without flying. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Leo. Young birds learning to fly can be very clumsy until pectoral (flight) feathers are developed. Provide a safe environment for training. Ensure that diet is adequate to sustain growth and development of muscle mass (i.e. vitamins, protein). Good luck.

If the wing is hanging down it should be bandaged to his body to stabilize it until healed. This could take a month or two. There are many ways to do this. It is best for your vet to do it so you don’t make it too tight but you can google and watch you tube videos on how to do this. He needs to stay in the cage, don’t even let him attempt to fly until the wing is healed.

Have him examined by your veterinarian or by an experienced avian vet. Most birds can fly unless there is an injury or defect in the wings or feathers. A poor clip job may also affect flight, but at 3 years old he should have molted and grown new feathers to replace damaged ones.

I am sorry to hear that your bird tried to escape. The good news is that the wings were clipped so he was unable to fly away. I would recommend continuing to keep the wings clipped to prevent him from escaping. It is important that when you get him out of his cage to interact with him that you make sure the area is secured with no open doors or windows. The more you get him out of the cage and interact with him the more used to it he will be and the less likely he will want to fly away. I would recommend having his wings trimmed every 1 to 2 months to prevent him from flying away. It may also be beneficial to train him to come to you for a treat so that, in the event of an escape, he will be trained to come back to you instead of wander off. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

It sounds like Cheeko still is wary of you, and honestly, you need more time to bond before focusing on tricks, especially if he is still flying away from you. Going back to a previous step such as hand-feeding, just being near his cage and spending time with him, petting him without handling, etc are all good previous steps to work on. You can then begin step-up training with a dowel or other object instead of your hand, that may help him train without being frightened by your hand or being handled. Training birds takes time and patience, so just keep trying, and if he seems fearful, give him a break, go to the previous step that worked, and then move forward from there.

The training of birds all revolves around comfort and security. Continue to train to step up on your finger for longer and longer periods of time. Observe your bird for when it tries to fly away and distract with treats or attention but then allow to step down, during your control. Clipping wings might aid in your training.