Parakeet Journal

Another question is about Charlie's flight capacity and training. It's clear that she's supposed to fly: she's a bird! It's also clear that flight is dangerous for her: cats, hot burners, windows and other indoor hazards abound. Her wings have been show-clipped (my assessment) and only the first flight feather is still long, so she doesn't gain altitude.

As she becomes more comfortable with us she's begun engaging in wing exercise in her cage, where the ladder provides a central perch with the widest available wingspan. She also likes to flutter when she's with us, on the finger or on her playground, and more questions arise: It seems like she's most likely to "fly" when she's frustrated with us and tired of where she's been. If she's on my hand, I can trigger her flight exercise by pumping my hand up and down. It's not clear that she likes this. What should we be doing? How can we take the best care of her?

posted by Daniel @ 10:42 AM